And which self are you improving? — Why is there the need to change and manage so much about ourselves? And this is said by a well-being coach. We’re bombarded with tips on stress and anger management and given tools to be less anxious and phobia cures. And let’s not get into which self you’re looking to…

Taking the sting out of a breakup — Breakups are tough. It doesn’t matter if you’re the one that instigated the breakup or your partner made the decision; the cleaving apart of a couple is always hard. When you break up with someone, you feel grief, and if you were the one who wanted the break, you might…

They knocked them down to build them up — I don’t know anyone that doesn’t shop on Amazon Prime, do you? Last year there were an estimated 147 million prime members in the United States. Let’s face it; it’s so convenient to lounge on your sofa to look for something and compare without trawling around shops in the rain…

How we use affirmations against ourselves — I was never impressed with affirmations. I mean, you have to stand in front of a mirror and tell yourself how wonderful you are. But when you do this, your irritating inner narrator laughs in derision and cackles out things like, ‘who are you kidding?’ …

How to avoid getting caught up in title inflation — Years ago, we had dinner ladies serving the slop at school and bouncers on nightclub doors. Now we have school meal supervisors and door operatives or eviction technicians. When you enter a building, you might make your way to what you think is the receptionist but think again. The person…

Why new experiences are a form of self-care — There’s a lot of chat on the internet about self-care. We’re all encouraged to indulge in a little self-care for our mental health. But what does self-care look like? It can look like anything you want it to. For Jell Mell, it looks like doing something new every day. In…

The benefits of letting people make their own decisions — She sat in front of her camera, and I sat in front of mine, and the miles between us disappeared. She knew I held her in a safe space. As Francesca carried on talking, the tears dripped off her chin. ‘I’m so scared. And so worried. And I’m so upset…

Conditional love just doesn’t cut it — Who do you love? I love my daughters with all my heart. I love my partner with all my heart. Isn’t it lucky that the heart is elastic? Most mornings, I wake up and look at my partner, and I think he’s gorgeous. …

Why rush the recovery process? — Here in the UK, it’s flu season. You’d think that we’d never had flu in winter before the way the newspapers report on casualties. And not to upset half of the population, but I’m talking about real flu; I’m not referring to ‘man’ flu but the debilitating virus that knocks…