After a short spell of illness which caused me to temporarily lose my appetite, I lost weight which as a result, and seemingly overnight, put an end to the negative abuse I received. Instead, I was greeted with comments like “Wow, don’t you look great?’”. I remember feeling seen and acceptable for the first time. I particularly remember a comment from a friend of my brothers who remarked that I was turning from an ‘ugly duckling into a swan’.
Read MoreTaking a relaxed approach is no longer acceptable in my opinion. If we want a beautiful planet to explore, we’ve got to save it. Which may mean taking fewer flights and planning holidays closer to home. If you aren’t prepared to give up your long-haul lusting then why not try and ensure your journeys are as environmentally friendly as possible; making sure there are no stopovers is one option when travelling huge distances. Websites such as ‘Skyscanner’ do the work for you and highlight the green journeys.
Read MoreTrump is a nasty human being. He is a racist, sexist, greedy, narcissistic, thin-skinned compulsive liar. What I could never understand, no matter what I read on voting patterns and voting incentives, was why anyone would vote for someone so obviously evil.
Read MoreI have now been away from my hometown for two years, almost. You might think that at some point you get used to it, being far away. Well, not exactly. I don’t know about all of you out there, but I need some certainties in my life. Like knowing where to get a decent coffee, or which street is better to avoid when coming home at night, or which cashier is nicer in my local supermarket.
Read MoreTime-skip to teen years and everyone else’s crushes were starting to get a bit more practical. I had had a very generic sex-ed class at school, and I had an idea of how “all of that worked”, and while I still felt entitled to say “ugh gross” when my friends mentioned porn, I started realising not experiencing sexual attraction, especially during a literal storm of hormones, wasn’t that common. I already believed there was something wrong with me because I liked men, but this only seemed to make things more complicated.
Read MoreThe whole world is on pause and yet we are still being told that we need to have a stiff upper lip and not worry. If we do as we are told and stay positive, that it will be okay. However, a lot of the time it isn’t okay, for many of us, the struggle to stay positive becomes the very thing which weighs us down.
Read MoreAlcohol plays an enormous part of many student lives. Freshers’ week is essentially a battleground where, after a couple of niceties enquiring where you’re from, what A-Levels you did and what you were studying, you’re sizing each other up over who can neck the most shots in 30 seconds, or who can down the dreaded dirty pint without puking before getting to the club.
Read MoreThis isn’t all about my dear old Aubrey and his life, the kind of man he was, and how much I and so many others will miss him. I could go on forever with that. It’s really about how moved I was on the day of his funeral… I learnt on that day that we as people adapt with the tenacity of compassion and love, by any means necessary. How we need to connect in order to survive or, more plainly, to cope.
Read MoreAlthough interracial relationships are great and, let’s face it, natural, interracial dating experiences are usually tied inextricably with racism. Interactions with some of my partner’s friends have been interesting to say the least…
Read MoreThis is a strange time where more people than ever are making banana bread and, the big one, getting out in the garden.
Read MoreI remember feeling sick to my stomach, going home straight after the lecture and crawling into bed while I bled through my underwear. It would be another four years before I got my endometriosis diagnosis.
Read MoreWhen I was in school I used to self harm. The last time I did it was at university. It’s something I still think about a lot; not that I tell people that but I do still struggle. I still battle with something that feels like a craving; like wanting a cigarette or a glass of wine at the end of a hard day.
Read MoreHere I want to give you a bit of a flavour for the models these experts use to make their decisions. Perhaps, that’ll show you that we are not entirely flying blind. There is strong scientific backing for the steps we are taking for coronavirus, and hopefully, it will be translated into a good plan (although that’s really the job for the politicians).
Read MoreI asked a doctor friend for her thoughts. She said that smear tests, and all other tests for that matter, are so much part of their daily routine that they are focussing on the task, not looking at our bits. ‘One fanny is much like another fanny,’ she cheerfully reassured me, ‘we are so busy we don’t even think about it.’
Read MoreIt would simply cease to exist if I hadn’t given up dieting and discovered Intuitive Eating, which is a philosophy that pivots on honouring your hunger and eating what you want to. I used to think my hunger was the enemy: a devious scheming bastard whose calling card was an empty Penguin wrapper and a stomach full of guilt.
Read MoreOne hour of allotted time outdoors each day? Ay there’s the rub. When we have shuffled off this mortal coil - that is, out of quarantine - no doubt we’ll think back to how much shuffling we actually got done. The question on everyone’s lips: to be or not to be a pandemic-jogger.
Read MoreI suppose it is to be expected that the older you get the more the dynamics of your friendship group change. People very rarely keep in touch with the friends they had when they were 18 or 19 when they are 30. But nobody tells you what it’s like when you’re only in your mid-20’s and you’re already losing touch with friends who you thought you’d have another few decades with.
Read MoreThere's no such thing as a normal family. Seriously… I'd seen my real mother at various intervals over the years believing her to be my oldest sister. I never knew that her other two children were my half brother and sister - I'd always thought that they were my niece and nephew.
Read MoreThis simple game is a well used tool in many therapist's box of tricks, it’s an invaluable way of seeing the world differently. A shield against the daily grind. It’s the ultimate silver lining, I find it helpful to seek it out. I may not meditate, I can’t get into yoga, but I practice positivity every single day.
Read MoreCelebrity culture. The ultimate ruse. Our most palatable form of capitalism: ultra-rich and beautiful, they make money from our idealistic obsessions, and we are constantly gagging for it.
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