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The suicide myths that stop people from actually helping

Written by Joy Hibbins, Founder of an award-winning Suicide Crisis Centre  

I run a Suicide Crisis Centre, and over the years, I have heard many myths being expressed – especially about suicide risk. These misconceptions can mean people don’t always recognise someone’s risk of suicide. It’s so important to correct the misunderstandings that exist around suicidal intent to ensure people receive the help that they need. 

Myth “Someone who talks about suicide won’t actually end their life.”

In reality, many people who are at significant risk of suicide talk about it. They may make direct comments about feeling suicidal – but they may make quite casual remarks about wanting to end their life. It would be very easy to miss the significance of these, because of the casual manner in which they are expressed.

Casual remarks about feeling suicidal should always be taken seriously.

As part of our research into deaths by suicide, we attended inquests over a six-month period. The evidence showed that two of the individuals (who had taken their own lives) had made casual remarks about suicide in the days before they died.  

One of them had said: ‘I don’t know why I don’t just kill myself.’ The other had said: ‘I might as well kill myself.’ Understandably, friends and family members might not immediately recognise these remarks as a sign of increased risk.  Our research shows how important it is to take notice of every expression of suicidal intent, however it is expressed.  

It can be very difficult to tell friends or family members that you are having suicidal thoughts. This is why some people may say it in a casual way. 

Myth “A genuinely suicidal person won’t ask for help”   

 One of the myths I hear most often is: “They are asking for help so they don’t really want to end their life” 

I sometimes hear this from people working in front line crisis and emergency services, as well as from friends, neighbours and family members of someone who is in suicidal crisis.   

In reality, many people who go on to end their life ask for help for their suicidal thoughts at some point, or they tell someone or give other indications that they are at risk of suicide.  

When someone asks for help, you may only have a short window of opportunity in which to do so. Their willingness (or ability) to seek help may fluctuate. If they are depressed, their depression may deepen as the days pass – and their suicide risk may increase, too. As they become more depressed, they may withdraw from the world and stop seeking help. So it is vital that we try to help them while we can, because they might withdraw and stop asking for help in a few days’ or a few weeks’ time. 

Why can someone still ask for help when they want to end their life?

It can help to understand their risk in this way. There is still a small part of them that wants to survive – a small part of them that is still holding onto life. The bigger part of them may have strong intent to end their life at that point, but there is still a small part of them that is enabling them to survive. This is a very fragile situation – their grip on life may be very tenuous at this point –  and we need to do everything we can to help them survive. 

Myth: It’s attention-seeking

I have sometimes heard friends or neighbours say “it’s attention-seeking, isn’t it?” – particularly if someone is frequently expressing suicidal thoughts.   

It implies that someone is trying to gain attention for negative reasons. It may also give the impression that we should not take what they are saying seriously.  

We can think of this in a different way: “They are drawing my attention to the fact that they are feeling suicidal.”  

They are letting you know that they are in crisis and that they need help. It’s important to always take this seriously.  

It’s also important to think about the reasons why someone may be expressing suicidal thoughts more frequently – why they may be experiencing frequent episodes of suicidal crisis. They may have through something very traumatic, for example. If someone is trying to cope with severe post-traumatic symptoms, it can be very destabilising. And they may not have been able to access the right help yet – because it sometimes takes time before someone is ready to have trauma-focused psychological therapy (which is available through the NHS). 

Myth: “Feeling suicidal is a sign of weakness”

In reality, a suicidal crisis can happen to people who have been extremely self-reliant throughout their life. During a family crisis, they may bury their own feelings and care for everyone else. They are often described as the “rock” of the family or ‘the strong one’.  

Crucially, they may have never learned to ask for help or support – and this is the key part. Whenever adverse events happen in their life, they suppress them and carry on. They often look after everyone else’s needs, rather than their own. These painful life events remain locked inside them.  

The pain of major life events can accumulate over the years. We all have a limit to what we can endure and sometimes a final trigger may occur – one too many painful life events. This can ‘unlock’ painful or traumatic events, which they have filed away in a compartment of their mind. The years of pain that have built up inside them may be released at this point. It can be overwhelming, and for some people, it may trigger a suicidal crisis.  

It’s important to remember that our friends and family members who may seem the most self-reliant may ultimately be the most vulnerable to having suicidal thoughts.  

The more we address the myths around suicide, the more we can all understand and can help individuals at risk of suicide.  

