Your schedule may be packed. You see your friends regularly. You might even be progressing in your career or hitting new personal goals.

But behavioural coach Elizabeth Walker, founder of The Empowerment Warrior, told HuffPost UK that “it is possible to keep showing up for work, relationships and responsibilities while feeling emotionally absent from your own life”.

She added that people who run on “autopilot” can sometimes appear to be functioning capably and productively on the outside, while inside, they feel a deep detachment from their reality.

“The signs can be easy to overlook until you realise you no longer feel like yourself,” Walker added.

Here, she shared seven signs you might not be fully present:

One in eight Brits say they feel tired “all the time”, and Walker points out that this doesn’t always come from running on autopilot.

Still, she said, it can sometimes be the earliest sign you’ve been tapping out.

“Constant exhaustion can suggest a person has little space to pause, reset or fully engage,” she explained. That might be because familiar routines “can become mentally draining” over time, making rest less effective.

If that sounds like you, the coach suggests taking a moment at the end of the day to write down what felt exhausting and engaging during the day. “Over time, this can help to identify patterns and see whether tiredness is linked to lack of rest or disconnection from daily life,” she added.

Our minds are designed to make familiar actions easier to repeat, which is why your “usual day” flies by faster than a new experience.

But “when every day starts to feel like a repeat of the last, it may be a sign that life is running on autopilot,” Walker advised.

“A practical first step is to make one small change to a familiar part of the day, such as taking a different route to work, rearranging a morning routine, or slowing down during a conversation.

“The goal is to interrupt the automatic pattern and become more aware of the day as it is happening.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean physically avoiding people, said the coach. It might mean tuning out during conversations, giving short responses, and struggling to actively listen.

“Over time, the person withdrawing may feel guilty without fully understanding why, or others may leave the conversation feeling unheard,” Walker stated.

“A helpful first step is to seek out spaces where interaction feels genuine, rather than forced,” she said, this might look like community meet-ups or hobby groups.

Opening ourselves up to new experiences can make us more creative and enhance our ability to learn. But in contrast, those on autopilot might find “work may feel slower and small details can be easier to miss”.

This, the founder shared, “may look like forgetfulness or even a lack of discipline, but it can also signal mental fatigue from operating on autopilot for too long”.

Luckily, there are some steps you can take to break the habit, including taking breaks during the day and seeing a therapist or mental health professional if needed.

This “can be a sign that the brain is operating in a reactive state, focused on everyday routines and responsibilities rather than where the person wants to go in life,” per Walker.

People who are deeply entrenched in their usual routines might have lost touch with the link between their personal choices and the reality of their lives.

“Over time, this can leave them feeling as though life is moving forward without a clear sense of purpose or direction,” the expert added. “One way to rebuild that sense of direction is through guided self-reflection, such as journalling”.

People who aren’t fully present might find that their former favourites, like a tasty meal or an incredible film, have fallen flat because “the brain is not fully taking in what makes them enjoyable,” said Walker.

“When this automatic way of functioning becomes the default, it can reduce the brain’s responsiveness to reward, making it harder to engage with an activity that once brought joy,” she added.

“A gentle way to rebuild enjoyment is to return to a favourite activity slowly and deliberately, whether that means eating without distractions or watching a film without multitasking.”

Personally, I’ve had some great success with “mindful walking”. But something completely different may work for you.

Side note: sometimes, a lack of enjoyment is called “anhedonia”. This can be a symptom of things like depression and bipolar disorder; see your GP if you suspect you have a mental health condition.

“When the brain is focused on getting through responsibilities, it can become less responsive to internal cues such as hunger, fatigue, or emotional overwhelm,” Walker ended.

That might mean people running on autopilot might miss meals or fail to get enough sleep.

This is also worth speaking to an expert about. As Walker said: “When self-neglect starts to feel normal, seeking professional support can help uncover what is driving the pattern and create a clearer path towards addressing it.”

Ricky Gervais has dismissed the suggestion that his absence from a recent TV special celebrating The Office was an intentional snub of the BBC.

Last month, Martin Freeman and Mackenzie Crook took part in a one-off BBC special reflecting on their time on The Office to commemorate 25 years since the hit sitcom’s debut.

Weeks earlier, Ricky had told The Independent that he’d been invited to take part in the special, but turned it down as he was “not available” at the time, instead filming a video about his own memories for his personal YouTube channel.

