https://www.scmp.com/rss/515900/feed Hear what experts and people who have suffered from anxiety and depression say about the best ways to deal with them, including different therapies and activities such as yoga. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com dpa dpa Forget complicated wellness routines and expensive supplements: the latest health trend taking over social media looks a lot like an Italian grandmother’s daily life – and experts say it might actually work. “Nonnamaxxing”, a viral movement circulating widely on TikTok, encourages people to adopt the simple, intentional habits of an Italian grandmother, or “nonna”. The concept has captured Gen Z’s attention, but its appeal stretches across generations. At its core, the trend champions the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3351279/what-nonnamaxxing-viral-health-trend-embraces-italian-grandmothers-lifestyle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3351279/what-nonnamaxxing-viral-health-trend-embraces-italian-grandmothers-lifestyle?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:15:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Just before the holidays in 2025, Julie Hart felt stuck. A nagging problem she had struggled with for years left her ruminating all day and questioning nearly everything she had ever said, done or could do. She was considering traditional therapy but decided instead to try single-session counselling. Rather than committing to weekly therapy sessions, she would get only 60 minutes to tackle the problem. It worked. “It helped me get unstuck, is how I would describe it, in a very positive,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349215/just-one-hour-how-single-therapy-session-can-help-you-overcome-problem?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349215/just-one-hour-how-single-therapy-session-can-help-you-overcome-problem?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Kavita Daswani Kavita Daswani Bill Maeda, who has 2.2 million followers on Instagram and more than 450,000 subscribers on YouTube, is not your conventional fitness trainer. He eats McDonald’s. He does not count reps. And he sometimes has clients exercise for just 10 minutes a day. While that approach might sound counterintuitive in an industry often built on intensity, for Maeda, 57, fitness has never been about punishment or perfection. It is about something far simpler: finding a way to move that people can actually... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348756/colon-cancer-survivor-who-became-viral-fitness-trainer-isnt-afraid-eating-mcdonalds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3348756/colon-cancer-survivor-who-became-viral-fitness-trainer-isnt-afraid-eating-mcdonalds?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 23:15:08 +0000 dpa dpa Inaccurate social media posts about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism have been linked to a rise in young people believing they have neurodevelopmental conditions, an expert has said after a study highlighted the levels of misinformation online. Researchers say their findings present a “clear need for action” for more high-quality information to be shared on social media and “strengthened content moderation”. Experts from the UK’s University of East Anglia (UEA) and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347528/many-adhd-autism-tiktok-videos-are-inaccurate-study-claims-leading-misinformation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347528/many-adhd-autism-tiktok-videos-are-inaccurate-study-claims-leading-misinformation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:15:08 +0000 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 dpa dpa Meditation is widely seen as an effective way to reduce stress, focus your mind and manage symptoms of some health conditions, among other things. All you have to do is sit quietly, close your eyes and be suffused with inner calm, right? Well, not quite. Two experts explain how to get off to a good start, though, and why almost everyone can benefit from meditation and its cousin, mindfulness. Meditation is an ancient practice of focusing one’s attention on the present moment to achieve a state... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347114/how-meditate-find-type-suits-you-and-dont-expect-enlightenment-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3347114/how-meditate-find-type-suits-you-and-dont-expect-enlightenment-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Sasha Gonzales Sasha Gonzales Benny Ratnani celebrated his 75th birthday this week, but he still works over 70 hours a week at his company, which he founded in Hong Kong in 1982. The sole proprietor and chairman of Bee Dee Manufacturing travels frequently for work. His wholesale and export company, which employs 35 people in Hong Kong and mainland China, supplies products ranging from fashion and accessories to toys, electronics and home goods to clients primarily in the Middle East, India and the United States. Born in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345206/should-you-retire-mental-health-benefits-working-past-traditional-retirement-age?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3345206/should-you-retire-mental-health-benefits-working-past-traditional-retirement-age?