I was chatting to someone recently over coffee about body image and how we can all get caught up in comparing ourselves to others all the time. And, when we compare ourselves we are either engaging in pride (my body is better than theirs) or fear (their body is better than mine). Neither is healthy, neither is loving.
Continue readingI’ve been realising increasingly that happiness or being ‘sorted’ is not about how my life looks from the outside but how I choose to respond to whatever happens. If I respond in fear or frustration I am likely to make a situation worse (or certainly feel worse about it) but, if I respond from a place of acceptance and calm I will likely retain my sense of balance and I then stand a far better…
Continue readingHello, I read this recently and thought, “YES!”: “As we demonstrate love towards others, we learn that we are lovable and we learn how to love more deeply. However, as we demonstrate fear or negativity, we learn self-condemnation and we learn to feel more frightened of life.”
Continue readingI’m 39 and a mum. I’ve been with my partner for 6 years but am finding it very hard and strange. He always has his phone locked. I can see I have no say over his phone – it’s his and that’s it – but I’ve seen a lot of women he used to chat up on chat rooms and WhatsApp on there and I’ve seen porn on his laptop and phone.
Continue readingI wanted to ask you about a relationship dilemma I have. I have been ‘dating’ someone on and off for over a year. We split up after 6 months because he was going through a difficult time with his son and emotionally withdrew or disappeared. I took this as a sign that he wasn’t interested in a relationship and got on with meeting other people.
Continue readingSo, here we all are at the end of another year and counting the days to Christmas. If, like me, you have young children at home then the excitement will likely be reaching fever pitch especially with all the parties, nativities and mufti days adding to the already heady cocktail of anticipation and exhaustion. There’s no doubt this is a magical and special time of the year but there are many for whom Christmas is difficult…
Continue readingOn Sunday, my seven-year-old daughter, Eva, decided to, “test whether what mummy says about things being dangerous is true or not,” by putting her hand on top of the wood burner. It had been on for an hour and she badly burnt her hand. In hindsight, I could write about how interesting it is to me that my first reaction was anger, “What did you do that for?” followed quickly by fear and compassion for…
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