It's easy to let bad news overwhelm us, so break the cycle with these uplifting news stories from the past month

1. UK’s first brand for people under 4’10” hits the runway

It all started when Chamiah Dewey was a team leader on the National Citizen Service programme, in the summer of 2018. One of the young people in her group had achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. Chamiah saw the challenges the young person had navigating a world not built for people like them, so when she went on to study at the London College of Fashion, she began to research what kind of clothes were available for those under 4’10”, and found a dire selection.

“From the hundreds of people I have spoken to of short stature, and other disabilities, it is a common theme that they struggle with their self-esteem, because the clothing they have to wear isn’t accessible or designed for their body,” Chamiah told Happiful. “Not only do they have to deal with the fact that clothing isn’t adaptive, and often they have to have help getting dressed, clothing is also uncomfortable to wear and unflattering. They also don’t feel seen and heard by the fashion industry. We’ve gained some inclusivity, yet we’ve still forgotten about the 2.3% of people who are short stature.”

And so Chamiah Dewey Fashion was born – a brand that creates timeless, elegant clothing for those under 4’10”. And the range is already making waves.

“As we become more well-known, feedback stays just as positive,” Chamiah said. “We’re really excited to make a difference, because there are 200 million people worldwide waiting for clothing designed for their bodies.”

2. From 2025, all new buildings and homes in Tokyo will be required to have solar panels.

3. Retired police dog, Logan, who survived being shot three times, is being honoured with a lifetime achievement award.

4. Festive favourite Quality Street has made a move to become more eco-friendly, by swapping its famous, vibrant plastic wrappers for a recyclable wax paper, to help to reduce the 2 billion sweet wrappers going to landfill each year.

5. Three in four dads feel it’s their responsibility to know about menstrual cycles

The teenage years can be a challenging time – for teens and their parents. Knowing when, and in how much detail, to talk about topics such as puberty and menstruation can leave many parents feeling out of their depth and, for some dads, make them feel the need to turn to others for help. However, according to new data from intimate

New data from the ONS reveals that a third of unpaid carers are experiencing depressive symptoms. Will Donnelly, co-founder of Lottie, shares his thoughts

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that as many as one in three unpaid carers in the UK are experiencing depressive symptoms following the rising cost of living.

Recent economic difficulties in the UK have affected everyone across the country, but unpaid carers are being hit hard by the current crisis. 4.3 million people become unpaid carers each year and now, with one in three experiencing symptoms of depression, “we’ve reached crisis point”, Will says.

Will Donnelly is the co-founder of Lottie, an online marketplace for later living. After struggling to find a care home for their grandmother, Will and his brother Chris launched the company - a digital elderly care platform connecting those looking for care to the UK’s best care homes for a fair price.

The social care sector in the UK right now is severely damaged. It remains underfunded by the government, with little support for unpaid carers and often with poor working conditions. At the edge of breaking point, there has never been a greater need for unpaid carers to receive the support they need on a practical, emotional, and financial level.

Will Donnelly believes that this lack of support has caused the rise in unpaid carers experiencing depressive symptoms. “Unpaid carers provide £193 billion of the UK’s social care system each year”, he says. “They are a fundamental part of the UK’s healthcare system. With an ageing population, the number of older adults requiring elderly care support is only expected to surge, and it is time the Government placed the social care sector at the top of their agenda to support all carers across the country, both paid and unpaid.”

There’s a lot going on in the world right now that can put a strain on our wellbeing, so it’s important to be aware of any changes in yourself, a partner, a friend, or a family member.

What should you do if you are worried about depression in yourself, or a loved one?

Will shares some tips on how to recognise the symptoms of depression, and what you can do if you feel that you may be experiencing depression.

1. Spot the signs

No matter what age you are, depression can affect you and your loved ones, so it’s important to be aware of the signs. You, or your partner, friend, or colleague may lose interest in activities they used to enjoy and become less motivated to spend time together.

Everyone’s experience of depression is unique, so it’s important to look for a ch

A recent study revealed that a quarter of children and young people who have lived through Covid lockdowns are likely to have poor mental health. We look into this further and share free and useful resources

A recent NHS Digital report follows insights from 2017 and looks at how the pandemic has affected the mental health of seven to 24-year-olds, considering household circumstances, educational experiences and their communities.

The worrying findings reveal that one in four 17-19-year-olds have a 'probable' mental health problem. The survey classifies how likely it would be that the child had a diagnosable condition (without seeing a professional). The results for the younger population (seven to 16) aren’t much better, with 18% saying they’d be likely to have poor mental health. To put this into context, that’s around five children in every classroom.

Prior to the pandemic, one in 10 people aged 17-19 were thought to have a mental health problem, so why has the pandemic hit young people so hard?

Particularly for those transitioning into their early adult years, the numerous lockdowns brought on by the pandemic have had a knock-on effect. Not only have the school closures resulted in many children being set back in their education, but it’s also impacted their social lives and mental wellbeing as people were forced apart, leading to isolation and feelings of loneliness.

Perhaps more worryingly, the figures also suggest that almost 20% of primary school-aged boys (seven to 10) were classed as having a probable mental health problem, compared to 10.5% of girls the same age. When asked what mental health problems these children were likely to have, the results indicated an increase in anxiety, depression, and behavioural challenges such as ADHD.

