29/09/2026
Some news I wanted to share here first, because so much of it grew out of rooms like this one. 💚
My article—"When well-being advice doesn't fit: reframing the NHS five steps to well-being through a neurodivergent lens during cancer treatment"—is published in the Journal of Holistic Healthcare and Integrative Medicine (Vol. 23, Issue 2, Summer/Autumn 2026—"Trauma and the human experience"—pp. 35–38).
It's about the gap between the well-being advice we're given and the brains and bodies we actually have. The NHS five steps are sensible on paper—but for many of us, in a hospital chair or a waiting room, they needed translating. Written from lived experience, not theory.
If you've ever been told to "just relax" or "go for a walk" while your nervous system said the opposite—this piece was written for you.
Happy to chat about it in the comments, or just to hear how the five steps land for you.
For anyone who wants the official citation:
Annette Friar, "When wellbeing advice doesn't fit—reframing the NHS five steps to wellbeing through a neurodivergent lens during cancer treatment," Journal of Holistic Healthcare and Integrative Medicine, Vol. 23, Issue 2, Summer/Autumn 2026, pp. 35–38. ISSN 2977-1021 · journal home:
bhma.org
www.bhma.org