“The Suicide Prevention Guidebook: How To Support Someone Who Is Having Suicidal Feelings” explains more about the complexity of suicidal feelings and how to support someone during a period of suicidal crisis.   

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A review of Crafting a Path Through Illness

Crafting a Path Through Illness review

Book reviewer and blogger Kate Macdonald has just published her review of Crafting a Path Through Illness: Exploring Creativity While Chronically Ill by Germaine Hypher.

I defy any reader to read this and not come away with a determination to be more creative, no matter what your condition in life. It’s a terrific resource, and ought to be sitting in every hospital waiting room for dipping into if you’ve forgotten your crochet.

Kate’s complete review is well worth reading in full on her website.

About the book

Crafting a Path Through Illness: Exploring Creativity While Chronically Ill is by Germaine Hypher, who has lived with ME and fibromyalgia for over four decades. Drawing on her own experience and that of others, she shows how creative practice — from knitting and crochet to drawing and writing — can support people living with chronic illness, and offers practical, accessible ways in for readers whatever their energy levels allow.

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Who Gets to Decide What’s Right for Your Health?

Poland’s “Lex Szarlatan” and what it means for your health.

Poland is in the middle of a heated debate that anyone interested in health, wellness, or personal freedom over medical choices should be paying attention to. In July 2026, the Polish parliament passed a bill nicknamed “Lex Szarlatan” — literally, the “Charlatan Law.” It’s now with the President, awaiting a decision on whether it will become law.
On the surface, it sounds simple: a crackdown on fake healers and dangerous, unproven “miracle cures” preying on sick people. Underneath, it’s a much more complicated question; one that touches on patient rights, freedom of information, and who should have the final say over your own body.

What the bill does

Lex Szarlatan amends Poland’s existing Act on Patient Rights and the Patient Ombudsman. It would give the Ombudsman new powers to move quickly against practices considered dangerous pseudo-medicine — issuing public warnings, ordering services to stop, and imposing fines of up to 1 million złoty. The Ministry of Health frames it as closing a gap: tens of thousands of “paramedical” providers currently operate in Poland with little oversight, and the ministry cites real cases of desperately ill people spending their savings on treatments lacking scientific backing, sometimes delaying effective care in the process.

The problem

However, the question is, who decides where legitimate, if still-emerging, natural or complementary approaches end and “pseudomedicine” begins? The bill doesn’t clearly define that line, and it vests considerable discretionary power in a single official.
Critics also point out a practical problem: many traditional or herbal remedies can’t be patented, so there’s little commercial incentive to fund the expensive clinical trials that would satisfy a strict evidence bar, which means the law could sweep up useful, low-risk approaches alongside genuinely dangerous ones. There are also free-speech concerns about how the law might affect authors, practitioners, and educators who write or speak about therapies that fall outside mainstream medicine but don’t make dangerous claims.
Wherever you fall on this particular bill, it points to a bigger truth: laws can restrict bad actors, but they can’t do the work of making someone a genuinely informed patient. That only happens through access to good information — reading widely, understanding the evidence (and its limits) behind both conventional and complementary approaches, and learning to ask sharper questions of any practitioner, mainstream or alternative.
That’s precisely the space we try to serve at Hammersmith Health Books: not telling readers what to think, but giving them the grounding to make their own, better-informed decisions about their health. Regulation will keep evolving. What doesn’t change is that patients who read, question, and understand the evidence are better equipped to protect themselves — with or without a law doing it for them.
Curious to go deeper on evidence-based approaches to your own health? Explore our catalogue.

 

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What We’ve Been Getting Wrong About Depression

depression fear response

Hammersmith author Michael Guilding has written a brilliant new piece for Psychology Today. Guilding is the author of Fear in the Therapy Room.

In “What We’ve Been Getting Wrong About Depression,” Guilding challenges one of the most widely accepted explanations for depression. He draws on 30 years of clinical experience. He argues depression isn’t caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Instead, he makes the case that it’s a normal biological threat response — one that has become stuck.

Below is a short extract. Read the full piece on the Psychology Today website.

Depression is not some sort of defect in the individual sufferer—a sense of safety depends on the environments in which we live and work. Along with anxiety, depression arises from normal biological responses to threat, which become stuck and cannot deactivate because the context of our lives is sensed to be insufficiently safe. By giving full attention to a client’s external circumstances, as well as their hard-wired reactions to threat, therapists play an important role in the alleviation of depression, but ultimately, the solution to the scourge of depression which affects so many of us lies in the responsibility we hold individually and collectively to create a society in which every person can feel safe and secure.