The Sun reported at the time that this was a “huge blow” to the BBC and indicated a “lack of allegiance towards the Beeb” on his part.

However, in a new interview with Saga magazine, Ricky claimed it was “nonsense” that he’d chosen not to be involved in the special.

“I couldn’t be prouder of The Office,” he insisted (as reported by Metro). “It wasn’t a snub to the BBC.”

Ricky added: “’I was already doing my own thing for my YouTube channel and doing theirs would have watered mine down.”

Over the last few years, Ricky has become known for his collaborations with Netflix, including the award-winning sitcom After Life and numerous stand-up comedy specials.

His latest offering for the streaming giant has ultimately become one of the most polarising of his entire career, after creating, writing, directing and starring in Alley Cats, an animated series about feline friends living on the streets of London.

Mackenzie Crook And Martin Freeman Remember… The Office is now streaming on BBC iPlayer, while Alley Cats is available to watch on Netflix.

Donald Trump’s attitude towards the Nato and the Ukraine war has emboldened Russia with its growing threats towards the UK, according to a former Russian minister.

It comes after it emerged Ukraine is using British drones to hit targets within Russia, triggering a fresh warning from Russian delegates last night.

The Russian Embassy in London posted on X: “Seeking to contain Russia by proxy, the UK is acting as an accomplice and co-perpetrator of the bloody crimes and terrorist attacks committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis.

“London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer.”

Andrei Federov, former deputy foreign minister of Russia, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that this was not necessarily an empty threat.

He said: “Nothing can be excluded from my personal point of view because there is confrontation which is now growing.

“Escalation in war in Ukraine will increase quite soon again, we have many problems linked to the situation in the Baltic Sea and the situation with a possible seizure of tankers carrying Russian oil, maybe even close to UK shores.”

He added: “There are a lot of people in the military community who are saying Russia can strike the UK and Nato will do nothing. Trump will not allow Nato to answer.”

Asked if he believed Nato would not intervene if the UK was attacked by Russia, Federov said: “Taking into consideration the current instability in Nato, problems within Nato, it’s quite possible that Nato will do nothing. Make a statement or use article 4, but not article 5.”

Article 4 allows any member state to formally request an emergency consultation if their territory is threatened.

Article 5 is the mutual defence clause whereby an attack on one member state is seen as an attack on all.

Federov said this speculation can all be linked back to Trump, who is “still the keeper of the keys to Nato”.

He acknowledged that the UK is a nuclear power and could retaliate itself, but noted that British government knows such a reaction would be a sensitive issue.

Vladimir Putin has consistently avoided being drawn into a war against Nato throughout his four year conflict with Ukraine.

But Federov warned that Ukraine’s increase in strikes within Russia and the use of drones produced in the UK have “raised concerns in the Kremlin” about the impact on the economy.

He said: “It’s very easy sometimes in Moscow to interpret such kind of strikes that the UK is part of the war, and that Russia has the full right to strike the country which is supporting Ukraine.”

“The situation now is very dangerous, because the tension of conflict in Ukraine really is increasing,” the former minister warned. “The coming couple of months will face this tension, this escalation which can bring us to totally different situation unlike ever before.”

Minister Lilian Greenwood later told Times Radio that the UK “won’t be bullied” by these threats from Russia.

She said: “Well, our message back to the Russians is that we stand with Ukraine. We’ve stood with Ukraine throughout this time when the Russian illegal invasion. We will continue to do so. We won’t be bullied in this way.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

An autopsy indicated “no signs of trauma” that could have contributed to the death of actor Hayden Panettiere, the coroner’s office in Greenville, South Carolina has said.

The Heroes, Nashville and Scream star died over the weekend at the age of 36, with police subsequently confirming that a police investigation was underway.

In a statement released on Monday evening, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said (as reported by BBC News): “An autopsy was completed today. At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”

They added: “The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies.”

Greenville Police previously said that they’d been called to an apartment block in the South Carolina city on Sunday night, after an “acquaintance” of the Golden Globe nominee contacted emergency services.

“Upon arrival, medical assistance was administered; however, the individual, later identified as Hayden Panettiere, was pronounced deceased at the scene,” a spokesperson explained.

The statement continued: “The case is under investigation by the Greenville Police Department in conjunction with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.”

Hayden began her acting career at the age of five, appearing in numerous US daytime soaps before landing recurring roles in shows like Malcolm In The Middle and Ally McBeal, as well as voice work in Disney’s A Bug’s Life and Dinosaur, and the Kingdom Hearts video game series.

