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On a clear day you can see forever...My boyfriend likes ‘skinny’ and ‘teen’ porn – it is destroying my confidence
My reaction is as if he had been cheating. I can’t sleep at night. I can become skinny, but I can’t become a teenI recently used my boyfriend’s phone and a porn video was open. His 45 searches were limited to “teen” and “skinny”, and my confidence came crashing down....
Pillowy bellies and engorged breasts: Mothercare’s ad and the pleasure of post-birth bodies
The company’s new campaign features realistic, joyful images of women. Does this mark the fightback against the casual body-shaming of mothers?Coming in at No 6 on the list of “Shocking things about having a baby that no *$&*%er ever told you beforehand” (after...
Fitness tips: three of the best moves to try with a TRX
Master these to improve core strength, balance and posture, says the founder of London’s Body Machine fitness studioAdjust TRX straps to hang with handles at knee height, foot cradles at mid-calf. Get on all fours, placing both feet in straps, keeping hands and knees...
A lifetime of sleep, from birth to menopause and beyond
Babies wake at any hour, teenagers refuse to get out of bed, older adults find a good night’s rest harder to achieve. Why do our sleep patterns shift with age?Between dozing off and the alarm shrieking, our bodies and brains undergo quite a few changes. Sleep...
Sleep fact and fiction: does counting sheep work?
Is an hour’s sleep before midnight as good as two after? Can a lie-in at the weekend make up for late nights during the week? We separate the fact from the fictionA siesta is not the same thing as a power nap. Siestas are a cultural norm in certain places...
Me and my vulva: 100 women reveal all
First it was breasts, then penises – now photographer Laura Dodsworth has taken portraits of 100 vulvas. She tells Liv Little why. Below: eight women’s storiesWarning: adult contentTowards the end of last year, I published an essay about my vulva – in a book, and then...
Heart racing, palms sweaty – what does stress do to the body?
Extreme stress is linked to heart disease, diabetes and depression. But small doses are crucial for developing resilienceYour boss ominously requests an urgent meeting, your taxi is inching towards the airport with minutes to spare before your flight, or your football...
I can no longer reach orgasm. Is it because of antidepressants?
My new partner is loving and caring. But sex often brings back memories of a previous, sexually abusive relationshipI was previously in a sexually abusive relationship. Now I am with a loving and caring partner, but we are having issues with our sex life. I can no...
Early risers 'less likely to develop mental health problems'
Research says ‘night owls’ may be at greater risk due to having to fight natural body clockPeople who are naturally early risers are less likely to develop mental health problems than “night owls”, according to scientists.A large-scale genetics study found being...
There's nothing like the full-body slam-dunk of cold-water swimming | Hannah Jane Parkinson
It’s the sensation of a sedentary life cracking wide openI wouldn’t say it was extremely comforting when, seconds before my first attempt at cold-water swimming at my local pond, as I hovered near the steps, my skin chill against the air, the jovial lifeguard started...
Moving the body, boosting the mind: running your way to better mental health
As little as 10 minutes of regular exercise can help alleviate depression. But even professionals don’t always make the link between mental and physical health. One convert explains how it helped herI once lived a life almost ruled by anxiety, intrusive thoughts and...
I have been having sexual dreams about my father and my brothers
They are so vivid that they seem almost real, and I desperately want them to stopLet me just get right into it. I have had a couple of recurring dreams about my father, and even one with my brothers. They are sex-related, and in them no one seems to mind. I wake up...
Seven ways to help someone through a panic attack
More than 13% of people are susceptible to panic attacks, which can be very intense and distressing. So what are the symptoms and how best can you respond?According to the Mental Health Foundation (MHF), 13.2% of people have experienced a panic attack. If you know...
Why it pays to cut yourself some slack | Oliver Burkeman
If you don’t have enough of something – money, say, or time – fixating on it could make the problem worseWhen you next find yourself waiting in a horrendously long queue, you could kill time by contemplating this surprising finding from “queueing theory”, a sub-branch...
Seven ways to declutter your life and clear your mind
Clear up the ‘floordrobe’, throw away your conference freebies – and dump any clothes you wouldn’t want your ex to see you inImagine the point in the future when you have just died, and your relatives arrive to clean out your house. What will they want and what will...