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The Fear System at Work – Michael Guilding for Psychology Today

Hammersmith author Michael Guilding wrote a brilliant new piece for Psychology Today. Michael is the author of Fear in the Therapy Room.

In “The Fear System at Work,” Michael draws on years of clinical experience. He explores something therapists rarely discuss openly: the fear response doesn’t just belong to the patient. Therapists feel it too. Learning to recognise and work with that shared fear — rather than around it — can deepen the therapeutic bond.

Below is a short extract. Read the full piece on the Psychology Today website.

It was just the start of our second session, but we were in deep trouble already. Christopher was agitated, talking really quickly and with a sense of urgency. There was something he said I needed to know, but I couldn’t follow him; nothing made sense. The harder I tried, the more confused I got; I felt I was losing the plot. I thought: Is this a psychotic episode? That made me panic; my heart was beating fast, and I felt hot all over. What should I do? My mind went blank.

I thought, Here we go again, my fear system has just kicked off. I knew what to do now. Stop working, observe my breathing, nothing else. A couple of moments later, a bit calmer, I focused my attention on my body, my agitation and sense of disconnection, and my fear of craziness. A thought came into my head: “He’s scared he’s going mad.” At the same time, I had a mental picture of an astronaut, with his connection to his spacecraft severed, floating off into black, endless space.

We had a moment of real connection, then we were able to start working together to make sense of all of this, both of us having recovered the ability to think reflectively.

Right at the core of psychotherapy is the human fear system – a set of biological processes which form our instant, automatic and unconscious reactions to threat. We have three key fear responses depending on how close the danger is.

When the danger is some way off, and we are not sure what the threat is, we go into fear alert—our senses become more acute as we scan the environment, and our nervous system readies our body to explode into action if needed. We tense and hold our breath – we feel anxious, wary and on edge.

When danger is close, we are in fear arousal; the body changes and boosts our energy so we can hit harder and run faster to escape the threat. Where it is not obvious how to escape, our body might lock in a freeze or our heart rate might peak in terror, a state of ‘fright’ that can tip us into the final fear response. With fear arousal, we might experience a huge upwards-moving rush of energy such as when we really lose our temper—our heart beats faster—we run or shout or lash out, or we might go rigid in terror or panic and our mind blanks. In this state we can’t focus on anything but danger, and we lose our ability to think reflectively.

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Ozempic and Gallbladder Disease: is there a link? by Juliet Sullivan

Thank you to Juliet Sullivan for sharing this incredible blog. Read on to learn more about Ozempic and Gallbladder Disease, whether there is in fact a link between the two and what you can do to look after your gallbladder health.

The eX-pat files blog

By Juliet Sullivan

When I first moved to Canada in 2003, I had a series published in The Province newspaper entitled Diary of an Immigrant. The series chronicled my move from Brighton, England to Vancouver. This blog continues the journey. It has been, and continues to be, one crazy ride

Ozempic and gallbladder disease: is there a link?

February 2026

You have probably* heard a bit of chatter about Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro — those revered injections that promise the holy grail of weight loss and blood sugar control. There is no doubt that they are helping people to lose weight, steady their insulin levels, and in many cases, transform lives.

*please excuse my sarcasm.

But lately, a few questions relating to these ‘wonder’ drugs have cropped up in the Press and online; one of them being: is there a possibility that they can increase the likelihood of developing gallbladder disease?

And the short answer is: possibly.

Not definitely — and not for everyone — but it’s worth understanding how these drugs can sometimes nudge the gallbladder into mischief.​

What these medications actually do

Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro belong to a class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They copy a natural hormone in your body that helps regulate insulin and makes you feel fuller faster, which is why so many people find their appetite dwindles.

But here’s the sneaky downside: those same GLP-1 receptors also live in your gallbladder, and when they’re stimulated, the gallbladder empties more slowly. Bile ends up lounging inside for longer, becoming thicker and more concentrated, and those thicker bile salts and cholesterol can clump together into gallstones.

Why rapid weight loss makes things worse

And just when your gallbladder is already sluggish, along comes rapid weight loss, which adds another layer of pressure. Every time you burn body fat quickly, your liver releases extra cholesterol, some of which ends up in your bile, making it what researchers call “supersaturated.” That’s a perfect recipe for gallstone formation.

