Latest news with #NottinghamTrentUniversity
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
'I could finally see my childhood photos in Syria'
"That's me with a cheeky smile - [my] hairstyle's still the same," jokes Bilal Batous as he looks at a picture taken on his last day at nursery school in was one of a number of photographs his family were forced to leave behind when they fled their neighbourhood in Idlib after it was targeted by was just 12 at the time and his family were invited to move to the UK as part of a refugee resettlement scheme, finding themselves housed in Gedling, 10 years later, he has returned to Syria for the first time and collected some treasured childhood pictures - some he had never seen before. "We didn't think about any photos or any personal things, we left everything," said Bilal's mother, Manal Rawaeh, adding safety was their main family now has British citizenship, and Bilal and Manal have just finished the same biomedical science degree at Nottingham Trent University. The emotional return to Syria came after the sudden downfall of President knew his uncle had the family photographs they had left behind and said those were his "biggest priority"."Before asking how he was doing I told him 'give us the photo albums'," he said."I just pushed him away and said 'where's the albums? I want to see the albums'."When he gave me the photo albums, I said 'oh, by the way uncle, how are you? How's life? Sorry I didn't say hi to you'."Bilal also found his own baby photo and was surprised to see old pictures of his father for the first time. "I look like the old version of my dad, when he was young," Bilal added. The family photos are so important because they are a window into the life they had to leave so suddenly, a story that resonates for refugees around the mother, Manal Rawaeh, says their priority was to keep themselves safe. Manal also described the warm welcome they received this summer from friends and relatives in Syria who survived the civil war. "(It was) like a dream. We came from a different world and they tried to make us happy."Despite the devastation caused by the conflict, the family's flat remained intact."Before going in, just standing in front of the building brought a lot of flashbacks. Us running around the house, for example," Bilal said."I remembered the route that I used to walk to school, the supermarket across the road, it's like my heart was aching". Bilal brought back a Syrian football top with the new national logo and does not rule out returning at some point in the Syria is still unstable and he says his life is in now Nottinghamshire."I'm graduating soon and all my family and friends are here, so I'm properly settled in the UK," he dad, Amjad, has worked for Royal Mail for several years, and his mum, Manal, is applying for NHS jobs after hospital placements during her degree."I like Syria and I like Nottingham," Manal added. "I felt like, when I was in Syria, I have to come back to Nottingham, it is my home here." Bilal said he is still close friends with the English classmates who helped him settle into the UK almost a decade said it was a 'good thing' his family was resettled in an area where most people only spoke said: "It helped me learn English because it forces you to mix in the culture, it forces you to get to know people and to learn the language."I'm very grateful because this country gave me a new opportunity, a new life, and I'm looking forward to - when I graduate - to give something back to the country".
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Tattoos can boost body positivity and even heal trauma, mental health experts say
THE great British High Street may be in decline but there's one type of shop that is still firmly making its mark – the tattoo parlour. In the past decade the number of inking businesses has soared from 1,637 to 3,394 — up 107 per cent — and 14million of us now have one, nearly a third of all adults. Advertisement 5 The number of inking businesses has soared from 1,637 to 3,394 in the past decade 5 The tattoo parlour is still firmly making its mark on the British High Street Credit: Refer to Source - Alamy 5 14million of us now have a tattoo, nearly a third of all adults Credit: Alamy The tattoo market was worth around £659million in 2023, rising to £702million in 2024. Experts say that although tattoos may seem unsightly to some, for those who have them, they can boost positivity, provide a sense of security, help people cope with depression and even help to heal childhood trauma. Dr Mark Griffiths, Distinguished Professor of Behavioural Addiction at Nottingham Trent University, told The Sun on Sunday: 'Most people who get tattoos experience positive benefits. 'For example, someone who is experiencing depression or anxiety may feel empowered by a tattoo, or view it as a way of demonstrating control in their life. Advertisement READ MORE ON TATTOOS 'Bad infections' 'A tattoo can help some individuals feel better about their body and help them feel as though they are part of a community. 