Want to live longer? Now ask yourself why | Oliver Burkeman
For most of us the main effect of boosting energy or focus is to become a better cog in the corporate machineDave Asprey, who describes himself as the “world’s first professional biohacker”, is best known as the inventor of Bulletproof coffee, which involves putting...
Neat pubic hair? Pregnant women should never be pressured to get a brazilian
Having a baby is the world’s single most courageous feat. So why would a textbook publisher illustrate it with a picture of a woman with trimmed pubic hair?“Make yourself at home,” the midwife said, as I hove into the birthing room like a galleon in full sail....
Dermatillomania: meet the people who can’t stop skin picking
The disorder can be physically and mentally damaging, but it is widely misunderstood – and underreported by embarrassed patientsFor Connor, an overwhelming desire to get to the nearest mirror is one of the first signs. “Usually, I would have already begun picking or...
Fit in my 40s: ‘Heights are a perfectly reasonable fear’ | Zoe Williams
Climbing is frightening. That’s part of the point. Breaking through a fear barrier, physical or mental, gives you a euphoria afterwardsClimbing is frightening. That’s part of the point. Breaking through a fear barrier, physical or mental, brings a euphoria that would...
Fitness tips: how to overcome your workout fears
Overwhelmed by that climbing wall? You can train your mind to conquer your fears and gain everyday confidenceBefore you go to the gym In anticipation of doing something that scares you, visualise the best-case outcome. Spend some time picturing yourself (looking...
Fit in my 40s: boxing on Nintendo Switch – it's like getting fit playing Super Mario | Zoe Williams
See target, punch, listen to pop: what better way to work out without leaving the house?Fitness tips: boxing for beginnersThe human brain is a fascinating thing. So easily distracted, so easily excited. Yes, I have a new home fitness wheeze; a boxing game on a...
Getting into the spirit: how Christmas makes us think of ghosts
Yuletide ghost stories have shaped my life – as well as my understanding of what happens next…Scrooge was famously haunted by three spectral visitors at Christmas time, but the tradition of telling ghost stories at midwinter goes back much further than Dickens. People...
Noel Edmonds' exercise secret: do it in the dark
The I’m a Celebrity star has surprised viewers with his toned torso, but is it really down to the mysterious power of his nocturnal exertions?I didn’t know, when my son and I set off for our dawn run this morning, that we were working out in the spirit of Noel...
Fit in my 40s: ‘My first hot yoga session is a nightmare. Hell’ | Zoe Williams
Everything that looks easy is hard; everything that looks hard is ridiculous. Can I stick it for 30 days?“Don’t push it if you don’t feel well, certainly don’t faint. It’s just not worth it, and it’s annoying for me.” My yoga instructor tells it how it is. Fierce...
Tim Booth: ‘I want to grow old but die suddenly’
The James singer on yoga, meditation and his ‘shadow side’I’m the Woody Allen of health and wellbeing. I’m not a hypochondriac but I did suffer a lot of illness when I was younger. A liver condition I had from the age of 10 hospitalised me when I was 21. I was...
Fit in my 40s: can a running coach make me go faster?
The personal trainer Matt Roberts is so high-end that David Cameron was a client. He’s going to assess my running styleI feel about the word “runner” the way I felt about “mother” when I’d just had a baby – that it was completely fraudulent. You can’t call yourself a...
Wishing you all a Magical Christmas
wishing everybody a magical christmas
Body, Mind, Spirit, and STAMPS!: Double Feature – Case x 2
Hi, everyone! Hope you all are having a fabulous holiday weekend! Today's Featured Stamper over at Splitcoast is Nancy Thomas aka nancyt.....congrats, Nancy!! I chose this wonderful card from her amazing gallery to ...Related Blogs
Celebrating Synergy Between Hindu Spirituality, Sustainable Environment
“The event celebrates the synergy between Hindu spirituality and environmental sustainability through respect for ecology, women and teachers. We wish to inculcate these values in children through this walkathon,” said S Gurumurthy, columnist.Related Blogs
Heart & Soul: Religion vs. spirituality
Many of us in the LGBTQ community grew up being told we were going to a fiery hell. Even if you've never set foot in a church or synagogue, the old traditional belief for many people was that there was only a “straight” path to heaven — no pun intended.Related...