What You Can Do About It

If you’ve started one of these medications (or are thinking about it), there is no need to panic. You don’t have to choose between your waistline and your gallbladder. It’s just a matter of being kind to both.

  • Go for steady rather than dramatic weight loss; slower changes give your gallbladder time to keep up.​
  • Try not to skip meals, because long stretches without eating make bile sit still in the gallbladder.
  • Keep a little healthy fat in your diet – things like olive oil, nuts, or avocado help your gallbladder contract and clear out bile.
  • Tell your doctor if you’ve had gallstones or gallbladder surgery before, so they can keep a closer eye on you.​
  • Watch for warning signs: pain under the right ribs, nausea, bloating, or pain after fatty foods are all reasons to get checked.

And no, there’s no need for a “just in case” gallbladder removal before you start these meds; routine preventive surgery isn’t recommended. Most people do very well with monitoring, sensible dosing, and a bit of dietary common sense.​

A Little Help From The Gallstone Friendly Diet

If all of this is making you think, “OK, I need to look after my gallbladder properly now,” that’s exactly why I wrote The Gallstone Friendly Diet: everything you never wanted to know about gallstones (and how to keep on their good side). It’s my down-to-earth guide to eating in a way that keeps your gallbladder as calm as possible, whether you still have it or you’re post-surgery and trying to avoid those digestive dramas.

As I mention often, I am not a doctor. But I have experienced gallstones, and you may or may not know (and I hope you don’t!) they are really no fun. In the book, I talk through the kind of meals that keep bile flowing nicely, how to avoid common triggers without feeling like you’re on punishment food, and how to live your life without constantly worrying about your right side, where the gallbladder lives.

So if you’re on one of these medications, thinking about starting, or just determined not to let gallstones run your life, you might find The Gallstone Friendly Diet a reassuring companion – more like having a chatty, slightly bossy friend giving you advice, rather than a lecture about what you “should” be doing.

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From Summer’s end to Autumn’s start: Keeping energy, optimism and wellbeing as the seasons shift

As the long light of summer fades and the cooler, shorter days of autumn approach, it’s a pivotal moment to recalibrate our routines – to both sustain physical energy and cultivate mental wellbeing.

At Hammersmith Health Books, we often explore how seasonal changes affect our health and how we can support our bodies and minds through them. One of our titles, The Energy Equation by Dr Sarah Myhill and Craig Robinson, is especially helpful when it comes to understanding how to protect and optimise our energy levels – something we all need a bit more of as the sunlight fades and the pace of life starts to shift. Here are some key ways to stay healthy and positive through the seasonal transition:

  1. Fuel your energy engine

In The Energy Equation, Dr Myhill outlines how the body works like an engine, and like any engine, it needs the right fuel to function properly. As we head into autumn, this means being mindful of what we eat, aiming for nutrient-rich, warming foods that support our internal systems.

Now is a great time to embrace seasonal vegetables – see what is recommended in these authors’ related book, Paleo-Ketogenic: the why and the how [link]. Think hearty stews and homemade soups based on bone broth, and and slow-cooked meals that are easy on the digestion and packed with vitamins and minerals. Season them with Sunshine salt [link to entry on Sarah’s website] and add warming spices like ginger, turmeric and cinnamon which not only enhance flavour but also support circulation and help combat inflammation.

And let’s not forget hydration – just because it’s cooler doesn’t mean we need less water. Herbal teas, warm water with lemon or even broth-based drinks can help you stay hydrated and warm.

  1. Prioritise rest and recovery

Dr Myhill is clear on this: energy is not just about output – it is also about rest. Sleep is when our bodies do their most important repair work. But shorter daylight hours and increased screen time can interfere with our natural sleep rhythms.

As summer ends, consider adjusting your evening routine to align more closely with natural light. Try dimming the lights earlier, reducing screen use before bed, and incorporating calming habits like reading, gentle stretching or sipping chamomile tea. These small changes can make a big difference in your energy and mood the next day.

If your sleep still feels off, it might be worth reviewing your bedtime environment: is your room cool and dark enough? Is your sleep schedule consistent? These are small tweaks with powerful effects.

  1. Support your immune system

With colder weather comes increased exposure to viruses and more time spent indoors. In The Energy Equation, immune stress is seen as a major energy drain – so keeping your immune system strong is essential for staying energised.