'Tattoos may help promote body positivity, boost self-confidence and, for a minority, help to lower stress levels. "For a small minority, tattoos may also be a symbol for trauma survivors, for example of PTSD, sexual assault and healing from childhood trauma.' Derby-based tattooist Kevin Paul, who has inked dozens of celebrities including Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Lady Gaga and Rhianna, says that being tattooed is so 'powerful' it is like a medicine to some. Advertisement Most read in Health Exclusive He said: 'People use tattoos now as a therapy or a way to bring families closer or to mourn the loss of a loved one. "A lot of people have tattoos to mark traumatic things they have been through. I'm tattooed all over & even removed my NOSE to keep in a little jar… people can't believe the difference 4 years makes 'The majority of people I see are using it as some form of therapy. 'I had a customer with a history of self-harm and when I covered her scars she said it gave her her life back.' Advertisement Prices for a tattoo start at £50 for a tiny design but can rise to well over £2,000 for a larger work covering the limbs or back — and there is no shortage of takers. The UK currently ranks as the third most-inked nation in the world, accounting for almost eight per cent of all tattoos globally and we are only out-tatted by the US and Germany. However, the trend has also led to a rise in unqualified and inexperienced would-be 'artists' cashing in. Unlicensed tattoo artists, often referred to as 'scratchers', operate outside legal regulations and do not register with their local said: 'Tattooing is being pulled apart by everyone thinking they can just have a go. Advertisement 'People will go to the closest and normally cheapest place so it's much harder for real, trained artists to get customers through the door. 'There will be a lot of people needing cover-ups [of bad work] in the future. 5 Derby-based tattooist Kevin Paul has inked dozens of celebrities including Ed Sheeran Credit: Getty 5 Former 1D singer Harry Styles has also been inked by him Credit: Getty Advertisement "Hygiene should be the biggest part of your training, but I have seen so many bad infections come from dodgy tattooists who don't know what they are doing.' Research last year suggested that as many as four in ten of us had considered getting a tattoo removed. The most likely reason is going off the design, poor quality, fading work or having made an impulsive decision to begin with. And another expert warned that getting tattoos may not always combat major self-esteem issues. Advertisement Aleksandra Pamphlett, a psychotherapist specialising in body image, said: 'I've had many patients describe their tattoos as part of their healing journey — daily reminders of survival, identity, hope and self-worth. 'There have been quite a few studies suggesting that body modifications can serve as a coping mechanism or form of self-expression for people with trauma histories. 'IT'S MY LIFE STORY IN PICTURES' TATTOO fan Chesney Wright, 29, has spent more than £4,000 on her 200 inkings, which she describes as her 'life in pictures'. The mum-of-three, from Grantham, Lincs, admits some are 'horrified' by her heavily inked look but she has no plans to stop. Chesney said: 'I've been told the tatts are disgusting. That I'm a bad example to other women and a bad mum. Tattoos are like Marmite, you love them or hate them – I'm obsessed with them. 'OAPs are often horrified and tell me off, but I just smile sweetly. My body art is my history.' Ex-barber Chesney has tattoos of everything from a ghost to SpongeBob. She added: 'Most women get flowers and butterflies – I have a different approach. Each tattoo holds a story of love, happiness, mother- hood, sometimes grief.' 'Most of my patients with tattoos related to past trauma found them helpful and empowering, but there was one case where the tattoo became a painful reminder — less a symbol of healing, more a flashback to a time they wanted to move past.' Anna Woolley spent years struggling with substance addiction and poor mental health, leaving her with scars on her arms that were so obvious she was ridiculed about them while shopping in Primark. Advertisement It led the 35-year-old to cover them with a 'sleeve' design with butterflies and branches in 2016. The move gave her such new-found confidence she is now preparing to become a support worker in a rehab clinic to help others. She told the Sun on Sunday: 'I'd gone through a lot of past trauma and I'd caused damage to my arms from lashing out during night terrors over several years. 'I just felt horrific, I was so full of self-doubt. Advertisement 'Before getting the tattoos I wouldn't have dreamed of wearing a T-shirt but now I wear what I want to. People say it's just a tattoo but it's changed my life.'
