From quitting smoking to getting out of debt: Guardian readers on the resolutions they kept this year

Ros feels fitter than ever at 71. Julia has found happiness. We asked readers how they ditched their bad habits and formed good ones – here are their inspiring stories

Byron Katie: ‘Just ask yourself, is that thought really true?’

Byron Katie was deeply depressed when a radical change left her joyful. She now uses her secret to help others – whether brutalised by war or merely stressed

To be happier, women should try giving up on being good

Women are more unhappy than men, and men are blamed for this. But perhaps men aren’t the real culprits

A letter to … my sister, who has conquered her depression

The letter you always wanted to write

‘Improv saved my life’: the comedy classes helping people with anxiety

Once the domain of aspiring performers, improv courses are increasingly being sought out by students experiencing mental health problems

Guardian Public Service Awards 2017 health and wellbeing winner: Highgate primary school

A new 12-strong team at Highgate primary has reduced exclusions and referrals to mental health services to zero, for just £8,500 a year

Comedy in a care home: the standups taking slapstick into new territory

The residents were expecting bingo. Instead they got lessons in strawberry spitting, a Railway Children spoof – and a stuntman stripping to his underpants

Tech revolution is coming to healthcare – GPs must be part of it

Smartphones offer an opportunity to get information into the hands of those who need it most; complaining from the sidelines is futile

How virtual reality is taking dementia patients back to the future

The Wayback project recreates coronation day in 1953 on 3D film using actors, period costumes and props, right down to fish-paste sandwiches. The effect is to bring back vivid memories for those struggling with the present

Can men get postnatal depression?

More than a quarter of new fathers in a new study showed significant levels of depression – what are the causes, and what can they do about it?

Is your gut microbiome the key to health and happiness?

Research suggests the vast ecosystem of organisms that lives in our digestive systems might be as complex and influential as our genes in everything from mental health to athleticism and obesity. But is ‘poop doping’ really the way ahead?

‘I wasn’t there at the end’: your biggest regrets in life

Readers reacted to Emma Freud’s article on regret with emotion, humour and a deep sense of introspection

Why we must listen to the ticking of our body clock

Ignoring the body’s natural rhythms can affect our physical and mental wellbeing and even the outcome of surgery, writes neuroscientist Paul Kelley

Campus confidential: the counsellors on the frontline of the student mental health crisis

The number of first-year students who disclose a mental health problem has risen five-fold in the past decade. We talk to the experts trying to help

‘Don’t be ashamed’ – readers’ tips for improving mental health at work

From mindful meditation to changing jobs, readers share their tips on dealing with mental health problems at work