She was twice nominated for a Golden Globe for her supporting performance in the musical drama Nashville, in which she played aspiring singer Juliette Barnes.

Following the news of Hayden’s death, many of her famous friends and former colleagues have been paying their respects on social media, including Oscar winner Viola Davis, who remembered her as an “amazing talent”.

Gillian Anderson has opened up further about the controversy surrounding the source material her film The Salt Path.

In 2024, Anderson starred alongside The White Lotus’ Jason Isaacs in a big-screen adaptation of Raynor Winn’s book of the same name.

However, last year, Winn’s book – which was marketed as a memoir upon its release in 2018 – came under scrutiny after The Observer published a lengthy piece casting doubt on the legitimacy of some of the claims outlined within it.

“It was really disappointing, a huge letdown,” she told The Times of the debacle. “The story came out the week we were signing US distribution and Sony withdrew.”

She admitted: “We had been so surprised by its success: ‘What, really, this film about two old people going on a walk?’. It felt like such a betrayal because we’d spent time with [the Winns].”

Noting that she hasn’t heard from Winn since the Observer’s piece was published, Anderson added: “I was interested in the due diligence – like, how has it come to this? What degree of proof was there?

“They had told us that they couldn’t talk about [a previous] legal case because it was ongoing. Anyway. It was unfortunate.”

Last week, Anderson broke her silence on the controversy, telling Radio Times: “I think we were about to sign with Sony Classics [to distribute The Salt Path] for the United States the week when the article came out, so it sucked, and continues to suck.”

Around the same time, Isaacs also spoke about the thorny matter for the first time, insisting that he and Anderson had made a “beautiful film” and that “much of it is still completely valid”.

In Winn’s first book, she claimed that she and her husband Moth had walked the 600-mile length of the South West Coast Path after being made homeless.

She also wrote about Moth’s struggles with the neurodegenerative disease corticobasal degeneration (CBD), with which which he was diagnosed shortly before the couple lost their home.

The Observer’s original 2025 article raised questions about a number of parts in The Salt Path, including exactly what led to the couple being made homeless, and specific parts of Moth’s illness.

At the time, the writer’s legal team provided a statement to the outlet, which read: “The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. This is the true story of our journey.”

The Telegraph also published a longer version of this statement, which added: “[The] Observer article is highly misleading. We are taking legal advice and won’t be making any further comment at this time.”

Natalie Harp has managed to escape much public scrutiny even as she stands, day after day, in the shadow of one of the most heavily scrutinised individuals on Planet Earth, US President Donald Trump.

Harp, one of Trump’s very closest aides, was the target of a pointed barb from Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) on Sunday, when the senator told a large crowd that Trump “doesn’t want to do the job” of president, as evidenced by his golf habits, the mess he’s made in Iran and his continuing habit of appearing to fall asleep in meetings.

“He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenceless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar,” Ossoff said.

Just days earlier, a series of bombshell reports revealed that the US Secret Service had spirited the 80-year-old president away from a conference in Turkey aboard a secret aircraft, leaving top Cabinet members and the entire White House press corps to ride home on the craft usually designated Air Force One because that plane was at risk of being shot down by Iran.

Who was reportedly brought inside this international caper? Just three aides — including Harp. Not even Secretary of State Marco Rubio, seen as a potential successor to the MAGA movement, was with the president.

In short: a California-born, homeschooled Christian ex-TV host who adores — adores — Donald Trump.

She is young, in her mid-30s. The Daily Beast reported that she celebrated her 35th birthday on Aug. 8, although HuffPost was unable to immediately confirm that.

Her path to Trump’s inner circle included stops at Fox News, the 2020 Republican National Convention and the One America News Network before ascending to the White House, where she follows Trump around minding his Truth Social account and printing out glowing articles about him for him to read.

She is, in essence, a one-woman presidential cheerleading squad.

In 2019, Harp appeared on Fox News to praise Trump for supporting the Right to Try Act, which she said had allowed her to try experimental medical treatments for bone cancer. The following year, she stood at a podium on an empty pandemic-era stage to say to Trump: “I wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for you.” (Experts consulted by The Washington Post doubt that is true.)

