https://www.scmp.com/rss/328292/feed Ritu is an author, educator and motivational speaker who promotes inclusiveness and diversity through her writing. Ritu’s articles have been published in the South China Morning Post, Asian Literary Review, School Library Journal and Reader’s Digest. Ritu’s middle-grade novel in verse, Lion of the Sky, was published by HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray in 2024, is the selected title for the 2024-2025 Battle of the Books Championship and has been shortlisted for the Hong Kong Golden Dragon Awards. Ritu’s... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Ritu Hemnani Ritu Hemnani Hong Kong women navigating menopause have often felt the need to “soldier on”, their hot flushes dismissed by others – and themselves – as stress, their mood swings blamed on “having teenagers” and their fatigue chalked up to ageing. But a new non-profit organisation aims to put a stop to that. The Hong Kong Menopause Society (THKMS), which will officially launch on March 28, aims to boost awareness and understanding of perimenopause and menopause issues, both for the women who have them and for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347116/how-new-hong-kong-menopause-support-group-aims-help-women-through-difficult-life-stage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347116/how-new-hong-kong-menopause-support-group-aims-help-women-through-difficult-life-stage?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 07:15:09 +0000 Ritu Hemnani Ritu Hemnani At the age of 11, Hong Kong student Shulin Ho wanted to break the silence surrounding teen mental health, suicide and abuse, so she started a podcast, Clinical Awesomeness. “I kept wondering why these issues weren’t talked about, until I realised I could start the conversation myself,” says Shulin, who is now 16. What began as a personal outlet evolved into a platform combining mental health, basketball, nutrition, art and identity. One stand-out episode featured a professional athlete... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3332173/hong-kong-tedxtinhauwomen-2025-about-reframing-perspectives-meet-some-speakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3332173/hong-kong-tedxtinhauwomen-2025-about-reframing-perspectives-meet-some-speakers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 11:15:08 +0000 Ritu Hemnani Ritu Hemnani For thousands of Hong Kong professionals with ageing parents overseas, caregiving is not a daily routine, but a long-distance act of love, logistics and emotional labour. Angela Kaur Baura, a counsellor-in-training, made a quiet vow at her father’s bedside during what was meant to be a celebration of his and her mother’s 50th wedding anniversary. When he died suddenly, that promise – to care for her mother – became her compass. In the eight months since, she has shuttled between Hong Kong and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3331488/caring-elderly-parent-afar-free-hong-kong-group-therapy-helping-people-cope?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3331488/caring-elderly-parent-afar-free-hong-kong-group-therapy-helping-people-cope?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 03:00:14 +0000 The theme “In Motion” sets the stage for this year’s TEDxTinHauWomen event, which will take place at the Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District on December 6. Ten Hong Kong speakers will share their stories and ideas to propel thought-provoking discussions to make the city, and the world, more inclusive. We spoke to four of the speakers, who will focus on overcoming visible and invisible disabilities, transcending trauma beyond physical scars and embracing an Olympic mindset... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3288454/hong-kong-tedxtinhauwomen-2024-all-about-inclusivity-we-meet-4-speakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3288454/hong-kong-tedxtinhauwomen-2024-all-about-inclusivity-we-meet-4-speakers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Nov 2024 04:15:07 +0000 As a child, Dr Laurena Law watched her parents – both medical doctors – help others on the path to wellness. It was a shock, then, when her mother was diagnosed with osteoporosis at the age of 52 after she broke her ankle. Her mainstream treatment was vitamin D and calcium. There was no mention of resistance training. “My mother didn’t know that taking care of her muscles was something she could do for early prevention. Twenty years ago, that wasn’t even on the medical treatment radar,” says... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3240043/tedx-talks-9-women-speakers-hong-kong-share-insights-health-wellness-femtech-advances-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3240043/tedx-talks-9-women-speakers-hong-kong-share-insights-health-wellness-femtech-advances-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Nov 2023 09:15:09 +0000 Performer and fitness consultant Rachel Moon wants people to think more about infertility. She hopes that through sharing her own story she can lower the taboos surrounding the issue and lessen the shame, blame and isolation that women feel. “My goal is to increase awareness, both so that women won’t feel like they’re suffering alone, and so that they will get tested earlier for fertility issues – being preventative rather than forced to be reactive.” Her talk, “What I wish I had known about... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3157881/tedx-talks-10-women-speakers-hong-kong-focus-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3157881/tedx-talks-10-women-speakers-hong-kong-focus-health?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Dec 2021 23:15:19 +0000 The ability to create strong relationships with others is crucial to living a full life and becoming more effective at work. Many of us, however, struggle to build solid connections, or are unable to handle the challenges that arise when we grow closer to others. Recognising the importance of forging deep connections with others is the focus of the most popular elective at Stanford Graduate School of Business for decades: Interpersonal Dynamics, better known as the “touchy feely” class. David... