A Summer for Oneself

Sometimes, life events leave a lasting mark. The loss of a loved one, a serious accident, an illness… these are all challenges that require us to get back on our feet. Yet, recovery after such traumas varies from person to person. Each situation also presents different circumstances that can either facilitate or hinder the process of rebuilding. So how do individuals find the ability to live fulfilling lives despite traumatic experiences?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Karin Jorio
With Samah Karaki, PhD in Neuroscience

Getting up, preparing breakfast, dressing the children, taking them to school, rushing to work, eating on the go, taking 45 minutes to work out, grocery shopping, picking up the kids from after-school activities, helping with homework, preparing dinner, bathing the children, responding to the last emails, taking time for yourself and your partner… Daily life can become a real juggling act with consequences for both body and mind. How can we manage it while preserving our well-being?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Karin Jorio
With Catherine Vasey, Psychologist and Gestalt Therapist, burnout specialist

In Switzerland, the Federal Statistical Office estimated in 2017 that 38% of the population aged 15 and older felt lonely. This is a real societal phenomenon that can have significant consequences for mental health—especially when loneliness is imposed rather than chosen. So, what exactly is loneliness? What is the difference between “chosen solitude” and “forced solitude”? And how much responsibility lies with the individual?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Mary Vakaridis
With Luca Pattaroni, Professor of Urban Sociology at EPFL

What if you had to live a large part of your life in lies, hiding, and secrecy—because you are not in the right body, don’t have the right gender identity, or your sexual orientation doesn’t fit societal expectations? How do you build yourself when society and those around you ignore or suspect that you aren’t fully yourself? What happens before and after coming out? The day reality bursts forth—what effects does it have on mental health?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Manon Germond
With Adèle Zufferey, Psychologist (FSP), Sexologist (ASPSl), Centre3, Lausanne

Since the world has been sinking deeper into crises, wellness coaches have been multiplying on social media—LinkedIn, to name just one example. Other platforms similarly praise the pursuit of happiness. To be happy, we are told, we must eat organic, local, and healthy food, exercise several times a week, have a fulfilling job, take care of ourselves, raise children with care, and flourish… the list goes on. What lies behind the burden of this individual responsibility for happiness? How can we cope with guilt when goals feel unattainable?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Ariane Hasler
With Gaël Brulé, Sociologist of Happiness, Researcher and Professor of Happiness and Environmental Health

Whether it’s harassment or simply asserting oneself and teaching, how do we know when to say “No”? When should we verbalize disagreement, and how do we set boundaries? How can we demonstrate authority? For a long time, parents maintained a power-based relationship with their children. Today, this notion has shifted toward authority. But what exactly is authority, and how does it work?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Mary Vakaridis
With Grégoire Zimmerman, Professor of Psychology at UNIL

Verbal aggression, physical violence, exclusion… One to two students per class are affected by what is commonly called “school bullying,” though specialists prefer the term “peer-on-peer bullying.” These mistreatments can leave lasting scars and sometimes lead to tragedies. However, it is not inevitable. Tools exist to help bullied children face these challenges. What skills can victims of bullying develop to confront these situations and protect themselves?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Manon Germond
With Zoé Moody, Professor at the University of Teacher Education Valais (HEP-VS) and Research Collaborator at the Interfaculty Centre for Children’s Rights, University of Geneva

Exposure—or even overexposure—to screens throughout life can have various effects on our mental health. Whether affecting a child’s development or adults’ quality of life, screens play a significant role. Smartphones can turn private life into an extension of professional life, and screens can make seniors more sedentary. So how can we manage screen use daily to establish healthy boundaries? And how can we protect our mental well-being in an omnipresent digital world?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Karin Jorio
With Sophia Achab, Medical Director at ReConnecte, HUG, and Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, UNIGE

Some people lack sleep, while others get plenty without it being truly restorative. A barometer of our overall condition, sleep is a fundamental component of mental health. It is estimated that around 40% of the population suffers from sleep problems, whether occasional or chronic insomnia. Sometimes, the causes of disrupted sleep can reveal other health issues. One thing is certain: there are very clear links between sleep and our physical, cognitive, and psychological well-being.