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Tattoos can boost body positivity and even heal trauma, mental health experts say
Dr Mark Griffiths explains all of the positive benefits tattoos can have POSITIVE INKING Tattoos can boost body positivity and even heal trauma, mental health experts say Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE great British High Street may be in decline but there's one type of shop that is still firmly making its mark – the tattoo parlour. In the past decade the number of inking businesses has soared from 1,637 to 3,394 — up 107 per cent — and 14million of us now have one, nearly a third of all adults. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 The number of inking businesses has soared from 1,637 to 3,394 in the past decade 5 The tattoo parlour is still firmly making its mark on the British High Street Credit: Refer to Source - Alamy 5 14million of us now have a tattoo, nearly a third of all adults Credit: Alamy The tattoo market was worth around £659million in 2023, rising to £702million in 2024. Experts say that although tattoos may seem unsightly to some, for those who have them, they can boost positivity, provide a sense of security, help people cope with depression and even help to heal childhood trauma. Dr Mark Griffiths, Distinguished Professor of Behavioural Addiction at Nottingham Trent University, told The Sun on Sunday: 'Most people who get tattoos experience positive benefits. 'For example, someone who is experiencing depression or anxiety may feel empowered by a tattoo, or view it as a way of demonstrating control in their life. 'Bad infections' 'A tattoo can help some individuals feel better about their body and help them feel as though they are part of a community. 'Tattoos may help promote body positivity, boost self-confidence and, for a minority, help to lower stress levels. "For a small minority, tattoos may also be a symbol for trauma survivors, for example of PTSD, sexual assault and healing from childhood trauma.' Derby-based tattooist Kevin Paul, who has inked dozens of celebrities including Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Lady Gaga and Rhianna, says that being tattooed is so 'powerful' it is like a medicine to some. He said: 'People use tattoos now as a therapy or a way to bring families closer or to mourn the loss of a loved one. "A lot of people have tattoos to mark traumatic things they have been through. I'm tattooed all over & even removed my NOSE to keep in a little jar… people can't believe the difference 4 years makes 'The majority of people I see are using it as some form of therapy. 'I had a customer with a history of self-harm and when I covered her scars she said it gave her her life back.' Prices for a tattoo start at £50 for a tiny design but can rise to well over £2,000 for a larger work covering the limbs or back — and there is no shortage of takers. The UK currently ranks as the third most-inked nation in the world, accounting for almost eight per cent of all tattoos globally and we are only out-tatted by the US and Germany. However, the trend has also led to a rise in unqualified and inexperienced would-be 'artists' cashing in. Unlicensed tattoo artists, often referred to as 'scratchers', operate outside legal regulations and do not register with their local said: 'Tattooing is being pulled apart by everyone thinking they can just have a go. 'People will go to the closest and normally cheapest place so it's much harder for real, trained artists to get customers through the door. 'There will be a lot of people needing cover-ups [of bad work] in the future. 5 Derby-based tattooist Kevin Paul has inked dozens of celebrities including Ed Sheeran Credit: Getty 5 Former 1D singer Harry Styles has also been inked by him Credit: Getty "Hygiene should be the biggest part of your training, but I have seen so many bad infections come from dodgy tattooists who don't know what they are doing.' Research last year suggested that as many as four in ten of us had considered getting a tattoo removed. The most likely reason is going off the design, poor quality, fading work or having made an impulsive decision to begin with. And another expert warned that getting tattoos may not always combat major self-esteem issues. Aleksandra Pamphlett, a psychotherapist specialising in body image, said: 'I've had many patients describe their tattoos as part of their healing journey — daily reminders of survival, identity, hope and self-worth. 'There have been quite a few studies suggesting that body modifications can serve as a coping mechanism or form of self-expression for people with trauma histories. 'IT'S MY LIFE STORY IN PICTURES' TATTOO fan Chesney Wright, 29, has spent more than £4,000 on her 200 inkings, which she describes as her 'life in pictures'. The mum-of-three, from Grantham, Lincs, admits some are 'horrified' by her heavily inked look but she has no plans to stop. Chesney said: 'I've been told the tatts are disgusting. That I'm a bad example to other women and a bad mum. Tattoos are like Marmite, you love them or hate them – I'm obsessed with them. 