With the rising use of technology during Covid, more and more people have taken to social media. NHS Digital found that, of the social media users surveyed, young women were almost twice as likely to report being a victim of bullying than men. For social media users thought to have a mental health problem, the number who felt they had been bullied increased to more than one in four.

How can we help children transition to a post-pandemic world?

Whilst the pandemic has brought families closer together, children of all ages have missed out on other vital parts of their lives, whether that’s interacting with their peers in the classroom or navigating the start of adulthood at university.

Getting support

For many, the isolation experienced during lockdowns may make being back in the school environment harder to adjust to. Whilst some children might be confident in the playground, others may need a little longer to get back in the swing of things. Social and separation anxiety are likely to take effect, so it’s important that we’re on hand to offer our children as much support as possible.

Researchers have found a link between financial fears and low energy, and it could be impacting you at work

It’s fair to say that we all have a lot on our minds at the moment. The cost of living crisis is dominating news headlines, and our day-to-day conversations, too. And many of us are having to take a hard look at our finances in order to navigate the time ahead of us.

Financial worries can affect each of us in a number of different ways, most commonly stirring up feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. But a new study from Censuswide and Unum has highlighted the way that it might be affecting us at work.

What they found was that 29% of UK workers said financial worries from the cost of living crisis had negatively impacted their productivity at work this year, with 31% expecting this to continue into 2023. A further 40% said that their worries about financial pressure leave them feeling physically tired, and 32% said that the pressure keeps them up at night.

From there, it’s easy to see how an individual may slip further into mental health struggles. In a Mind survey of more than 1,000 people, 73% reported that when their mental health is poor, they struggle more to manage their money, and 74% also said that difficulty managing money then went on to affect their mental health – a demonstration of the cyclical trap that financial trouble can turn into.

Money worries can also lead to feelings of isolation. Generally, we don’t find it easy to talk to others about our concerns, even (and sometimes, especially) those who are close to us. We can also feel pressure to put on a front – to continue to turn up to pricey social events when, really, we don’t have the spare cash to do so. Overall, the situation can feel quite hopeless, but Mark Till, CEO of Unum UK believes that workplaces should be stepping in to help employees.

29% said that financial worries had negatively impacted their productivity at work

“Our research captures some major red flags in the lack of support from businesses and the resulting impact on productivity, as well as physical and mental health,” Mark says. “With only 15% of workers expecting their productivity to improve in 2023, employers need to be aware of the long-term implications of not helping employees during the current difficult economic climate.

“High-quality employee benefits and support services are essential, but employees can’t utilise these unless they’re aware of them. Communication and embedding these benefits are critical, as well as enabling a culture where employees feel they can speak freely about concerns and understand where to go to access early intervention support.”

Are you aware of the support that you might be entitled to? Read our guide to checking your Employee Assistance Program, and we’ve also got advice for managing your money and your mental health, as well as dealing with financial shock.

A solution for financial worries often feels out of reach. Afterall, if the problem is ‘lack of money’, most of us don’t have the ability to conjure up some more. But when it comes to managing the feelings caused by the worri

A new study has found that looking at mental health memes may actually help to relieve some symptoms of anxiety and depression

When it comes to its effect on our mental health, it’s fair to say that the internet gets a pretty bad rap. Comparison traps, the onslaught of bad news, misinformation, and a general sense of information overload.

That said, there are still glimmers of something more positive, and a new study that aligns with National Meme day 12 November has uncovered some surprising findings.

The study, from Sheffield Hallam University, has found evidence to suggest that memes – an image and short caption that usually depicts an element of culture or behaviour in a humorous way – may actually be able to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression.

When it comes to memes focused on mental health, the general attitude was to dismiss them as ‘trivialising’ the real-life struggles, but the research by Dr Jennifer Drabble and Dr Umair Akram at Sheffield Hallam’s department of psychology, sociology, and politics has instead found that mental health memes can help us to express difficult emotions in new and creative ways, as well as improving our emotional bonds with each other in a socially supportive way.

“Following the culmination of our work in the area, and the recent increase in studies related to internet memes, we wanted to explore the psychological impact that mental health-related memes may have for individuals experiencing psychiatric symptoms. Often, memes of this nature are disparaged, often without any substantial evidence,” said Dr Umair Akram.

“Research in this area is relatively new. As such, we felt that it was important to set a research agenda, providing tips for other researchers who may be interested in the topic.”

In the UK, it’s estimated that more than 8 million people are experiencing an anxiety disorder at any one time, and one in six people are affected by depression. But despite their commonality, anxiety and depression can be very isolating experiences, in part because of the way that they make us feel, but also because it isn’t always easy to put into words the things that we’re going through.

So, when we stumble across a ‘meme’ that gets an experience spot on, even if that experience isn’t a particularly pleasant one, it can feel affirming. The research paper from Dr Akram and Dr Drabble highlight the online forum Reddit, which hosts a subreddit named ‘memes and misery’ and another called ‘depression memes’, but there are countless sources out there. The researchers point to previous findings that 47% of college students reported engaging with internet memes as a way of alleviating psychiatric symptoms, with self-deprecating memes allowing them to laugh at their problems,