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Katia Hess
With Tifenn Raffray, Psychiatrist and Co-Director of the Florimont Sleep Center

Armed conflicts, climate change, pandemics, the cost of living… the present and future can sometimes feel bleak or anxiety-inducing. In this context, how can we maintain hope, focus on the positive, and protect our mental health in a world that often feels beyond our control?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Karin Jorio
With Andrea Samson, Researcher in Psychology at the University of Fribourg and Professor of Psychology at UniDistance Switzerland

Instant messaging, a Zalando package delivered in 24 hours, a meal enjoyed 30 minutes after ordering; the flood of emails and the urgency to respond ASAP. We live in a society of immediacy, demanding instant answers. A society in which tools meant to simplify life can sometimes become an added mental burden. What are the consequences for our behaviors and our relationship with time? What effects does this have on our mental well-being? How can we create space to slow down, enjoy life, or simply catch our breath?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Karin Jorio
With Professor Vincent Kaufmann, EPFL, Professor of Urban Sociology and Mobility Analysis

At work, with family, in public spaces… living in society is not easy for everyone. Fear of judgment, the gaze of others—how do people with social phobias navigate the world and daily life? What resources are available to help them manage social situations that can sometimes feel threatening?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Karin Jorio
With Paolo Cordera, Psychologist and Psychotherapist – Head of the Anxiety Disorders Program, HUG

The birth of a child is always a seismic event for a family: new dynamics, new routines, new habits. A child changes your life forever. But this joyful event is not always experienced positively by mothers or fathers. While postpartum depression in mothers is becoming more recognized, it remains a taboo topic for fathers. Yet they also face hormonal changes and sometimes struggle to find their place in this new family dynamic.

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Mary Vakaridis
With Noémie Faure, Perinatal Psychologist

Women’s life journeys are marked by multiple stages related to hormonal changes. Whether it’s menstruation, pregnancy, the postpartum period, or menopause, support during these phases is often lacking. Menopause may be the most taboo stage of life. What are the consequences for women’s mental health, well-being, physical health, and careers?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Manon Germond
With Cristina Manea, Gynecologist Specializing in Menopause

Aging is devalued in today’s society, which celebrates dynamism. Finding a job at 50 is extremely difficult. At 80, people speak to us as if we were children. There is pressure to stay young at all costs, even if it means denying the realities of aging. According to common stereotypes, aging supposedly means only losing mental abilities, memory, and flexibility. But what are the consequences of these prejudices on mental health? What does it mean to grow old in a society that glorifies youth? How can one age gracefully in such a context? Could openly discussing these issues be part of the solution?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Karin Jorio
With Valérie Hugentobler, Professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Social Work and Health

A lure or a life mantra? To be happy, we must feel good in our bodies—listen to it, care for it, nurture it. But how? How can we individually care for both body and mind? How can we approach and embrace a body that does not conform to societal and advertising standards without getting lost in the “body positive” movement?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Karin Jorio
With Andrea Pereira, Director of the association Minds and PhD in Social Psychology

The brain still has many powers to reveal. Surgeries performed under hypnosis are still rare but proving effective. How can we tame, train, and strengthen the mind so that it becomes a friend rather than an enemy? How can we draw on inner strength to overcome life’s challenges? What happens in our brains when we are under hypnosis? How can our brain be an ally for our mental health?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Manon Germond
With Philippe Ryvlin, Neurologist, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, CHUV and UNIL

The same scenes play out every summer in the Mediterranean. Waves of migrants try their luck reaching Europe. Closer to home, refugees from Ukraine flee westward to escape the bombs. But what does it mean to flee a life? To arrive in a country whose codes, culture, and language you do not know? How can one put words to forced uprooting, what are the impacts on mental health, and how can one rebuild?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Mary Vakaridis
With Nathalie Bennoun, Psychologist and Psychotherapist, Deputy Director of the association Appartenances

Some lives are turned upside down after an accident. The loss of autonomy. The need for others to perform daily tasks. How does one cope with this dependence on others for the most basic needs? Whether due to a disability or illness, how do caregivers—often left to manage on their own—experience these life situations? And how do those being cared for perceive and live through it?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Karin Jorio
With Jean Bigoni, Psychologist, Head of the Psychological Consultation for Caregivers at CHUV

Inflation, rising consumer prices, increasing rents, skyrocketing health insurance premiums and energy costs… what was once considered a stroke of bad luck has become a hammer blow for Switzerland’s lower-middle class. What happens when working is no longer enough to live decently and you fall into financial insecurity? How can one survive in one of the richest countries with very limited means? What are the impacts of financial precarity on mental health? How do people perceive themselves, and how do they cope with the perceptions of others?

Intro: Sophie Vassutine
Filed report: Mary Vakaridis
With Benoît Schaller-Mottas and Louise Reymond, Management of the Day Care Structure “Banc Public”