Skip to main contentSkip to navigation
Print subscriptions
Newsletters
Sign in

Well, actually

Living a good life in a complex world

Well Actually

  • illustration of robot hands massaging a woman's head as she lays on table

    I got a robot massage and lived to tell the tale

    Can one really relax while being prodded by large robotic arms?
  • illustration of two hands

    I stopped telling ‘little white lies’ for two weeks. This is what I learned

  • a collage of a woman with gray hair in a graduation cap and gown

    The lesson I needed: going back to school later in life with gray hair

  • close-up of a pair of hands in blue surgical gloves pressing a syringe into a person's arm

    What you need to know about Covid vaccines in the US this fall

  • An image showing two X-rays of the process of swallowing

    Swallowing correctly can save your life – are you doing it right?

  • An illustration depicting how to do push-ups.

    How to start
    ‘The most underrated movement in fitness’: how to do a proper push-up

  • two people holding hands

    Conflict is healthy and normal. We asked experts how to approach it better

  • Multi-generation family relaxing on a wall.

    Share your stories of caregiving for your parents with your siblings

  • couple on couch with family photos on background wall

    Parenting
    ‘Anything can happen’: how 14 empty nesters are reimagining their lives

Columns

  • Graphic of woman in red and purple holding drink

    Ask Ugly
    My scar makes beach outings an ordeal. How can I care less about it?

  • an illustration of a person anxiously looking at texts on their phone screen

    Why am I like this?
    My friends made plans without me – is it weird to invite myself?

  • GIVINGUP lLOLABELTRAN ASKUGLY OPTION1

    Ask Ugly
    My co-worker thinks her single friend should lose weight. Is not caring about looks ‘giving up’?

  • HOW TO START COOKING holasoyka

    How to start
    Get a sharp knife, season properly and don’t do too much at once: how to start cooking

Health & wellbeing

  • Emma Beddington

    The ‘Great Lock-In’ is here. Are you ready to commit ruthlessly to your fitness goals?

    Emma Beddington
  • The writer and DJ Marcus Barnes at home.

    The one change that worked: I sobered up – and started to listen to what my body was telling me

  • Pair of Golden gym dumbbells isolated on white background

    ‘It’s my second home!’ Gen Z and the sudden, surprising boom of luxury gyms

  • Adrian Chiles

    I saw a poor, lonely man wandering the A4 – then realised the sheer joy of where he was heading

    Adrian Chiles

Relationships

  • An illustration of a couple sitting holding hands and looking into each other's eyes

    This is how we do it: ‘A three-month break from sex gave us the reset we needed’

  • Mill and Nikki on a winter holiday in Gippsland, Victoria, in August 2025

    The moment I knew: they decorated a carrot cake to celebrate with me

  • Joe and Mabyn

    Blind date: ‘He didn’t find it weird that I arrived at the date using a homemade treasure map’

  • Young lovers sit at a garden table

    I don’t want children. Is it hypocritical to not be forthright about this soon after meeting someone?

The toolkit

  • ‘People in their 70s often say that they don’t feel old, and the reason for it is that they don’t meet the definition of old we often use.’

    Aging well
    How do I stay healthy in my 70s?

  • Illustration of two hands with thumbs and index fingers forming a circle, a scale and geometric shapes.

    How to start
    ‘The only thing you need is your own mind’: how to start meditating

  • a person smokes cannabis

    California sober
    What does it mean and is it good for you?

  • Colourful flat lay view of different types of sliced fruits and vegetables on a pink background.

    The 30-plant challenge
    Experts say we need to eat 30 plants a week. This is how I fared

Reclaim your brain

  • 0001

    You have one life. Do you really want to spend it looking at your phone?

  • A hand escaping a phone screen on a green background

    ‘I read 35 books this year!’: the Guardian readers who cut their phone use in 2024

  • illustration of everyday items and arrows to an iphone

    You don’t need a smartphone: a practical, personal guide to downgrading your device

  • Students prep for lunchtime at Buxton boarding school, which banned smartphones on campus.

    What happens when a school bans smartphones? A complete transformation

Food

  • Rukmini Iyer’s eggs in a basket with smoky chard.

    Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy eggs in a basket with smoky chard – recipe

  • Ben Lippett's polenta with sweet and sour figs and pecorino.

    Sweet-and-sour figs and roast chicken: Ben Lippett’s savoury fig recipes

  • Felicity Cloake's perfect nanaimo bars.

    How to make perfect nanaimo bars – recipe

  • Meera Sodha's kidney bean and sweetcorn curry.

    Meera Sodha’s recipe for kidney bean and sweetcorn curry

Puzzles

  • Cartoon with speech bubble 'I bet he drinks Carling Black Label'

    Crossword blog
    Crossword editor’s desk: what happened to funny adverts?

  • Cryptic crosswords
    Cryptic crossword No 29,795

  • Quick crosswords
    Quick crossword No 17,268

  • Sudoku
    Sudoku 7,030 medium

  • Prize crosswords
    Prize crossword No 29,793

  • Killer sudoku
    Killer sudoku 985

Most viewed