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 03:00:08 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung Mui Thomas is, by any measure, a remarkable woman. Now 33, she is believed to be the world’s fourth-oldest survivor of Harlequin ichthyosis. This extremely rare genetic disorder causes the body to be covered with thick plates of skin – a condition so severe that when Mui was born in Hong Kong in 1992, it was considered universally fatal. She has survived medical emergencies that would have killed lesser fighters. Despite her ongoing health struggles, she has become a rugby coach, a certified... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344406/parents-hong-kongs-girl-behind-face-share-their-story-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344406/parents-hong-kongs-girl-behind-face-share-their-story-first-time?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 03:00:10 +0000 Lily Canter Lily Canter In a city obsessed with efficiency, optimisation and results, walking has rarely been focused on as a health intervention. Yet across Hong Kong, a quiet reframing is taking place. Increasingly, it is being described not as light exercise or leisure, but as a form of everyday medicine, one that supports mental health, recovery from illness and ageing well, without injury or pressure. Stephanie Lown, founder of hiking group Exploring Dogs, says walking offers a rare combination of movement,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3342052/how-walking-hong-kong-helping-cancer-recovery-and-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3342052/how-walking-hong-kong-helping-cancer-recovery-and-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:59:19 +0000 Sasha Gonzales Sasha Gonzales Efasha Kamarudin is not easily pushed around. As a child, she took up karate on the advice of her parents, who wanted her to be able to defend herself if she was ever bullied or attacked. Kamarudin, or “Fash” as she is known to friends, enjoyed karate so much that she later enrolled in Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes. She liked that these combat sports required focus, discipline and resilience. As a teenager, she also played football and was a rock climber. Today, the 34-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3339737/how-singaporean-pro-boxer-uses-skills-ring-dominate-lifes-other-fights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3339737/how-singaporean-pro-boxer-uses-skills-ring-dominate-lifes-other-fights?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press As people age, it is not uncommon for many to let out a muted groan when getting out of bed in the morning. But if you “oof” every time you get in a car or “aargh” while bending over to pick up something, it may be time to prioritise exercises that target your mobility. Dr Miho Tanaka, a sports medicine surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in the US, said good mobility is recognised as an important part of overall health. She pointed to research showing that high... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3339561/how-good-mobility-can-keep-you-healthy-after-30-and-best-exercises-help-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3339561/how-good-mobility-can-keep-you-healthy-after-30-and-best-exercises-help-you?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 11:45:09 +0000 Lily Canter Lily Canter It was the dead of night, four days into a journey to trek 5,699 kilometres (3,541 miles) across America alone, when hiker Jessica Guo realised a mountain lion was following her. She first saw its glowing eyes close to the only water source for dozens of kilometres – one she would have liked to use to refill her supplies. She had nowhere to hide. “What you’re supposed to do when you see a mountain lion is talk to them very directly and aggressively. You want to back away, facing them and keep... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3336004/how-hiking-5700km-solo-across-america-put-life-perspective-young-consultant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3336004/how-hiking-5700km-solo-across-america-put-life-perspective-young-consultant?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 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 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan Sport has always been a positive part of Emery Fung’s life. The trans man played a lot of sports at the all-girls school he attended from the age of nine in the United Kingdom. There were not many Chinese children in his corner of England, he recalls. “Sport was a way to fit in,” Fung says. This sense of belonging, of being part of a team, proved vital for his mental health. Fung, a Hong Kong resident, is a TEDx speaker and founder of Awkward Conversations, a platform that helps individuals and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3328768/how-sports-helped-trans-man-gain-confidence-and-benefits-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3328768/how-sports-helped-trans-man-gain-confidence-and-benefits-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 03:00:10 +0000 Fran Lu Fran Lu A Chinese actress says that her agency locked her in a hotel room and performed an exorcism on her to treat her depression. The shocking allegation has sparked a heated online discussion about possible abuse and mental health-related stigma in China. Zhao Lusi, who is also known as Rosy Zhao, has been dubbed one of China’s “top flowers born after 1995”. The 26-year-old debuted in the variety show Mars Intelligence Agency in 2016 and became a household name for appearing in television series like... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3321105/china-actress-claims-talent-agency-locked-her-hotel-exorcism-treat-depression?