Posts in category: Life Style

A lot of us have trained ourselves to expect the worst—not because we want to be pessimists, but because figuring out how to be more positive often feels like an abstract concept, tied to forced, cheery mantras.

It’s not just as simple as refusing to see silver linings. As humans, we’re actually biologically wired to have a negativity bias, says Laurie Santos, PhD, professor of psychology at Yale University and host of The Happiness Lab podcast. That means our brains latch onto potential problems and worst-case scenarios more than the good stuff, which also explains why “even when things are objectively going well, our minds still scan for what might go wrong next,” Dr. Santos explains. Add to that the toxic positivity seen in preachy wellness blogs and Instagram infographics—the kind that claims cynicism can be fixed with a “look on the bright side!” attitude—and it’s no wonder that trying to be a more optimistic person sounds like a shallow endeavour.

But just because our brains tend to focus on the bad stuff doesn’t mean we’re doomed to be chronically pessimistic. According to experts, there are still a bunch of helpful ways to be a more hopeful (or at least less negative) person without feeling like you’re forcing it.

Just start with being neutral

“You don’t have to be relentlessly or delusionally cheerful to avoid worst-case-scenario thinking,” Dr. Santos points out, since your brain’s smart enough to know when you’re faking it. Just aiming to be neutral is a solid place to start. Instead of telling yourself, “They must be ghosting me,” for instance, try, “They haven’t responded, and that’s making me anxious. But I can’t really know for sure what’s going on.” Sometimes learning how to be more positive starts with just being a little less mean and negative.

Remove absolutes from your vocabulary.

For obvious reasons, you probably already know that thoughts like “Bad things always happen to me” aren’t doing you any favours. But swinging too far in the other direction (“It’s all going to be fine!!!”) can be just as unrealistic.

“The truth is somewhere in the middle,” says Amy Morin, LCSW, author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. In other words, life can be hard, but it can also get better. So “it’s important to recognise the grey area that there’s some good and some bad,” Morin says—and the easiest way to replace black-and-white thinking is to cut absolutes like “always” and “never” altogether. Rephrase “Life never goes my way” to “Ugh, I didn’t get approved for the apartment I wanted.” Or soften “I can’t do anything right” to “I messed up, but it’s just one project.” The more you catch yourself slipping into exaggerated (and unhelpful) generalisations, the easier it becomes to adopt a logical, but also balanced, outlook on life.

Run an “If this happens, then what?” scenario

Unfortunately, bad things can and do happen. You might get dumped by someone you’re falling for, or get rejected for the dream job you were definitely qualified for. But rather than shoving those “what if this goes terribly” thoughts out of your head (which rarely works), Morin recommends answering them with a plan.

Brain health is no longer the sole territory of neurologists and researchers—it’s trending everywhere from TikTok to travel. Wellness destinations like Kamalaya in Koh Samui (yes, the latest White Lotus location) have launched brain-focused programmes promising sharper cognition and mental clarity. And the urgency is real. Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia are on the rise globally, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. One study predicts that cases of dementia will soar from 57 million in 2019 to 152 million by 2050.

Enter: the MIND diet. Short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, it’s a research-backed eating pattern designed to slow cognitive ageing. A 2024 study published in Neurology found that the MIND diet could significantly reduce the risk of memory decline. So, what exactly does it involve?

How the MIND diet works

The MIND diet fuses two of the world’s most respected eating plans:

• The Mediterranean diet
• The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet

Originally developed in 2015 by Dr Martha Clare Morris and her team at Rush University Medical Centre, the MIND diet focuses on whole, unprocessed foods that support brain function. Think: antioxidant-rich vegetables, healthy fats, plant proteins and low-sugar meals. It’s easy to follow, doesn’t require expensive ingredients, and is sustainable over time.

The science-backed benefits of the MIND diet

• Helps prevent Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases
• Reduces the risk of cognitive decline and memory loss
• Supports cardiovascular health
• May help regulate blood pressure
• Aids in managing weight
• Could reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
• Fights chronic inflammation, linked to both brain and body ageing

There are no known risks or side effects, though consulting a healthcare provider is always advised before starting any new eating regimen.