Harp then spent a couple years hosting an OANN show with her name on it before she joined Trump’s campaign in 2022, according to political columnist Michael Wolff, who wrote in his 2025 book All Or Nothing that Harp was eventually considered “a potential danger to herself as well as to the president” due to the security risk she presented. No one, however, apparently wanted to be the one to have that uncomfortable conversation with him, as Trump has always prized loyalty in his staff.

Harp once wrote Trump a “series of devotional letters,” The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan revealed in a 2024 report.

“You are all that matters to me,” she reportedly wrote in one letter to her boss. In another, “I want to bring you joy.” One missive thanked Trump for being her “Guardian and Protector in this Life.”

The letters apparently alarmed even Susie Wiles, now Trump’s ever-composed chief of staff, Haberman and Swan noted in Regime Change: Inside The Imperial Presidency Of Donald Trump.

(Wolff addressed speculation that Harp’s relationship with Trump, a notorious cheat, may have gone beyond just work, but he concluded that the president was “post-sex,” having replaced it with politics. Which may be worse.)

The New York Times duo gave Harp a small supporting role in their book, describing her as a frequent presence in the Oval Office, on hand to “gush with delight” at whatever Trump’s latest gilded addition to the historic office walls turned out to be.

The portable printer Harp carries has inspired some in Trump’s orbit to refer to her as the “Human Printer” — although Maggie Haberman says she is more like a human comfort blanket, or Trump’s “binkie.”

At another point in Regime Change, Harp is showered with praise after Trump directs her to get “the real numbers” on tariffs imposed by India and China on the United States, as he did not trust the ones being provided to him by his own commerce secretary.

As Haberman and Swan wrote:

“Natalie, give me the real numbers. Do your Google, do your computer thing, and get me the real numbers.” … Trump had taken to telling his staff that Natalie (or “Nathalie,” as he would call her, using a French pronunciation) was the only one who loved him as much as his wife and kids. “All of you will go off and make money,” he would say. “She’ll never leave me.” … Harp, despite her best efforts, was not finding the numbers that didn’t exist.

A quick search through newswire image databases shows Harp hovering in the background of Trump’s second presidency — exiting Air Force One, smiling alongside Trump’s children, standing at attention in the Oval Office. During the last campaign, when Trump was being tried for fraud in New York City, Harp was there.

Earlier this month, she reportedly spent her birthday with him at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf course.

Her brother has called her relationship with Trump “very unhealthy.”

“She’s just like his fan club,” Preston Harp, 38, told the Daily Mail earlier this summer. The older Harp said he has been estranged from his sister and his mother, Jill Harp, after the 2020 death of Robert Harp, the siblings’ father, who, like Trump, was a real estate businessman.

The siblings were homeschooled together in their childhood, Preston Harp said.

“The focus for my mom’s kind of Christianity just really seemed about preaching about hellfire,” Harp told the Mail, adding: “Natalie just kind of followed my mom.”

Ossoff’s focus on Harp appears to have hit a nerve at the White House.

Communications director Steven Cheung lobbed a crude nickname Ossoff’s way in a social media post on Monday.

“Jon Jackoff has to be the biggest cuck loser in politics,” he wrote. “Instead of denigrating hard working people serving their country, Jon should look deep into his soul and ask himself why he’s a miserable person who hates this country. It’s because he’s a radical, extremist Dumocrat.”

Trump himself demurred when asked about Ossoff’s remarks.

“You mean Pee-wee Herman? Pee-wee Herman look-a-like?” he said of the senator, going on to pat himself on the back for his White House renovation work.

President Donald Trump lashed out CNN’s Kristen Holmes on Monday after she attempted to ask about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and whether Trump canceled a joint US-South Korea military exercise at his request.

“Did [Kim Jong Un] ask you to scale back on those?” she asked.

Instead of answering the question, Trump pointed a finger at her: “Quiet! Quiet! Quiet! Quiet!”

“You’re very disrespectful in front of this young man,” Trump said, turning to a boy who was seated on the couch for an unrelated Oval Office meet-and-greet. “Don’t you find her disrespectful?” he asked the boy, laughing to himself.

Trump then asked what outlet Holmes was with and fell back on his old standby of yelling “fake news” after learning the answer was CNN.

“I just want to follow up on the South Korea question,” she persisted.

“FAKE NEWS,” he yelled back. “YOU’RE FAKE NEWS. You’re loud. You’re a loud, boisterous person; you’re fake news.”

Undeterred, Holmes asked again: “I’m trying to find out if you have been talking to Kim Jong Un and if he asked you…”

Trump again cut her off: “Be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet. You’re a fake reporter. And you report fake news.”

