Growing up Muslim, I didn’t have many holiday traditions, so I learned to create my own. Today, I’m a Seattle-based writer who has learned to create traditions and define home on my own terms. As a kid, I couldn’t sing the words to the season’s greatest hits, didn’t spend the last month of the year shopping for presents, and never set out cookies for Santa. Instead, Christmas was a day when I would pick up extra shifts to cover for co-workers who were out of town to see their

Britain faces a growing mental health crisis, yet the narrative increasingly blames individuals rather than the conditions that shape their lives.

I will shift. Two teenagers scribbled this same line repeatedly in their journals. Both later died by suicide after extensive interactions with Character.AI chatbots

As I mother my own small children in the UK, I can’t help but think of mothers and children in Gaza. Like thousands of others worldwide, I have been watching the genocide in Gaza unfold over the last two years, literally live-streamed to us through civilians on the ground, from their phones to ours. Watching the most horrific war crimes in real time has been both deeply surreal and gut-wrenching. No human being should have to endure what the citizens of Gaza have, no matt

On 10th October, 2025, the Afghan Embassy hosted a forum with Afghanistan’s Foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi, India. The embassy had invited over sixteen journalists, and not a single one of them was a woman, let alone a woman from intersectional identities. In the forum, it was observed by other journalists, how women and foreign media were turned away from the gate of the embassy, and has been widely discussed in the media.  As a young woman journalist, ba

Do you ever think about why you were born where you were born? I was born in France because a border opened. When France granted Tunisia independence in March of 1956, my father crossed the Mediterranean sea along with thousands of others, carrying with him a language, a faith, a culture, and a hope that the new world would be gentler. That decision between a man seeking opportunity and a nation opening its borders shaped my existence before I ever took my first breath.

And there we have it. As of October 2025, boyfriends have become embarrassing, according to Vogue.   An article published on 25th October talks about boyfriends being embarrassing, and about  women being uncool or losers because they have romantic partners. This controversial piece has been discussed all over social media, and on popular news outlets, with Instagram celebrities sharing their opinions, either agreeing, or disagreeing with the piece.     I came across the p

I’m a Paris-based Russian reporter, and for more than three years I have been covering anti-war resistance in my country. At this point, I should be used to the war in Ukraine.   But when I recently met a Ukrainian artist at a party, something strange happened.   I introduced myself to him in English. But since many people from post-Soviet countries in the room were speaking Russian (which is our common language), he asked: “Do you speak Russian?”.   “Yes,” I responded.

Image Source: cottonbro studio on Pexels I’ve never found Mondays particularly stressful. Over time, I’ve learned to manage my energy more intentionally, and as a freelance journalist, I’ve picked up strategies that work for me. For instance, if I work over the weekend, I try to keep my Mondays lighter, a way to ease back into the week and protect my mental balance. But if I worked in a company or had an office role with fixed hours, that kind of adjustment would be much hard

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault and violence which some readers may find distressing. On Tuesday 9 th ...

It is in our human nature to forget details of the past, especially as we grow older; memories from our childhood become less vivid. Many...

In my opinion, pregnancy and motherhood can be a profound and beautiful experience. The ability to nurture and bring a new life into the...

If you feel like dating is a Sisyphean task, you’re not alone. As a neurodivergent woman, I’m probably (definitely) considered an...

Looking forward to a sweet treat or getting excited for lunch is something I’m sure many can relate to. But with the new #SkinnyTok trend sweeping across TikTok, this normal hunger and interest in food is now being shamed. Creators, and the algorithm, are now pushing toxic mantras like “If your stomach is growling, pretend it's applauding you” and “You don’t need a treat, you’re not a dog”.

In the snow-covered villages of Indian-controlled Kashmir, women have silently shouldered the burden of mental illness for years, their pain hidden beneath the rigid customs and traditions that have shaped their lives.    Mental illness in Kashmir has often been misdiagnosed, with symptoms frequently attributed to other health issues, mainly gastrointestinal or cardiovascular problems. Many people in the Himalayan valley, “known as paradise on earth,” also believe that anxi

A rather shocking discourse which has been appearing on my social media feed recently is, “Would you pick your friend up from the...

Why Should Improvements in Palliative and Social Care Be an Integral Part of the Assisted Dying Legislation in the UK?   Trigger warning:...

Last weekend, I decided to watch Netflix’s new drama Adolescence. I had been apprehensive to watch it, assuming it would be another...

Perspective I: The Distance of Fear On October 7, 2023, I was in New York. Autumn was settling into the city with a kind of effortless...

A hard pill to swallow Upon being confirmed to have cancer, you realise that so much of it is physical. Which is a hard pill to swallow,...

Predicting the future is hard. There’s no secret about it. We so often hear about trends, stock market changes, and big business...

Trigger warning: This article contains discussions on sexual assault and violence, and some readers may find it distressing. Doctor...

Perfect World, a project to change the world. My name is Nico, I am 23 years old and to put it simply, I have lived a life of privilege...

Poor mental health is widespread within the homeless community, with homeless people being nearly twice as likely to experience a mental...

Predator, President, Policymaker. TW: this article references sexual assault, pregnancy trauma and medical trauma Donald Trump at an...

A Perspective on the Criminalisation of Procreative Tourism in Italy ‘Italy criminalises citizens who go abroad to have children through...

Whilst most children grew up watching CBBC or Disney Channel on the TV, my dinners were often spent immersed in shows like Criminal Minds...

As a young Nigerian, I have always wanted to understand human behavioural patterns and societal trends. This curiosity for human...

Dr Annabel Sowemimo is a senior clinician in sexual and reproductive health, a part-time PhD student, founder of a charity   Reproductive...

Bringing together the voices of an Israeli and a pro-Palestinian student at King’s College London. As we pass the one-year marking of the...