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3321105/china-actress-claims-talent-agency-locked-her-hotel-exorcism-treat-depression?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 01:00:09 +0000 Tara Loader Wilkinson Tara Loader Wilkinson Jeff Galloway tends to be pretty low-key about birthdays, but on July 12 this year, things were decidedly different: the inspirational American Olympian runner turned 80. “I guess this year, because it had a zero on the end, I got a lot of nice messages – a few thousand actually,” he laughs from his home in Florida, where he lives with his wife of 50 years, Barb, who shares his passion for running. To say Galloway has had a positive impact on the take-up of competitive running would be an... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3319387/how-olympian-jeff-galloway-still-running-marathons-80-he-trains-his-237th?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3319387/how-olympian-jeff-galloway-still-running-marathons-80-he-trains-his-237th?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jul 2025 09:15:07 +0000 “Done!” – the catchphrase punctuating former rugby player Dennis Ombachi’s cooking videos is as famous as the balcony of the Nairobi flat where he films himself in action. A former rugby sevens international, Ombachi reinvented himself to become a social media star with a global fan base in just a few years. He has 2.3 million followers on TikTok and 1.4 million on Instagram. Known as “The Roaming Chef”, Ombachi produces dynamically edited videos – shot against the backdrop of the Kenyan... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/international-rugby/article/3260568/how-depression-turned-kenyan-rugby-sevens-star-dennis-ombachi-tiktok-cooking-sensation-known-roaming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/international-rugby/article/3260568/how-depression-turned-kenyan-rugby-sevens-star-dennis-ombachi-tiktok-cooking-sensation-known-roaming?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:00:15 +0000 Although many children will be celebrating Christmas, some will not. Child abuse is still rife; the Social Welfare Department reported 1,439 cases last year. Much abuse, however, goes unreported, particularly when it involves mental illness. Although the focus is invariably on children who have been physically abused, some suffer from mental disorders, which can produce unique suffering. Children with special needs, for example, those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3245510/hong-kong-alarm-bells-are-ringing-childrens-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3245510/hong-kong-alarm-bells-are-ringing-childrens-mental-health?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Dec 2023 08:30:08 +0000 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression are the most common mental disorders among Hong Kong’s primary and secondary schoolchildren, government-commissioned surveys have shown. Wong Yan-lung, chairman of the city’s Advisory Committee on Mental Health, on Friday said the findings could indicate whether the government was allocating the resources necessary to target the issues, as he shared some key figures of the surveys that would be revealed soon to the public. Speaking... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3240293/adhd-depression-most-common-mental-disorders-among-hong-kong-primary-secondary-schoolchildren?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3240293/adhd-depression-most-common-mental-disorders-among-hong-kong-primary-secondary-schoolchildren?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Nov 2023 12:35:43 +0000 The number of Hong Kong students with mental health problems shot past 1,400 in the last academic year, more than doubling from four years ago, with experts and educators blaming the 2019 social unrest and the Covid-19 pandemic. The hardest hit were students in tertiary institutions, where the number tripled from under 250 in 2018-19 to 776 this year. Some feared that the actual number of young people with mental health issues could be much higher, while others said the rising trend might also... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3219673/number-hong-kong-students-mental-health-problems-doubles-4-years-experts-blaming-2019-social-unrest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3219673/number-hong-kong-students-mental-health-problems-doubles-4-years-experts-blaming-2019-social-unrest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 May 2023 01:00:14 +0000 About 10 years ago, Sarah Keates took up running as part of a plan to improve her emotional well-being. Having read about the mental health benefits of running, she was curious as to how it might help her. She had struggled with mental and emotional health issues for more than two decades and decided to do something about them. “I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression at 13,” says Keates, who is now 41. “These conditions followed me into adulthood, impacting my physical health over the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3214530/how-reduce-anxiety-and-depression-through-mind-body-connection-running-and-yoga-were-answer-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3214530/how-reduce-anxiety-and-depression-through-mind-body-connection-running-and-yoga-were-answer-one?