What to eat on the MIND diet

The MIND diet champions a colourful, fibre-rich plate filled with antioxidants that combat oxidative stress in the brain. Key foods include:

Cosmic tip: New beginnings and endeavours call for a new you to step in and lead.

This is not a setback, it’s a reset, Leo. The stillness is sacred. What’s next moves quickly, but only after you surrender to where you are now. Things may feel like they’ve stalled just as you were hoping for momentum, but this pause has purpose. It’s a moment to shift perspective, not push harder. A breakthrough is coming, and when it does, it will move fast. But first, you’re being asked to release old patterns of lack, especially the belief that you have to do it all alone. Use this time to check in with your mindset around worth, support, and timing. You’re not as alone as you think. Guidance, opportunity, and connection are already on their way.

Cosmic tip: Help is closer than you think, but you must be willing to receive it.

Joy returns like sunlight after stillness. A spark stirs within you – creative, alive, undeniable. You’ve given much, and now the scales of energy begin to balance, Virgo. Open your palms; what’s meant for you is finding its way back. Collaboration and support are around you, but don’t rush. Take time to reflect before saying yes to everything. This isn’t just a new beginning; it’s a soulful ignition. Celebrate the present, even if quietly. Trust the flicker – it’s the start of something sacred. The next chapter begins not with noise, but with a quiet, certain spark.

Cosmic tip: Let life pour in, but from the cup you’ve first filled within.

Have you been so focused on your goals that you have forgotten to make space for the things that really matter to you, Libra? Either you or someone you know has taken the lead in your life, driving it with an ambitious, non-stop grind approach and darling, you could really use a breather now. It is wildly attractive to be so focused and driven, it is fascinating to be working on your next big project, but you know what is most alluring? Stealing tiny moments in time to relish what you have that is intangible – hugs from your children, messages from a loved one, quiet me-time, a simple gesture that says you have been thinking about them – anything that reconnects you with your heart. It will energise you, fill your cup and refuel your dreams.

In April, content creator Kevin Droniak went viral for taking a day trip from New York to Cairo—ten hours each way—with followers in the comments calling it “impressive”, “unhinged” and “diabolical”. Naturally, dyed-in-the-wool travellers are aghast at this touch-and-go method of holidaying. “I think it beats the whole purpose of travelling somewhere,” says Shivya Nath, an award-winning travel writer and author of The Shooting Star. “This sounds like a very tick-mark kind of travel. Almost like the peer pressure or internal pressure of ticking as many places off your list as possible.”

Dr Nabila Ismail, founder of South Asian travel club Dose of Travel, believes that when it comes to travel, something is better than nothing. “I think it’s pretty amazing that people are travelling in a way that fits their schedule, rather than not travelling at all. A surface-level snapshot of a place is better than no snapshot of a place.”

On her way to Portugal, Ismail made a 24-hour pit stop in Milan for the sole purpose of eating pizza and shopping. “Novel experiences are priceless because it’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day routine. Even with extreme day trips, it’s possible to learn something new, slip outside your comfort zone, learn about a different culture and shock your system,” she says.

Earlier this year, Racheal Kaur, an Indian-origin assistant manager in finance operations at AirAsia, revealed that her commute to work involes taking a flight from Penang to Kuala Lumpur five days a week, racking up a grand total of 700km each day. The mother of two wakes up at 4am to catch the 6.30am flight to Kuala Lumpur, returning by 8pm to spend time with her children before turning in for the night. Kaur claims that not only has this arrangement allowed her to strike a better work-life balance by allowing her to see her kids more often, but it has also reduced her overall expenses by knocking off the rent she would have to pay to keep her Kuala Lumpur accommodation.

Still, just like our eyes are first drawn to the most visually appealing item in a store, we must inevitably—even if reluctantly—turn our gaze to the price tag of these extreme day trips. While these adrenaline-fuelled experiences are no doubt soul-enriching—and in Kaur’s case, life-affirming—the cost of booking flight tickets solely to spend a single day across the ocean can make us, well, less rich in the monetary sense. Proponents of ‘travel math’ may argue that the money saved on accommodation balances out these expenses, but there are no reassuring arguments to take care of the climate cost: short-haul flights are more carbon-intensive than long-haul flights due to the significant fuel consumption during takeoff and landing.