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3142946/how-anyone-can-build-exceptional-relationships-touchy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3142946/how-anyone-can-build-exceptional-relationships-touchy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jul 2021 10:15:06 +0000 Gretchen Rubin – an influential writer on the linked subjects of habits, happiness, and human nature, suggests that by asking the simple question ‘How do I respond to expectations?’, we can gain life-changing self-knowledge. In her best-selling book, The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better, Too) Rubin explains that based on peoples’ answer to this question, people fit into four personality types:... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/3137255/which-personality-type-are-you-rebel-questioner-obliger-or?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/3137255/which-personality-type-are-you-rebel-questioner-obliger-or?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jun 2021 14:15:00 +0000 A preventable vitamin D deficiency nearly killed Rangan Chatterjee’s son, and as an experienced doctor with an immunology degree and specialist qualifications, he had been unable to prevent it. The episode brought him face to face with his own fallibility. Now recognised as a bestselling health author by British newspaper The Sunday Times, and the host of a health podcast with more than 1.5 million listeners each month, 10 years ago Chatterjee realised there was a great deal more about medicine... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3121110/life-changing-moment-when-doctor-learned-stop-applying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3121110/life-changing-moment-when-doctor-learned-stop-applying?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Feb 2021 18:30:06 +0000 Amanda Schofield, a former student at Hong Kong’s Island School, class of ’92, never dreamed that going to her 10th anniversary school reunion in London in 2002 would reconnect her with the former head boy, Sam Schofield, and marrying him three years later. There was a nod to their shared Hong Kong history at their wedding reception, with orchid arrangements on tables named after MTR stations. Eighteen years later, in March 2020, their reunion helped Schofield through the worst nightmare of her... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3119395/how-incurable-brain-cancer-brought-family-closer-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3119395/how-incurable-brain-cancer-brought-family-closer-together?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Jan 2021 23:15:14 +0000 Tech giants should join the ranks of big tobacco and alcohol corporations in being forced to mitigate the damage done to users, says a New York University professor. Adam Alter, an author and professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business, believes that modern technology has never been so “efficient and addictive.” He warned that tech companies’ ability to prey on “behavioral addiction” could have devastating long-term effects on the relationships and mental health of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/regulate-big-tech-tobacco-or-alcohol-says-top-expert/article/3119295?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/regulate-big-tech-tobacco-or-alcohol-says-top-expert/article/3119295?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Jan 2021 10:34:03 +0000 Walking, reclining, dining, playing, commuting, shopping: people around the world read their smartphones regardless of where they are or what they’re doing, unable to tear their eyes from their screens regardless of whether they’re on a crowded street or working out at the gym. Adam Alter, an author and professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business, believes modern technology has never been so “efficient and addictive”. In his 2017 book, Irresistible: The Rise of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3118141/why-do-you-use-your-phone-so-much-how-social-media-and-games-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3118141/why-do-you-use-your-phone-so-much-how-social-media-and-games-are?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Jan 2021 18:30:16 +0000 The Covid-19 pandemic has forced performers around the world to take their work online this year – and for some, the move has been a revelation. US-based singer-songwriter Sheena Melwani’s “Interrupted” series – song performances featuring the shouting of a cranky off-screen heckler – has become something of a global sensation, gaining her more than 250 million online views on a range of platforms. On TikTok earlier this year, Melwani posted a recording of her performance of the song If the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3108266/tiktok-star-sheena-melwanis-interrupted-series-gives-singer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3108266/tiktok-star-sheena-melwanis-interrupted-series-gives-singer?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Nov 2020 17:15:12 +0000 Newly minted college graduates in the United States are living with unprecedented uncertainty and anxiety. While a rare minority cruise into their dream job, or postgraduate degree, there are 50 million twenty-somethings who have no idea what they will be doing, where they will be living, or who they will be with in two years or 10 years. Many simply tread water; working as baristas or waiters, dating all the wrong people and buying into every distraction. All they have to do, they think, is... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3101638/why-30-not-new-20-and-why-you-cannot-put-big?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3101638/why-30-not-new-20-and-why-you-cannot-put-big?