Articles & Guides
Plain-language explainers on mental health, relationships and self-understanding — the psychology behind the feelings, written to be useful rather than clinical. Each guide links to a free, private test you can take to explore your own patterns.
- Body & Eating
Body Dysmorphia (BDD): Signs, and Why Surgery Doesn't Fix It
BDD affects an estimated 1.7–2.9% of people and usually starts around age 12–13. Here's what it is, the evidence on cosmetic procedures, and the treatment that does work.
8 min read - Personality & Identity
Narcissism: Traits vs. NPD, and Why You Can't Diagnose Your Ex
Narcissistic traits are a spectrum everyone sits on. NPD affects an estimated 0.5–5% of people. Here's the difference, both presentations, and the better question to ask.
9 min read - Connection & Relationships
Limerence: Signs, Stages & How It Differs From Love
Involuntary obsessive infatuation has a name, coined in 1979. Here's what defines it, why it feels compulsive, and how long it actually lasts.
8 min read - Connection & Relationships
Emotional Abuse: Signs, Effects & Why It's So Hard to Leave
Harm without a mark is still harm — and it's the most commonly reported form of abuse. Here are the documented signs, what it does, and why leaving is genuinely difficult.
9 min read - Connection & Relationships
Am I a People Pleaser? Signs, Causes & How To Stop
People-pleasing isn't a diagnosis — but research has a name for the part that hurts. Here's the difference between caring about people and disappearing on their behalf.
8 min read - Connection & Relationships
Am I Being Gaslit? Signs, Techniques & What to Do
Gaslighting makes you doubt your own memory — gradually, which is why it's so hard to name from the inside. Here are the six documented techniques, the signs in yourself, and why it works.
8 min read - Connection & Relationships
What Is Breadcrumbing? 8 Signs You're Being Strung Along
Just enough attention to keep you hoping, never enough to go anywhere. Here's what breadcrumbing is, why research suggests it hurts more than ghosting, and what to do about it.
7 min read - Habits & Digital Life
Social Media Detox: What One Week Off Actually Does
A 2025 study put 373 young adults through a week without social media and measured what changed. Here are the real numbers — including the one thing that didn't improve.
7 min read - Trauma & Attachment
The Fawn Response: When People-Pleasing Is a Trauma Response
Fight, flight, freeze — and fawn, the one almost nobody names, because it looks like kindness. Here's what fawning is, where it comes from, and how to begin unlearning it.
8 min read - Connection & Relationships
What Is a Situationship? 9 Signs You're in One
The undefined 'talking stage' has a name — and a psychology. Here's how to tell a situationship from a relationship, why they hurt, and what to do about it.
7 min read - Emotions & Nervous System
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD): Signs, the ADHD Link, and How to Cope
When a small criticism or perceived rejection triggers a wave of emotional pain that feels wildly out of proportion — that's what people mean by RSD. Here's what it is, what it isn't, and what helps.
8 min read - Neurodivergence
Autistic Masking: What It Is, the Signs, and Why It's So Exhausting
Masking (or camouflaging) is the effort of hiding autistic traits to seem 'normal.' Here's what it looks like, why it's linked to burnout — and why so many people only discover it as adults.
8 min read - Emotions & Nervous System
Nervous System Dysregulation: Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn Explained
'Nervous system dysregulation' is everywhere online right now. Here's the real science behind the stress response, what the popular terms do and don't mean, and how to actually calm your body down.
8 min read - Trauma & Attachment
Emotionally Immature Parents: 8 Signs You Grew Up With One
If you spent childhood managing a parent's moods instead of being cared for, you might recognise the pattern Lindsay Gibson named 'emotional immaturity.' Here's what it means and how it shows up later.
8 min read - Emotions & Nervous System
Quiet BPD: When the Storm Turns Inward Instead of Out
'Quiet BPD' describes borderline patterns aimed inward — self-blame, people-pleasing, and hidden pain behind a high-functioning mask. Here's what it means, and what it isn't.
8 min read - Habits & Digital Life
Digital Burnout & Doomscrolling: Why Your Screen Is Draining You
Endless scrolling through bad news leaves you wired, foggy, and flat. Here's the science on doomscrolling and digital burnout — and how to get your attention (and calm) back.
7 min read - Money & Security
Financial Anxiety & Money Trauma: When Money Lives Rent-Free in Your Head
Money stress isn't just about numbers — it's a genuine driver of anxiety, and often rooted in beliefs you learned young. Here's what financial anxiety is and how to loosen its grip.
8 min read - Mood & Stress
PHQ-9 Explained: What Your Depression Screening Score Means
The PHQ-9 is the depression questionnaire your doctor probably uses. Here's what it measures, what each score band means, and — importantly — what a score can and can't tell you.
7 min read - Connection & Relationships
Anxious vs. Avoidant Attachment: The Push-Pull That Runs Relationships
Why one partner chases closeness while the other needs space — and how these attachment styles form, clash, and can change. A plain-language guide to the patterns behind your love life.
8 min read