I am one of the nine per cent of Britons who think about death at least once a day. According to YouGov Death Study research, 20 per cent of us think about death several times during the week while seven per cent say they think about it less than once a year. Four...
At this time of year, some of us suffer a depressive state that doctors call ‘seasonal affective disorder’ (SAD). I suspect I’m one of them, though I prefer to see my sluggishness and low mood as hibernation. Do I need 'treatment' - or an appreciation of a powerful...
Noticing a smattering of new hair after months of chemo is bringing a little joy... Like many of us, I got through the pandemic without troubling a hairdresser and enjoyed for a while, long, girlish locks. As an older woman, it was great to sport, with some defiance,...
In the space of five months, I have been reduced from being a lively 65-year-old wife, mother, grandmother and small business owner to being bed bound, immobile, needing full-time care and struggling for every breath. While my day-to-day symptoms have eased, I now...
For all those living with cancer or the possibility of its return… I’m awaiting the results of my final annual cancer check-up and I sense myself slipping into my mind’s waiting room, the space between ‘got cancer’ and ‘haven’t got cancer’, my earthly purgatory....
Compassion is essential for the survival of our species. So why are we so reluctant to be compassionate with ourselves? Counsellors often talk about the importance of self-compassion, of being kind to yourself. Many of us struggle on through life encumbered by a...
When have you felt lonely? Standing with leaden feet in a primary school playground while watching the other kids form companionable little friendships. Trying very hard not to look like you care as you fail to be selected for the team. Keeping a low profile so...
Human beings are so awesomely adaptive we can sometimes fail to recognise how experience has shaped us.
Depression is a deeply painful experience so no wonder we want to fix it. But sometimes, maybe it helps to understand why it seems to slow us down and confine our attention to our troubled self.
Our emotions can help us understand and care for ourselves if we care to listen to what they're telling us. There was a time in my life when I tried to deny I had any emotions. To ‘be emotional’ was to be ‘weak’ and to express my feelings, a sign of weakness. As a...