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Sep 2020 21:15:10 +0000 Empathy and altruism can be some of the hardest lessons to learn. Volunteering teaches children about them, gives them a sense of purpose and is a great way for them to get to know their communities – as well as to get away from their electronic devices. In 2019, Bailey Cherry, a student at the Canadian International School in Aberdeen, on the south side of Hong Kong Island, realised her bookshelves were overflowing, and looked for a sustainable way to pass on some of her books to others. That... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3096943/lessons-altruism-and-empathy-hong-kong-children-who?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3096943/lessons-altruism-and-empathy-hong-kong-children-who?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Aug 2020 00:45:07 +0000 Indian Matchmaking, the Netflix show that follows Mumbai-based Sima Taparia as she matches privileged Indian singles in India and the United States, has become a cultural phenomenon after an explosion of memes, tweets and rants on social media since the premiere of the eight-part reality series on July 16. Taparia offers an inside look at today’s Indian marriage customs as she unites couples and their families for a lifetime of love – provided they meet her checklist criteria of caste, class and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3095566/what-indian-matchmaking-cast-members-learned-about-marriage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3095566/what-indian-matchmaking-cast-members-learned-about-marriage?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Aug 2020 00:15:17 +0000 Soon after friends Sarah Allmon and Zeenat Singh met in early 2017, they began getting together three times a week to sing, dance and speak Spanish. A year or so later, 26-year-old Singh (not her real name) went to the wedding of 29-year-old Allmon in East Lansing, in the US state of Michigan. It was a special occasion – the first time the two women met in person. Wedding guests were surprised that the pair had never physically been in the same room before, and yet here was Singh at Allmon’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3048933/online-marketplace-skills-and-knowledge-brings-people-together-learn-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3048933/online-marketplace-skills-and-knowledge-brings-people-together-learn-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Feb 2020 18:00:11 +0000 Last October Hong Kong-born Kim Li could not have anticipated how her world would be turned upside down when her 14-year-old daughter came home from school in tears, having discovered her school friend had just found a lump in her breast. Li, a former science teacher in Hong Kong now teaching in Britain, was used to dealing with teenage upsets. But as she tried to comfort her daughter, Priya, she couldn’t shake the nagging worry about the lump in her own breast, which she had been ignoring for... https://www.scmp.com/health/breast-cancer-survivor-folly-asian-way-hiding-illnesses/article/3029986?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/breast-cancer-survivor-folly-asian-way-hiding-illnesses/article/3029986?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Sep 2019 11:05:05 +0000 On a sunny afternoon in October last year, Hong Kong-born Kim Li could not have anticipated how her world would be turned upside down when her 14-year-old daughter Priya came home from school in tears, having discovered her school friend had just found a lump in her breast. Li, a former science teacher at Hong Kong’s King George V School who was now teaching at Northampton High School in the UK, was used to dealing with teenage upsets. But as she tried to comfort her daughter, Li couldn’t shake... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/3029646/breast-cancer-survivor-folly-asian-way-hiding-illnesses-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/3029646/breast-cancer-survivor-folly-asian-way-hiding-illnesses-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Sep 2019 23:45:10 +0000 The Partition of India, following the country’s independence on August 15, 1947, displaced more than 12 million people along religious lines, causing refugee crises and violent tensions that simmer to this day. It resulted in division between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, and the largest mass migration in history at a cost of more than a million lives. Unlike Punjab and Bengal, which were split in two, Sindh province was given intact to the newly created nation of Pakistan. So Sindhi Hindu and Sikh... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3022689/hindus-sindh-who-fled-india-hong-kong-partition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3022689/hindus-sindh-who-fled-india-hong-kong-partition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Aug 2019 00:15:05 +0000 Thousands of children from low-income ethnic minority families in Hong Kong could be missing out on life-changing scholarships at the city’s international, private and subsidised schools, a report reveals. Among the findings of the report by The Zubin Foundation, which focuses on issues faced by the city’s ethnic minorities, is that almost 60 per cent of financial-aid-based scholarships offered by Hong Kong’s international and private schools went unused. Low-income families are failing to enrol... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3012842/needy-hong-kong-minority-children-miss-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3012842/needy-hong-kong-minority-children-miss-out?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jun 2019 22:45:12 +0000 Ask any final year IB diploma programme student about the magic number 45 and you’re likely to see them break into a sweat. Achieving that perfect score is the ultimate goal, but it comes at the cost of academic stress and fear of not meeting university requirements – or, worse still, parents’ expectations. The International Baccalaureate (IB), established in 1968, consists of four programmes of international education covering students aged three to 19: the primary years programme, middle years... