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In today’s world it is incredibly rare for a day to go by without the interception of TV or the Internet. Most of us rely on the Internet to work and to socialise, and then our evenings are spent in front of the TV to help us ‘wind down’.

So, what do you think would happen if you were to go a whole weekend without the Internet or TV? Take a look at the following things you might come up against:

You are uncomfortable with no background noise

As social creatures, we are typically drawn to hustle and bustle – and that includes noise. This means that when you unplug for the weekend, you may find yourself dealing with a wall of silence. You can of course listen to music, however it may be worth taking up your issue with silence. It will probably make you feel uncomfortable at first, but after a while you may well relish the quiet.

You dislike not being able to waste time

Your smartphone and...

After a long day working in an office with dull, artificial lighting, many of us are relieved to step outside and get some natural sun exposure.

According to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, working without natural light actually has a far greater impact than just affecting our moods.

In fact, it can also be detrimental to our health, well-being and our overall productivity in the workplace.

Results gathered by Northwestern Medicine and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign show that office workers with more light exposure get longer sleep, partake in more physical activity and lead a better quality of life compared with those who get very little light in their offices.

These findings were reached following an investigation of 49 day-shift office workers – 27 who worked in windowless office buildings and 22 in workplaces with windows.

Employees in close vicinity to windows received 173% more white...

For most of us, stress is part of life – however, it doesn’t have to take over. We may not have control over certain triggers, but there are things we can do to eliminate self-created stress triggers.

Take a look at the following suggestions to eliminate self-created stress:

Stop jumping to the worst-case scenarios

It can be easy to fall into a habit of always assuming the worst and this is often because of two things. Firstly, people like to ‘know’ what the worst-case scenario is so they aren’t surprised when it happens – and secondly, if you know what the worst-case scenario is, you feel as if you have the power to stop it from happening. The thing to ask yourself is how this kind of thinking truly benefits you – does it make you feel good about yourself and your life? Instead, try to see the positives, you’ll be amazed at how quickly this reduces stress.

Don’t take on other...

Embarking on a healthy eating regime is not always easy – especially if the long-term goal is weight-loss.

Losing weight tends to involve cutting down on our favourite foods and swapping sugary and fatty options for lighter alternatives.

This can be tricky to stick to and sometimes we may end up giving in to our vices without thinking twice about how much effort we’ve made to slim.

If this happens, it can be easy to give in completely and head straight for the nearest takeaway venue, but this will only add to your guilt.

Instead, follow these tips to take the right course of action and get back on the wagon fast: 

Remind yourself that you’re only human

A commitment to weight-loss is essentially a commitment to change your whole...

Many people view night terrors as a problem young children struggle with, but the sleep disorder affects adults too. Exact figures are difficult to come by, however experts estimate that 1-2% of the adult population are affected by sleep disorders, and approximately 100,000 of those are thought to experience some form of night terrors.

Night terrors are different to nightmares in that sufferers actively engage with their surroundings during an episode. Nightmares typically have complex narratives, while night terrors tend to revolve around more simplistic, primitive images such as an intruder in the room, the walls caving in or spiders running across the bed. Sufferers say the fear they experience during a night terror is more intense than any fear they have felt in real life.

This sleep disorder is more common in children, and in most...

Relationships, work, parenting, physical illness, loss – there are several ups and downs that we all endure on a daily basis that can make life incredibly stressful.

Yet for some people, experiencing difficulty is far less overwhelming than it is for others (or at least that’s what it seems like).

This can be quite baffling, but the reality is, everyone is capable of finding happiness when life is hard.

See below for a quick guide to changing your thoughts so you can feel better and more spirited no matter what life throws at you.

Diagnose your patterns of thought

Is your mind so full of negativity that you have no room for anything positive? Do you feel instantly sad when you are in a certain situation? Recognising unhealthy thought patterns and triggers before you react to them emotionally can help you to...

Many people in the UK want to lose weight, whether they’ve been advised to do so by their doctor, or because they want to look like their favourite actor. We embark on fad diets, spend a fortune on gym memberships and try shakes, pills and more just to lose some weight.

Despite our best intentions however, as a nation we are more sedentary than ever and both men and women are getting fatter. Professor Jason Halford, chair of the UK Association for the Study of Obesity believes our focus on slimming is affecting obesity rates.

“We have a paradox in that we’re completely obsessed with being thin yet the majority of the adult population is either overweight or obese. For most girls, unless you’re of a certain height, those body images are impossible to achieve without diet control practices which would verge on the psycho-pathological.

“This ideal isn’t stimulating people to lose weight, it’s merely making them unhappy.”

Siri Steinmo, a health...