Following the president’s Oval Office outburst, a social media account associated with the White House doubled down on attacking Holmes hours later. It called her a “disgraceful, humiliating embarrassment to her alleged profession.”

Avoiding the question of North Korea entirely, the account seemingly blamed Holmes for an earlier “cheap shot” question about Trump’s close relationship with aide Natalie Harp, which Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) had publicly questioned over the weekend.

(In the meantime, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded to Ossoff’s criticism by calling him a “cuck loser.”)

Holmes was attacked a third time in a follow-up White House post:

“Someday, your children will come across your disgusting and inhumane question,” read the post. “They will be sickened and embarrassed to have a parent be so callous and vindictive. It’s quite troubling.”

CNN responded to the attacks by affirming its support for Holmes in a public statement:

Kristen Holmes is one of the most respected and accomplished journalists covering the White House. This afternoon, she did her job and asked the President of the United States a tough, relevant, and newsworthy question on behalf of the American people. Public officials are free to challenge reporting they disagree with, but personal attacks on journalists for asking questions are beneath the office and inconsistent with the principles of a free press. We stand firmly behind Kristen and reject these attacks in the strongest possible terms.

Around one in 30 people are thought to be hypermobile, meaning their joints can bend beyond the typical range of movement.

The Hypermobility Syndromes Assocation notes that the issue is more common in women and children, and people of Afro-Caribbean and Asian descent.

While there are certainly some benefits to this level of flexibility, people with hypermobility might also experience prolonged periods of fatigue, joint and muscle pain, as well as being prone to sprains, strains and dislocations.

Back pain, in particular, can be troublesome for those with hypermobility, which can impact their quality of life and make everyday activities difficult.

Dr Dani Gordon, founder and medical director for The London Resilience Clinic, told HuffPost UK that back pain is one of the most common types of pain in people who present with clinical symptoms of hypermobility.

It is “almost always” an issue in those who have hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD), she added.

There are a few reasons why this pain can occur – and Dr Gordon noted the type of pain can vary. You might suffer nerve, joint, fascial and/or muscle pain.

“When you are hypermobile, it is more common to have a weaker deep core, which is involved with helping support the back,” explained Dr Gordon.

“At the same time, the postural muscles tend to be locked in place or in spasm, due to needing to constantly contract to keep the hypermobile joints from moving about. This creates reactive muscular pain.”

It can also impact the joints, which are “often more wobbly or lax”. The ligaments around the spine can become impacted, “which can contribute to earlier than average degenerative disc disease, due to wear and tear, over time”, she said.

Sitting down all day, particularly with poor posture, “is one of the most common things that makes back pain worse in hypermobility”, said Dr Gordon. She advises changing positions often and doing one or two minutes of “micromovement exercises” at the beginning of the day and lunchtime, with walking breaks every few hours, to help prevent the issue.

If you’re struggling with back pain, it’s important to seek medical advice – either reach out to your GP or book directly with a physiotherapist who can tailor advice and exercise to your individual needs.

Dr Gordon noted that one of the best ways to help back pain in the long run is through exercises to build muscle and support the spine – from small micromovement exercises to gentle laying and sitting exercises.

According to Jason Parry, a physiotherapist at University College London Hospital and The Hypermobility Unit, Pilates and yoga can also be beneficial for hypermobile individuals, but he warns against overstretching into hyperextended positions. T’ai Chi, wobble board and gym ball activities can also help increase balance and stability.

The NHS advises gentle exercise for people with hypermobility, particularly low-impact activities like swimming or cycling.

It also encourages people with this issue to maintain a healthy weight, wear supportive shoes and opt for special insoles if a podiatrist has recommended them.

If burning or tingling type pain is involved, Dr Gordon urges patients to request an MRI imaging test to see whether there are disc issues at play.

Investing in an ergonomic chair (or requesting one at work) which moves with the pelvis when you tilt up or back might also help relieve strain throughout the day, she added.

Lastly, the NHS advised painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen can also help to ease any joint pain and stiffness, as can warm baths, hot water bottles and heat-rub cream. (If your pain is severe, speak to a pharmacist who may be able to offer something stronger.)

Dr Gordon concluded: “When pain is so bad that it is preventing someone from doing the exercises they need to do to get better, I also use low dose cannabinoid medicines to help with muscle relaxation and central pain.”