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3007107/ib-diploma-university-jobs-perfect-exam-score-worth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3007107/ib-diploma-university-jobs-perfect-exam-score-worth?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Apr 2019 23:15:03 +0000 It can be a lonely world for men, who may feel they have no one to turn to as they face the demands of work and home life in a pressure-cooker city like Hong Kong. Men are often conditioned by society to appear tough, never to show emotion, or to talk about wounds and feelings. That’s how food industry executive David (not his real name) felt, until he discovered Men’s Fraternity, a men’s ministry at the English-speaking international church Island ECC, in Hong Kong’s Quarry Bay... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3004631/materialism-sex-addiction-defensiveness-how-mens-ministry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3004631/materialism-sex-addiction-defensiveness-how-mens-ministry?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Apr 2019 04:15:03 +0000 There is no denying the romance factor of February. Valentine’s Day makes me think of engagements, weddings and anniversaries. February 14 has long been a popular wedding date for celebrities, and proved the perfect date for actor Orlando Bloom to propose to singer Katy Perry. While Hong Kong’s romantics have consistently been among the world’s biggest Valentine’s Day spenders in surveys in recent years, it’s clear that a month of romantic gestures isn’t enough to sustain the flame of marital... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/2187870/divorce-rates-rising-how-make-your-love-last-seven?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/2187870/divorce-rates-rising-how-make-your-love-last-seven?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Feb 2019 00:16:16 +0000 At least 80 per cent of people in the industrialised world suffer from back pain, either in acute episodes or as chronic pain. The onset can often be traced back to trauma, sports injury or postural strain. The body is very good at compensating for injuries and sometimes back pain does not immediately appear but can be triggered years later by either physical exertion or emotional stress. Nick Battistella was a professional youth tennis player whose back pain developed from problems with his... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2175005/how-deal-back-problems-osteopath-shares-tips-keeping-pain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2175005/how-deal-back-problems-osteopath-shares-tips-keeping-pain?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Nov 2018 12:50:00 +0000 The festival of Diwali, the Indian New Year, is celebrated nationwide in India and by hundreds of millions of Indians around the world, and with gusto in Hong Kong. Derived from the Sanskrit word Deepawali, meaning row of lamps, the “Festival of Lights” is observed in the autumn, and will be celebrated on November 7 this year. Preparations for the festival begin weeks in advance. The home and workplace are adorned with earthen lamps called diyas, which symbolise the triumph of light over... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/2171371/diwali-how-indians-hong-kong-make-festival-special?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/2171371/diwali-how-indians-hong-kong-make-festival-special?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Nov 2018 02:45:00 +0000 According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, emotional intelligence will be one of the top 10 employment skills in 2020. Harvard trained psychologist Daniel Goleman first raised awareness of EQ, in his book Emotional Intelligence.  Since its release in 1995, studies have proven that emotional intelligence predicts future success in relationships, health and quality of life. Enlightened Entrepreneurship author Chris Myers would argue the same. Finding himself surrounded by more... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2166609/eq-vs-iq-why-emotional-intelligence-more-important?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2166609/eq-vs-iq-why-emotional-intelligence-more-important?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Oct 2018 03:00:00 +0000 The field of naturopathic medicine – a system of alternative medicine based on the theory that diseases can be successfully treated or prevented without the use of drugs, by control of diet, exercise, and massage – has been gaining traction in recent years, as unhealthy people look for new ways to turn their lives around. The field added 24,000 potential new jobs this year in the United States alone, according to the country’s Bureau of Labour Statistics. With roughly 30 million Americans... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2163296/naturopaths-tips-health-eat-sleep-and-exercise-well-and-do?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2163296/naturopaths-tips-health-eat-sleep-and-exercise-well-and-do?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Sep 2018 15:30:30 +0000 When it comes to matrimony, the Greeks have nothing on The Big Fat Indian Wedding. From opulent celebrations up to five days long to the extravagance of lavish jewellery, bridal trousseau and gourmet cuisine, nothing is considered over the top. The Indian wedding services market is worth US$54 billion a year, according to a 2014 KPMG report. According to the Big Fat Indian Wedding Market Survey 2018 by matrimony.com, in which 9,246 people all over India took part, 20.6 per cent of women said... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/2160233/makers-dream-indian-weddings-these-hong-kong-creatives-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/2160233/makers-dream-indian-weddings-these-hong-kong-creatives-are?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Aug 2018 02:18:21 +0000