Last year, I endured a particularly tough stretch of time where everything that could go wrong did go wrong. A handful of my editors got laid off, which meant I was getting less work (and money). My dog developed pesky, hard-to-treat allergies; I moved to a new state; my health insurance refused to pay for some steep medical bills; and then a truck smashed into our car and took off in a classic hit-and-run (to name just a few terrors).

I was suddenly stressing out about something pretty much every second of the day. After a few months of this, my therapist suggested I create a “worry window,” or a scheduled chunk of time during which I could, well, chew over my problems. It felt unnatural at first—after all, my brain was accustomed to panicking at will—but within a couple of weeks, I was feeling way less unhinged and much more like myself.

Claudia Giolitti-Wright, MA, LMFT, the founder of Psychotherapy for Young Women in New York City, commonly recommends this technique to her clients who struggle with anxiety or find themselves, like me, perpetually overwhelmed. Why? “A worry window gives your anxious thoughts a seat at the table, but not the whole house, so you can acknowledge them without letting them take over your entire day,” says Giolitti-Wright. Here’s how it changed my life—and how it could help you too:

What happens when your worries run wild?

This probably won’t come as much of a shock, but worrying incessantly can wreak havoc on your physical and mental health. When you’re stressed out, your body pumps out stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline (you might know this as the fight-or-flight response). While this physiological reaction energises you in the short-term so you can tackle whatever threat or problem is in front of you, excessive and long-term exposure to these stress hormones can trigger inflammation in your body and contribute to fatigue, difficulty sleeping, muscle tension, digestive issues, a weakened immune system and chronic diseases, according to Giolitti-Wright. “Constant worry really wears your body down,” she says.

Mentally, perpetually panicking about your problems can trigger feelings of anxiety or depression, irritability, and make it difficult to focus, pay attention and make decisions. It can also sour relationships, causing some people to isolate and withdraw and others to lash out at their loved ones. “Stress definitely impacts our ability to connect with others,” says Giolitti-Wright.

Why worry windows can be so helpful

When your worries don’t have any boundaries or limits, they can run the show, says Giolitti-Wright. I can attest to this—when everything was going wrong in my life, I spent every minute of my day puzzling over how to fix things. When I would be in a yoga class, for example, I was physically moving through the poses, but mentally, I was elsewhere, desperately trying to problem-solve.

Is the microbiota—the trillions of bacteria and yeast that live with the intestinal flora of your gastrointestinal system—on its way to becoming our best wellness ally?

Thanks to fairly recent research into gene sequencing, we now have a better understanding of this astonishing bacterial population living within our gut. According to André Burckel, a French scientist and pharmacist-biologist, the microbiota can “send messages to the brain, with an impact on neurotransmitters which then act on mood.”

We’re in a period of increase gut health awareness, but it can also be pretty overwhelming to know where to start to nurture your microbiome. Should you really be on a super-push for protein? Are probiotics the answer? Or prebiotics?

The signs of an unhappy gut range from bloating and lethargy to insomnia, reduced immunity, depression, and constipation. When your gut isn’t best pleased, it’s throwing the rest of your body off. So how can we optimise our microbiota? Below, three simple rules for having a healthy gut.

Focus on the right foods

Directly influencing mood, sleep, and both the locomotor (musculoskeletal) and circulatory systems, as well as the body’s defense system, the effects of microbiota extend far beyond the intestines and their impact on digestion. You have to take the utmost care of it to feel good and keep a healthy gut.

In his book The Burckel Diet, for Microbiota Health, Burckel recommends incorporating five key components into your daily diet. First, resistant starches like wheat, beans, or bananas to nourish the good intestinal bacteria. Secondly, beta-glucans, a type of soluble fiber that naturally occurs in things like oats and barley, and which increase the number of good bacteria, kills the bad, and lowers cholesterol levels at the same time.