Focus on foods high in Vitamin C (like citrus fruits, red peppers and broccoli, plus supplementation), get outside for some Vitamin D while there is still some strength in the sun (or supplement if needed), and continue to support gut health with fermented foods and/or probiotics. Balanced blood sugar from a PK diet and quality sleep both play a role in keeping you well, and take a look at these authors’ book The Infection Game [link] for advice on what to do if symptoms strike.

It’s also important to manage stress, as chronic stress weakens immune function. Mindful practices, laughter, connection with loved ones, and time to yourself can all help buffer stress through the darker months.

The seasonal shift from summer into autumn doesn’t have to mean a slump in energy or mood. With the right mindset and lifestyle adjustments – rooted in the practical insights from The Energy Equation and beyond – you can support both physical vitality and emotional balance through the months ahead.

So as the leaves begin to turn and the pace of life changes, consider this your seasonal check-in. Nourish your body with wholesome PK food, get outside as much as possible before the days get short, honour your need for rest, and make space for calm and joy in your daily life.

Buy Dr. Myhill’s Sunshine Salt here.

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The brains behind Get Your Brain Off Grain

Get Your Brain off Grain: How a gluten-free diet could improve your mental and neurological health is a groundbreaking book that explores the compelling relationship between gluten and mental health. Combining personal experiences with cutting-edge research, the authors present a clear, evidence-based look at how gluten may influence mood, cognition, anxiety, and even severe psychiatric conditions. This accessible yet scientifically robust guide empowers readers with practical advice, screening tools, and dietary strategies that go beyond fads to deliver meaningful change. Whether you’re a clinician, a patient, or simply curious about how diet affects the mind, this book offers a new lens through which to view mental well-being.

But how did such a book come to be? It began with Dr Jessica Hellings, an award-winning psychiatrist who experienced a dramatic personal transformation after going gluten-free. Long-standing issues like anxiety, brain fog and nerve pain improved almost overnight, prompting her to investigate the growing body of scientific literature connecting gluten and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Her dual perspective – as both patient and practitioner – fostered a unique insight into how powerful dietary change could be. While researching for a review article, she came across the work of Dr Deanna Kelly, whose pioneering studies had already laid much of the foundation in this area.
Struck by the rigour and relevance of Dr Kelly’s research, Dr Hellings reached out in early 2020 with a proposal: to co-author a book that could translate their collective knowledge into something that could truly help people. Dr Kelly immediately recognised the synergy. Together, they decided to bring on board Sharon Pugh, a clinically trained researcher and nutrition expert with a deep understanding of gluten’s systemic effects, including on the brain.

Dr Deanna Kelly brought over 15 years of experience investigating the immunological and psychiatric effects of gluten. Her work at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, including NIH-funded clinical trials, was instrumental in showing how gluten could drive inflammation in the body and brain – particularly in people with schizophrenia. For Dr Kelly, the book represented a way to answer the recurring calls from families, patients and clinicians looking for actionable advice grounded in science.
Sharon Pugh added yet another dimension. With two decades of experience exploring the gluten–brain connection, she had seen how dietary interventions could dramatically impact patient outcomes. Her contributions in integrative nutrition and wellness coaching helped bridge the gap between theory and everyday clinical practice. When invited to join the project, it felt like a natural continuation of her life’s work.

Together, Dr Hellings, Dr Kelly and Ms Pugh shared not only professional expertise but also a deep personal and ethical commitment to bringing under-recognised science into public view. They recognised that the connection between gluten and mental health is still often misunderstood, dismissed, or ignored – despite the evidence. This book, then, is more than just a guide; it’s a call to re-examine how we understand brain health and to empower readers with knowledge that could transform lives.
Their collaboration is a testament to what can happen when diverse minds come together with a shared mission. Through Get Your Brain off Grain, they aim to spark a new conversation – one rooted in science, compassion and the lived experiences of both patients and professionals.

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Embracing Mediterranean flavours this summer

As the days grow warmer, many of us naturally crave lighter meals, vibrant flavours, and fresh ingredients. Summer is the perfect time to refresh our approach to eating – not just for enjoyment, but for our overall health and wellbeing. 

In the heat, hydration and diet go hand-in-hand. Staying well-hydrated helps regulate body temperature, supports digestion, and keeps energy levels up – especially when paired with nutrient-rich, anti-inflammatory foods. That’s where the Mediterranean way of eating comes into its own. 

