In Margate, the sea air has a way of piercing you. It carries salt and something metallic on some mornings, a reminder of corrosion and life. Tracey Emin’s decision to start over here, in view of that horizon, seems appropriate. She called the moment she became ill in 2020—during lockdown—unexpectedly joyful. She was holding a glass of champagne while working, in love, and sunburned from her London home’s roof. Then the blood started to flow. CategoryDetailsNameTracey EminBorn1963, London; raised in Margate, KentArt MovementYoung British Artists (YBAs)Major WorksMy Bed (1998); Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995IllnessDiagnosed with aggressive squamous cell…
Author: Jack Ward
On Radio 5 Live, Naga Munchetty once did something out of the ordinary for a broadcaster with her level of experience. The microphone was turned inward by her. She said to the audience, “I am in pain right now as I sit here talking to you.” Not in a symbolic sense. physically. She had been delivering the news steadily for decades, giving the impression that maintaining composure was a professional reflex. She manages the delicate choreography of live television, asks insightful questions, and keeps interviews flowing on BBC Breakfast. The audience perceives authority. The pain radiating down her thighs from…
While some actors control a room, others create a realistic atmosphere. Bobby J. Brown was in the second group. He was unimpressive to watch in The Wire, where he was typically standing in the faded fluorescent light of a Baltimore precinct. He was not a scenery chewer. He lived there. There was a certain weight to his death this week, at age 62, after a barn fire at his Maryland home. Authorities say that when firefighters arrived, they discovered a 50-by-100-foot building that was almost destroyed. The causes were identified as thermal injuries and smoke inhalation. Arlene, his wife, was…
A quiet Brooklyn apartment on a Saturday afternoon marks the completion of the to-do list. The laundry was folded. In the refrigerator, groceries are arranged neatly. The laptop shut down. Pulling a blanket over her legs, the woman on the couch lets out a breath. Her chest then gets constricted. Her thoughts begin to race: Did I overlook something? Should I respond to that email right away? What happens if Monday blows up? Her heart is pounding as though she’s running late, but the room is quiet save for the refrigerator’s hum. CategoryDetailsTopicRelaxation-Induced Anxiety & Nervous System DysregulationFieldClinical Psychology, Trauma…
The only sounds in the office on a Monday morning are the clacking of keyboards and the soft hum of fluorescent lights. On Friday, a deal was closed. The figures appeared to be good. They all shook hands. The acquisitions manager, however, feels strangely empty as he looks at his inbox. He dozed off. He consumed food. Technically, nothing is incorrect. Coffee doesn’t alleviate the heaviness, though. The emotional hangover goes unspoken. CategoryDetailsTopicEmotional Hangovers & Nervous System RecoveryFieldPsychology, Neurochemistry, Stress PhysiologyRelevant ExpertDr. Brené Brown (Vulnerability Research)Related ConceptsDopamine Drop, Cortisol Surge, HyperarousalReferenced InstitutionNational Institute of Mental HealthReference Websitehttps://www.nimh.nih.gov Physical hangovers are…
At a café close to Union Square, a man hasn’t sipped his coffee in ten minutes. Every time the door opens, he looks at it while seated with his back to the wall. His eyes keep rising even though his laptop is open and the spreadsheet is glowing. Nobody seems dangerous. He’s humming, the barista. Like usual, the espresso machine hisses. Nevertheless, his jaw is tight, his shoulders are still slightly raised, and his breathing is shallow. CategoryDetailsTopicChronic Hypervigilance & Nervous System DysregulationFieldNeuroscience, Trauma PsychologyKey Brain StructuresAmygdala & Prefrontal CortexStress SystemAutonomic Nervous System (Sympathetic/Parasympathetic)Referenced InstitutionNational Institute of Mental HealthReference Websitehttps://www.nimh.nih.gov…
A man is sitting on his couch on a calm Sunday afternoon, gazing into a quiet living room. No due dates. There are no buzzing notifications. There is no crisis to resolve. The soft, almost cinematic light streaming in through the window. Despite this, his chest feels constricted. He looks at his phone. Nothing urgent. He double-checks. After years of stress, it’s difficult to ignore how often calm feels more like exposure than relief. A portion of the explanation comes from neuroscience. Repeated stress causes the autonomic nervous system to adapt, especially the sympathetic branch that controls fight-or-flight. The body…
A senior manager was sitting at the head of a glass conference table on a recent weekday morning, calmly nodding as her team discussed a missed quarterly goal. Her tone remained steady. Her stance eased. Her poise might have impressed anyone observing. An hour later, she was standing still in the hallway outside the bathroom, clenching her jaw and breathing shallowly while gazing at her phone. The silence had not vanished. It had just moved. Emotional control and emotional suppression are two different things. It sounds scholarly. It isn’t. CategoryDetailsTopicThe Difference Between Emotional Control and Emotional SuppressionFieldPsychology, Emotional Intelligence, Behavioral…