'OAPs are often horrified and tell me off, but I just smile sweetly. My body art is my history.' Ex-barber Chesney has tattoos of everything from a ghost to SpongeBob. She added: 'Most women get flowers and butterflies – I have a different approach. Each tattoo holds a story of love, happiness, mother- hood, sometimes grief.' 'Most of my patients with tattoos related to past trauma found them helpful and empowering, but there was one case where the tattoo became a painful reminder — less a symbol of healing, more a flashback to a time they wanted to move past.' Anna Woolley spent years struggling with substance addiction and poor mental health, leaving her with scars on her arms that were so obvious she was ridiculed about them while shopping in Primark. It led the 35-year-old to cover them with a 'sleeve' design with butterflies and branches in 2016. The move gave her such new-found confidence she is now preparing to become a support worker in a rehab clinic to help others. She told the Sun on Sunday: 'I'd gone through a lot of past trauma and I'd caused damage to my arms from lashing out during night terrors over several years. 'I just felt horrific, I was so full of self-doubt. 'Before getting the tattoos I wouldn't have dreamed of wearing a T-shirt but now I wear what I want to. People say it's just a tattoo but it's changed my life.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Everyone is talking about calisthenics – here's a 4-week strength training plan (no gym membership required)
To many, strength training is an intimidating term, conjuring up images of muscle-bound bodybuilders and sweat-scented gyms. But as ever-more research reinforces the practice's many benefits, for those of all ages and fitness levels, a growing number of people are looking to try it out. If you fall into this camp, calisthenics – a kit-free training method which leverages your own body weight as resistance – is an accessible option you can do from the comfort of your living room. And we have a four-week plan for absolute beginners to help you get started. 'Calisthenics helps people get stronger in more planes of movement, and uses movement patterns that are more relevant to everyday life,' says Dr Athalie Redwood-Brown, a senior lecturer in performance analysis of sport at Nottingham Trent University, who also owns a gym and has founded the FiiT For Life charity. Every time you sit in a chair, you're performing a squat of sorts. Bending down to tie your shoelaces is tantamount to a lunge, and the process of picking yourself up from the floor often starts with a form of press-up. For this reason, Redwood-Brown says calisthenics training can allow people to 'live life better'. 'You're creating all of these lovely neurological pathways which then allow us to do everyday activities better,' she continues. This strengthens the body, leaving it less prone to injury, while also improving balance and coordination. It can also help combat sarcopenia – the age-related loss of strength, muscle and function in the body. If these attributes sound enticing, read on for a beginner calisthenics programme from Redwood-Brown, as well as her top tips on how to get started. A four-week beginner calisthenics plan Perform each of the three workouts below once per week – a schedule placing day one on a Monday, day two on a Wednesday and day three on a Friday often works well. Repeat this cycle for four weeks in total, using the progression options below to gradually increase the difficulty of the workouts week-on-week. Redwood-Brown adds that working with an experienced trainer is the best way to get started, but this is a good system for beginners to introduce their body to regular movement and lay solid foundations of strength and mobility. If you already have some training experience, you might want to consider introducing weights into your workouts for an added challenge with this experienced strength coach's weekly workouts. Day one Day two Exercise Sets Reps Rest between sets Chair squat (sit in a chair in a controlled manner, then stand back up) 3 12 60 seconds Standing calf raise (come on to your toes, then lower your heels back to the floor) 3 15 60 seconds Standing hip circles 2 10 in each direction 60 seconds Forward fold with arm swings (hinge at the hips to let your arms hang towards the floor, then sway them gently from side to side – only lower as far as you feel comfortable) 1 60 seconds 60 seconds Day three Exercise Sets Reps Rest between sets Marching in place (high knees optional) 1 60 seconds 60 seconds Wall sit (place your back against a wall and slide your hips down as far as is comfortable – the lower your hips, up to 90 degrees, the more challenging the exercise) 3 20 seconds 60 seconds Side lunge (assume a wide stance, shift your weight to one side while bending that knee, then return to standing – hold a chair for support if needed ) 3 6 each side 60 seconds Bird dog (start on all fours, extend your right arm and left leg until they are parallel with the floor, return to all fours, then repeat on the other side) 3 10 in total 60 seconds How to progress these workouts The body reacts to better handle the challenges we consistently set it, so calisthenics can make our body function better both internally and externally; think improved heart health, lower risk of chronic diseases, more robust joints and increased physical capacity. However, this also means that if you want to see continued positive adaptations from exercise, you need to progress the difficulty of your workouts over time in line with your increasing fitness levels. Luckily, Redwood-Brown's instructions cover this. 