Then, Burckel suggests fructans, which are a type of carbohydrate that naturally occurs in certain cereals, legumes, and fruit and vegetables like asparagus, chicory, and melon, all which help balance the microbiota. He also emphasises the importance of fibre—like kale, figs, or almonds, which increases gut diversity and is used by your gut bacteria to create short-chain fatty acids—good for brain health and metabolism. Finally, polyphenols, found in plant foods like dates, tea, spices, and cocoa, which can act like a prebiotic and benefit gut bacteria, or can be converted by the gut bacteria into beneficial fatty acids.

Eat raw

It’s a fact: Our hectic, stressed lifestyles, combined with an industrialised diet and reliance on antibiotics, put the functioning of the microbiota to the test. We now know that intestinal dysbiosis can lead to autoimmune pathologies, degenerative diseases, and even depression…The good news? We can take preventative measures, and optimize the functioning of our microbiota with the help of dietary prebiotics—another unsung hero of gut health.

While flats and flip flops are a go-to for those who define summer with lightweight pieces, flowy pants are the key to giving them that quintessential summer vibe. Think about it: no shoe evokes the arrival of summer as strongly as flip flops, but they wouldn’t look as chic if you paired them with just any pair of pants.

With simply slipping them on, flip flops transport us to days in the sun and afternoons of refreshing drinks. That’s the motto: pants that fall naturally over the ankle, revealing the coolest footwear of the season. It couldn’t be simpler.

It’s a known fact that where there’s sunshine, trendy sandals are a must. And that means one thing: the return of the look that season after season never goes out of style. Amidst the nostalgia boom that continues to set the tone, with trends ranging from the 90s to the most recent runways, vacations, whether among concrete buildings or by bayside, invite you to embrace this summer uniform.

How to wear flats with flowy pants for Spring-Summer 2025

When it comes to flowy pants, it’s impossible to resist the charm of their natural elegance, falling freely and uninhibitedly on the legs. Call it a cliché look, spotted on numerous women, but there’s a reason for this: this combination (starring thong sandals) is the duo that never goes out of style.

1. Pants and a midi dress with flats

Getty Images

Power Crystal: Black tourmaline, for protection and grounding.

Clarity sets in, and you can finally see your way out of the maze. Leo, courage is what you need to find your way through. There’s a quiet awakening unfolding within you which feels like a call to step into your next chapter with clarity, intuition, and grace. You’re being guided to speak from truth, not fear, and to trust the vision forming in your inner world, even if it hasn’t fully taken shape yet. This is a moment to align your thoughts with your soul’s wisdom. Let your inner knowing lead, even when logic wants proof. Meditate, journal, or simply jot down instinctual steps that come to you to begin your journey.

Power Crystal: Labradorite, to take swift, aligned action.

Tender and delicate – that is you this month, Virgo. When you feel like you are walking on thin ice, ask yourself if it feels good to go slow and gentle on yourself. Your reluctant response will be –yes. Accept this amazing opportunity to enfold the vastness of life in your slender arms by opening your heart to the most intricate weaves it has to offer. This month, you realise that when you come from a space of peace, even the mightiest storms pass by like the cool ocean breeze. It all starts in a fraction of a moment, but it moves into something bigger almost instantly. This fragility you have claimed, nurture it unrelentingly. In stillness, your heart will remember how to breathe again.

Power Crystal: Nuummite, for healing shadows and stepping into your wholeness.

Let’s get brutally honest, Libra. What are you holding onto? What are you creeping away from, and what are you trying to shove under the rug? Will you simply stop and listen? You were born with the knowing that nothing is wrong with you, and now you simply need to revert back to that mode where every shortcoming was simply a part of your personality, without any moral labels attached to it, just like your strengths. You picked up concepts of flaws and imperfections as you moved along the way, but tell me, did it really help you, or did it only keep you back? Just like Mama Earth, it is time to accept your oceans as equally important and beautiful as your deserts. They all make you You. As long as you have your heart in the right place, you are invincible, okay?