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Mar 2023 11:15:16 +0000 Mind Hong Kong’s annual month-long “Move It for Mental Health” campaign launches on March 1. With all the activities happening outdoors, “Movers” are in for a double whammy of health benefits. Now in its sixth year, the mental health charity’s signature campaign challenges participants to cover a distance of 30km in nature, whether walking, running, hiking, or even hopping if the fancy takes you. Derek Ng, a personal trainer at Joint Dynamics and a Mind HK ambassador, knows first-hand the value... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3211080/feeling-anxious-how-getting-outdoors-and-joining-mind-hong-kongs-campaign-can-boost-your-physical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3211080/feeling-anxious-how-getting-outdoors-and-joining-mind-hong-kongs-campaign-can-boost-your-physical?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Feb 2023 09:15:07 +0000 A team of scientists from the University of Hong Kong and City University of Hong Kong have published results from a study that could have life-changing implications for sufferers of two of the world’s most debilitating health conditions: depression and dementia. Lead author Dr Lim Lee-wei, an assistant professor in the school of biomedical sciences at the University of Hong Kong, explained the science of transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES), a non-invasive stimulation of the cornea – the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3202958/depression-and-dementia-may-be-treatable-using-eye-stimulation-therapy-hong-kong-researchers-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3202958/depression-and-dementia-may-be-treatable-using-eye-stimulation-therapy-hong-kong-researchers-show?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Dec 2022 23:15:07 +0000 As we mark World Mental Health Day on October 10, clinical psychologist Ella Tsang, who struggled with anxiety and depression in her teens and early 20s, hopes more people will take the time for self-care. “In Asia we are not used to talking to ourselves in a friendly tone. Maybe we think its cheesy to say ‘I love you’ [to ourselves] and give ourselves support. I hope more people will take a moment to see what it is like to sit with their feelings, because we are indeed our best friend,” says... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3195388/self-care-key-our-mental-well-being-says-psychologist-who?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3195388/self-care-key-our-mental-well-being-says-psychologist-who?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Oct 2022 04:45:10 +0000 When Andrew* caught Covid-19, it was not the symptoms of the disease that turned out to be the most harrowing part of the experience. The Southeast Asian man in his thirties, who was infected in February 2021, says it was having to isolate for over 40 days straight at three different facilities in Hong Kong under government orders that left him feeling traumatised. Andrew came to the city for work in late 2020 and was first sent to Penny’s Bay for two days after being identified as a close... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3169733/post-traumatic-stress-anxiety-depression-how-fifth-wave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3169733/post-traumatic-stress-anxiety-depression-how-fifth-wave?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Mar 2022 00:00:20 +0000 The key to better health, greater happiness and well-being may lie in mastering our anxieties and overcoming a negative mindset - and hypnotherapy is a way to gain control over them. It could also help you feel less stress or quit drinking alcohol. Hypnosis has been used to treat patients for ailments such as pain, depression and anxiety, and phobias for more than 200 years, but it is still commonly regarded with some scepticism. Christine Deschemin, a long-term Hong Kong resident and a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3154830/hypnotherapy-go-app-helps-you-relieve-anxiety-depression?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3154830/hypnotherapy-go-app-helps-you-relieve-anxiety-depression?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Nov 2021 05:15:13 +0000 Orgies are back – or at least that’s what advertisers want you to believe. One advertisement for chewing gum – whose sales plummeted during 2020, because who cares what your breath smells like when you are wearing a mask? – depicts the end of the pandemic as a raucous free-for-all, with people embracing in the streets and making out in parks. The reality is a little different. People are slowly coming out of the pandemic, but as they re-emerge, there is still a lot of trauma to process. It is... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3146498/anxiety-depression-poor-mental-health-our-brains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3146498/anxiety-depression-poor-mental-health-our-brains?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Aug 2021 10:15:19 +0000 Aaron Stadlin-Robbie was walking through the streets of Hong Kong with his family when it happened. He felt a pressure in his chest so intense he thought he was dying of a heart attack, and a sense of fear so real that the now 31-year-old describes it as “the most terrifying thing that’s ever happened to me”. How a naturopath made herself well, and how she helps others This was the first time Stadlin-Robbie experienced a panic attack. It came “out of the blue”, he says, and although the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2167655/world-mental-health-day-2018-anxiety-disorder-sufferer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2167655/world-mental-health-day-2018-anxiety-disorder-sufferer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Oct 2018 00:15:30 +0000