Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at You

Domestic abuse is soaring just now. Even as far back as early April, it was up by 30 per cent. No wonder, then, that charities are urging us to keep an eye out for anyone in danger.  The warning signs include bruising, repeated shouting and all types of controlling behaviour. If someone is in immediate...

According to handicraft expert Kirstie Allsopp, a missing button was the number one reason why 350,000 tonnes of wearable clothing may end up in UK landfill this year. But that was before lockdown.  Now you have time to make do – and mend!  Rescue and reuse your clothes.  After all, it saves money and the...

Terry Waite spent four years in solitary confinement in Beirut. He says: “In isolation, it is easy to become introspective and depressed. All of us, when we are honest and examine ourselves critically, will discover things about ourselves of which we are not especially proud. I had to learn how to grow a greater acceptance...

During this period of staying so much at home, how much exercise is good? According to immunologists, regular bouts of moderate-intensity exercise can help build our resistance to infection. “Regular moderate exercise ensures that our lymph, which is the circulatory system of our immune cells, keeps flowing,” says Dr Jenna Macciochi, of the University of...

There are four crimes on the rise during lockdown: domestic abuse, the online grooming of children, commercial property theft and coronavirus-related frauds. Nearly all other offences have declined, including murders, robberies, domestic burglaries and assaults.

The British are good at keeping calm in a crisis. But for those of us who suffer from a mental health condition such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the coronavirus pandemic can be a nightmare. Around 50 percent of OCD sufferers have a fear of contamination from dirt, and so the constant advice to wash your...

Life in quarantine Loneliness at the Virtual Chelsea Flower Show, 19th – 23rd May Leave your dandelions alone What is the best way to talk about death?  Grow your lawns Take exercise for even half an hour a day – and lower depression! Dieting at home When texting can be dangerous Bless you? Plan for...

Full marks to Jamie Oliver for his Channel 4 series, ‘Keep Cooking and Carry On’.  He showed us how to make tasty meals with basic ingredients and a minimum of fuss. The pandemic prompted other encouraging responses. One mother in the ‘at risk’ category said her adult children thought she was immortal until now. Now...

All sorts of themes are chosen for the Chelsea Flower Show, but this year’s theme turned out to be scarily appropriate for the Spring of 2020:  loneliness and mental health. For, according to Sue Briggs, RHS Director General, “many feel they need gardening in their life now more than ever before, for their mental and...

When mowing your lawn, avoid cutting your dandelions.  That is the advice of the president of the British Ecological Society, Prof Jane Memmott. It will help to save the bees. She explains: “Dandelions are a fantastic source of pollen and nectar for the early pollinators in particular. If they were rare, people would be fighting...

A leading terminal illness charity, Marie Curie, advises that euphemisms are not helpful, and that using direct language about death is the best approach when in a hospital or while talking to children. The euphemisms include: ‘popped their clogs’, ‘kicked the bucket’, ‘passed away’, ‘pushing up daisies’ and ‘leaving this mortal coil.’ Matthew Reed, Marie...

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has called on people to allow flowers to grow on their lawns, instead of insisting on smooth green surfaces. The reason is because nearly 7.5million acres of meadows and pastures rich in wildflowers have been lost since the Thirties, thus removing a vital source of food for pollinators, many of...