Free ice-cream, glowing skin and camping wins: Filter UK writers reveal the unexpected perks of product testing
Our testers reflect on a year of discoveries, from family game nights to fewer chores
Feeling wired? The truth about ‘nervous system resets’
The internet is full of warnings about our ‘dysregulated’ nervous systems. But, experts say, you don’t need to reset yours – you might just need to make it more flexible. Here’s how (and no, you don’t need an acupressure mat)
My wife obsessively consumes US news. She’s so stressed but can’t turn off. What should I do?
Instead of asking her to step away from her distress, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, could you suggest she channel it into action?
As my husband’s carer, I sometimes need a break – finding respite care in Australia shouldn’t be this difficult
Arranging a short stay for my husband in an aged care facility shouldn’t take dozens of calls, emails and an interstate operation involving friends
A moment that changed me: My mother fell off a mountain – and my life began again
A bad breakup had made me afraid I would be mired in anger for ever. But on that family hike, in our fear and horror as we awaited the air ambulance, my old hurts took on a different hue
‘I wanted to help another family’: four surrogates on how they feel about the surrogacy discourse
The Guardian spoke with surrogates across the US about what they think of the controversy surrounding the practice
‘I’d like to explain why I was such a monster back then’: six writers on the apologies they wish they’d made
From making life hell for a young teacher to doubting the motives of a caring foster mother, Olivia Petter, Derek Owusu, Annie Lord and other writers repent for past bad behaviour
Water your plants and get an eye mask: 48 life rules every student – and adult – needs to know
If you’re a fresher, this may be the first time you’ve ever lived away from home. So how should you socialise, feed yourself and look after your health?
The Black women who choose to have children on their own: ‘We’re going in eyes open’
With growing support networks online and in person, these moms say they’re changing the narrative around Black single motherhood
Chat to strangers and let your kids be bored: how to embrace a ‘slow September’ – and enjoy life more
The pressure to self-optimise at the start of the new school year can lead to disappointment and burnout. Instead, here are seven ways to slow things down and reap the benefits
Experience: I didn’t know I was pregnant until I gave birth
There’d been no morning sickness, cravings or tiredness. My mum didn’t believe I’d had a baby – even after seeing her on FaceTime
I’m giving birth as a battle rages over maternity care in Ireland. We shouldn’t have to pay to feel safe
An unfair two-tier system is, at last, giving way to universal state care. But private interests and highly paid doctors are resisting, says journalist Caelainn Hogan
I don’t get along with my sister-in-law. Should I try to address the dynamic?
There are two things to consider, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. Are you hurt by the way she treats you or the way she sees you?
Amid the social and political panic about falling birthrates, why not ask new mothers what they think?
Medals and cash bonuses have been mooted as incentives, but the priority is for policy that addresses women’s real concerns, says author and journalist Lucy Jones
A moment that changed me: my grandpa risks his life to litter pick – and he taught me a profound lesson
I thought I knew what it was to be a good citizen. But after seeing him scramble up a ditch, beaming with pride at his rubbish-filled bag, I realised what it actually involves