'To keep improving, you can use simple tweaks,' she says. 'Each week, you can increase the reps by two or three for each exercise, or add one extra set per move – for example, doing four sets of incline press-ups rather than three. 'You can also increase the amount of time you hold the planks and wall-sits by five to 10 seconds each week.' The final option is to increase the resistance. For the incline press-ups, this can be achieved by lowering your hands from a wall to a kitchen counter to a table or bench – the lower the hands, the more challenging the exercise. You can also add light resistance bands, or even use tins of beans as makeshift dumbbells, to make exercises such as the glute bridges, squats and side lunges more challenging. How to get the most out of calisthenics training The term calisthenics stems from the ancient Greek words kallos, meaning beauty, and sthenos, meaning strength. The name roughly means 'beautiful strength', and for the practice to be successful, there has to be an emphasis on moving well. 'The fundamental [of strength training] is to move well,' Redwood-Brown says. 'Then you can move well with load, and then you can move well with load faster.' To practise this, she recommends considering the quality of your movements in everyday life. 'When you sit down on the sofa, I want you to think about how you move,' says Redwood-Brown. 'Imagine you have a £50 note between your bum cheeks [and squeeze them], because that means you sit up taller, you engage your core a little bit more and you use your bum muscles a little bit more. 'For a lot of people, they don't want to go to a gym until they feel that they can actually move with confidence. All of these [calisthenics] movements are fundamentals.' Alongside moving well, the other most important factor for seeing results from your calisthenics workouts is consistency. 'People think it needs to be super hard from the start and they need to go from zero to 100 immediately,' says Redwood-Brown. 'But if you make small progressions, you'll see progress. It's not about who finishes the first week fastest, it's about consistency; showing up and doing it even when you don't want to.' This isn't to say the workouts shouldn't feel challenging. As mentioned above, the body responds to physical stress by adapting to deal with it better over time – for example, strength training can stimulate muscle growth, improvements in mobility and the strengthening of tissues around joints such as ligaments and tendons. The important thing is to find a variation of the exercises above that suits your fitness level, allowing you to move well throughout the prescribed repetitions, but still providing a worthy test for your muscles. 'You have to 'choose your hard',' says Redwood-Brown. 'You might be in a situation now where it's hard standing up or walking to the end of the road because you're out of breath, you're overweight or you're stiff. That's not going to suddenly go away. 'We can do something hard now for a little bit, like these workouts, so that in a few months, these everyday tasks feel easier. Or, if we stay where we are, they are always going to be hard.' Benefits of calisthenics training We mentioned some of the major benefits of calisthenics training in the introduction, from building full-body strength to developing more resilient joints. But by Redwood-Brown's reckoning, we barely touched the sides. 'With exercise, and specifically calisthenics, you're actually using your own body to become resilient against things like sarcopenia, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis,' she says. 'We're going to improve our general health, cardiac health, lung function, mobility and posture. There's so much positivity to it, and you are just using your own body weight'
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
How to quit your smartphone addiction, guided by science
We spend 4 hours and 37 minutes on our phones each day, checking them around 58 times, on average. We like to tell ourselves it's to socialize, for work, or to read the news. But most of us are addicted, and we know it. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now You can test whether you are on the Smartphone Addiction Scale here. How prevalent is smartphone addiction? Study after study confirms that people are becoming increasingly addicted to smartphones — in every country tested, and in all ages. In the US, for example, nearly 57% of those asked in a recent survey admitted to being addicted to their phones. "There is evidence that problematic smartphone use impacts negatively on the lives of many people. There are associations between problematic smartphone use and mental health symptoms, such as depression and anxiety," said Zaheer Hussain , a social scientist at Nottingham Trent University , UK. People are getting tired of their smartphone behaviours — as is often the case with an addiction. But the hard part is that people wanting to beat smartphone addiction can find it as hard as those