Whenever depression is written about, the most common recommendation is to seek help via a mental health professional. But with therapy — even the online version — costing hundreds of dirhams just for one session, that is just not an option for most of the population. Despite the fact that globally, more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression, according to the World Health Organisation, it has taken a pandemic for everyone...
My reasons for attempting a 72-hour water fast? An experiment to explore the power of the mind. It is not a weight-loss strategy. There is an impressive body of evidence pointing to the health benefits of fasting, including improvements in metabolism, lowering the risk of certain cancers, heart disease and diabetes, and overall increased longevity. It’s recommended that you only do it for no longer than 72 hours; anything beyond that would typically require medical consent....
Friendships are a bond of great force and impact. They transcend geography, life shifts and many emotional phases. And it’s one of the greatest joys in life. During the pandemic, the bedrock of our collective sanity were the friendships we could dial into over Zoom or embrace at a social distance. It has been a period of helping one another fill in the blanks and pluck each other out of high to low levels of...
The clean, green movement and the desire for cleaner, sustainable products are growing and the beauty industry is no exception
In the Livehealthy series, “My work,” we delve into how people deal with job stress. We do this anonymously so people can be totally honest about their experiences without fear of reprisal. For this piece, and to celebrate International Nurses’ Day, a psychiatric nurse at a government hospital in Bahrain recounts her experience to Georgie Bradley. The work day for a nurse is never a straight eight hours. Something always come up, especially when you think...
In the Livehealthy series called “My work”, we delve into how people in the UAE deal with their job stress. We do this anonymously so people can be totally honest about their experiences without fear of reprisal. For this piece, we spoke to a 30-year-old barista who works at a coffee shop in Dubai. You need a lot of self-control in order to not lose your cool in pressure-cooker situations, because they happen all the...
For most people the daily fast of Ramadan is tough, but for those with eating disorders (EDs) this time of year can have a more sinister allure. “One of the common misconceptions in the Middle East is that EDs are a ‘Western problem’,” says Dina Zalami, a counseling psychologist from Thrive Wellbeing Centre. “While diagnosable eating disorders may have been more present in the West in the past, globalization and social media have given rise...
Yoga Nidra takes you to the space between wakefulness and sleep -- and it can galvanize and relax you at the very same time.
Marianne Tafani was inspired to launch Core connect after a traumatic first childbirth that led to four debilitating injuries which left her alone for 19 hours a day with a newborn baby when she could barely walk. The 34-year-old French-born founder of the postnatal abdominal rehabilitation programme, which is based in Dubai, said she had “no choice but to educate myself and find solutions.” “The doctor who delivered my son refused to follow up on me...
At school, I used to hide my tampons, because asking permission to go to the toilet and then taking my whole bag with me would have been an embarrassing giveaway. The worst was when I stained my skirt and had to tie my school jumper around my waist. The girls were usually just as shaming as the boys about this sort of thing. “Don’t you know how to deal with your period?” was a common...
Livehealthy is starting a new series called “My work”, where we delve into how people in the UAE deal with their job stress. We do this anonymously so people can be totally honest about their experiences without fear of reprisal. Pre-Covid, we spoke to a 41-year-old associate lawyer who works at an international law firm with offices in Dubai. Time zones don’t mean anything to clients. They’ll call you anytime they want and expect a...