Dr Barry Sears, creator of the Zone Diet, brings together the latest science in The Mediterranean Zone to show how combining Zone principles with traditional Mediterranean foods can promote long-term health and reduce inflammation – a major factor in ageing, fatigue and chronic disease. 

One of the joys of summer is the abundance of seasonal produce. Tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines, peppers, cucumbers, fresh herbs, and berries are all at their peak – bursting with flavour and nutrients. By choosing what’s in season, you not only enjoy better taste, but also support local growers and reduce the environmental impact of your food.  

Seasonal eating is also a key tenet of the Mediterranean lifestyle. It’s about tuning in to nature’s cycles and allowing them to guide your meals. It encourages simplicity and variety, which naturally leads to a more balanced and satisfying diet. Start small by introducing these summer-friendly ideas: 

  • Grilled vegetables with olive oil and herbs – a colourful side or base for a light salad 
  • Chickpea and tomato salad with cucumber, lemon and fresh mint 
  • Baked fish with lemon and oregano, served with a warm lentil and spinach salad 
  • Greek-style yoghurt with berries and a drizzle of honey for a cooling, protein-rich dessert 

Eating with the seasons isn’t just a culinary trend – it’s a powerful way to stay connected to your body’s needs and the world around you. The Mediterranean Zone brings timeless wisdom together with cutting-edge science, making it easier than ever to eat well, feel great, and enjoy every bite. 

Whether you’re hosting friends, heading to the park, or simply enjoying a quiet lunch in the garden, let this summer be a celebration of fresh, nourishing food that supports your long-term health – from the inside out. 

 

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Summer and Mental Health: How the Season Affects Our Mood

Summer and Mental Health: How the Season Affects Our Mood, featuring 5 practical ways to support your mental health during the summer months

Summer often brings sunshine, long evenings, and beautiful sunsets, but it can also throw our mental health off balance in surprising ways. More exposure to sunlight helps the brain release serotonin, the “feel good” chemical linked to mood regulation. That’s why many of us feel happier and more energetic on bright summer days. The longer, warmer days also encourage more physical activity (whether it’s walking, swimming, or simply spending more time with friends). These activities naturally boost endorphins and help reduce stress. In addition, the abundance of natural daylight helps reset our internal body clocks, often leading to better sleep. That said, when temperatures soar at night, sleep can easily be disrupted, leading to fatigue and irritability.
Spending time in nature, whether it’s a leafy park, woods, or a beachside stroll, has been shown to reduce stress, calm the mind and sharpen attention. Green and blue spaces can offer a mental reset that’s especially valuable in our busy lives.

However, summer can also bring challenges for mental wellbeing. Extreme heat is known to increase irritability, aggression, fatigue, and anxiety. Some studies even show a rise in mental health-related visits during heatwaves. There’s also a lesser-known form of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) that occurs in the summer. Though less common than the winter version, around 1% of people experience summer depression, often triggered by heat, humidity, sleep disruption, and the pressure to be socially active.

In A User’s Manual for the Human Body: How Traditional Chinese Medicine helps the body heal itself, author Alex Wu emphasises the importance of balancing Qi (energy flow) and blood, especially in summer, when the body faces more external “heat.” He suggests practices such as proper hydration, light exercise, and adequate rest to help the body stay balanced. These gentle self-care routines are designed to help offset the intensity of the season and promote internal harmony.

Here are five practical ways to support your mental health during the summer months:

  1. Stay cool and hydrated: Drink plenty of water, wear light, breathable fabrics, and use fans or stay in shaded areas to reduce heat-related stress.
  2. Time your outdoor activities: Plan walks or exercise in the early morning or evening when temperatures are lower, and take breaks in the shade to stay refreshed. If you have a dog, its best to walk them around these times as well when the ground and overall temperature is cooler.
  3. Keep a summer routine: Stick to consistent wake-up and bedtimes, and aim for daily light exercise to support your circadian rhythm.
  4. Use cool-down rituals: Cold showers, a splash of cool water on the face, or misting your skin can quickly lower body temperature and relieve tension.
  5. Prioritise nature time: Daily contact with green or blue spaces, such as gardening, walking in the park, or visiting the coast, can restore focus and lift your mood.

Summer’s warmth brings both benefits and challenges to mental health. By understanding how heat, light and environment affect us (and by following simple, seasonal routines inspired by works like Alex Wu’s), you can make this season not just bearable, but truly nourishing.