who want to quit smoking — it's a difficult psychological battle. Social apps, boredom, or simple daily habits can have you reaching for your phone often without realizing it. But the long-term health benefits of reducing your smartphone habits are huge. Studies show smartphone addiction is linked with a range of health issues, including sleep disturbances, eye strain, physical inactivity, and neck and back pain. Mentally, it contributes to depression, anxiety, loneliness, and impacts attention and memory, especially in teenagers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Smartphone addiction can also be caused by those very same mental challenges. So, beating smartphone addiction can also help those struggles. Smartphone addiction: Cause and result of mental health challenges Smartphone addiction carries all the hallmark symptoms of a behavioural addiction — that is craving, dependence, withdrawal symptoms. It's similar to gambling or video-game addiction in that there's no addictive 'substance', such as a drug like cocaine. Yes, apps and websites are designed to keep our attentions locked in, using gamification as a tool to get us addicted. Many people report using smartphones to escape from stressful situations in the home. It's an escapist tool that can take the mind off depressing thoughts and feelings of anxiety. But it is difficult to know whether smartphone addiction is a cause of mental health challenges, or a result of them. That's why an important part of beating smartphone addiction is understanding why you became addicted in the first place. Try multiple methods to quit smartphone addiction all at once There's no quick fix to beating smartphone addiction. Different people need different methods, often more than one. And it takes real dedication. But scientists have verified several methods to help beat smartphone addiction. Most of these are similar to tools used to beat other behavioural addictions, and often rely on behavioural re-training. Here are some methods that scientists recommend: Leave your smartphone outside your bedroom at night, or at least out of reach in the corner of the room. Put your phone in another room when studying or working so you have to get up to check it Reduce notifications. Try using your phone's Do Not Disturb function, or turn off all sounds and vibrations for incoming messages and notifications Simple measures like setting the screen to black-and-white, removing social media apps from your home screen, and creating longer passcodes can work by increasing the barrier to using your phone Use apps to help self-control. Apps like Space, Forest, Flipd , and Screentime can limit daily smartphone use, lock away distracting apps, help you manage your habits. The science of quitting smartphone addiction The scientific consensus is that the more methods you use at the same time, the better your chances are of beating your smartphone addiction in the long term. One clinical trial tested a ten-step behavioural program called the nudge-based intervention. It used multiple approaches like those listed above. "The steps aimed to make the phone a little less rewarding to use, add a bit of friction to use it, and reduce the number of reminders to use the phone. This nudge-based intervention aimed to reduce problematic smartphone use without relying on willpower alone," said the study's lead author, Jay Olson , an addiction psychologist at University of Toronto in Canada. It proved effective in the short term, returning problematic smartphone use scores to normal levels for at least 6 weeks. "However, we have less data on which interventions work over the long term for years," Olson told DW. Other clinical trials have shown how physical interventions help as well: Replacing smartphone use with exercise or sports effectively reduced smartphone addiction in university students, for example. This can also help reduce loneliness, anxiety, and stress levels that often accompany smartphone addiction. Hussain said simply getting out into nature more can greatly benefit your mental health. "If we don't get out in nature then our phones and in extension social media, notifications, news reels, scrolling take over our lives. This can lead to anxiety and depression, and other mental health issues," said Hussain. Know why you addicted to your smartphone Smartphone addiction has become a significant health issue among students with mental health challenges. The addiction can feed and exacerbate those challenges. Studies show how people who have an addiction to smartphones often become bored quickly, are more socially isolated, and express the tendency to feel lost without their smartphones. If you feel your smartphone use is having an impact on your mental health, your relationships and your everyday life, it may be time to seek professional help. "Several therapies have been shown to be effective, such as mindfulness therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy," said Olson. Talk therapies, like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), can provide step-by-step ways to stop compulsive behaviours and change your perceptions about your phone. These therapies can help identify why you are addicted and help you tackle those issues at the root.
