We can build up our own self love.

“You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection”. — Buddha, self-love quote

Self-love is the best love

We often hear self-help gurus like Deepak Chopra telling us you cannot truly love someone else until you love yourself.

What if you could work to grow this seemingly intangible, ethereal “self-love”, and that doing so could totally upgrade your life fulfilment, prosperity, the quality of your relationships — and more?

Up until a few years ago, I was unknowingly running on self-love fumes — thinking my internal love and acceptance tank had…

“How do I approach a woman for a date these days?”

I often hear the confusion some men feel around appropriately expressing their romantic interest in a woman. Asking someone out can seem even riskier today— especially if you haven’t checked in from a female perspective.

Here are some personal tips from my heart as a straight woman — for staying on the right side of appropriate. I don’t speak for all of us, but this is my experience after my fair share of dating (from which I’m now in a happy, loving relationship):

1. First, tap into your own intentions

Connect with the feelings that come…

The concept of masculine and feminine energy blew my mind on first learning about it. As a feminine woman who grew up, worked and lived in a predominantly masculine environment (including training at a Big Four accounting firm) observing these dynamics has helped me to live a more authentic, empowered life, understand myself better and wildly improved my relationship dynamics.

What do I mean by “masculine” and “feminine”?

The feminine and masculine are equal but opposite sides, aspects or energies (I’ll use these interchangeably) that we all have, regardless of our gender.

We all show up somewhere on the feminine to masculine spectrum in our relationships. You could…

Here we are, characters in the 2020 sequel none of us wanted, but apparently needed in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic — Lockdown 2. It sometimes can’t help but feel like our lives are being wounded in the same place again, after the first time they were turned upside-down.

With months of disruption to our lives clocked-up already — and the compounded financial anxiety; health-related stress; separation from our friends and family; and generally more limited freedom vs. …

“Headline stress disorder” — it’s a thing. Coined in the Washington Post by psychologist Steven Stosny to describe the collective unease we felt helplessly watching the tumultuous politics of 2016. Fast-forward to 2020, and the news has not felt this anxiety-inducing in my lifetime.

It’s useful, interesting, and even responsible to stay updated on current affairs, but I like to catch the bare minimum from non-sensationalist sources. Beyond that doesn’t make for a happy life — research shows watching the news negatively impacts our mental well-being.

Instead of wallowing in worry, I joined the podcast party (admittedly late) in lockdown…

A guide to coming out of this mentally stronger

With an unprecedented proportion of the world’s population in self-isolation, many of us feel uneasy (to say the least) about the sudden, strange upheaval to regular life as we know it. There is no doubt that, on top of the serious physical respiratory health pandemic, a tsunami of associated mental health issues is rapidly sweeping the globe.

It is totally normal and understandable to flip between a multitude of mental and emotional states during the COVID-19 outbreak. Researchers recorded “fear…depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder” in China during the outbreak…

Tips to prevent loneliness during the pandemic

Healthy relationships are known to be key for our mental well-being.

A well-cited, 80-year study by Harvard researchers found that “our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health,”. Further research shows that people who engage in supportive, positive relationships produce more oxytocin, which can boost our immune systems, allow us to physically heal quicker, and mean we are less likely to experience the negative effects of stress, anxiety, and depression.

In this unprecedented time however, with vast swathes of the world’s population under some form of lockdown or self-isolation, we find…

Social isolation and mental well-being during the coronavirus outbreak

Last night, the dark night air in my hometome of London felt heavy with uncertainty, and tinged with a sense of anxiety. As I walked down Portobello Road, I peered into the windows of local cafes and pubs — usually bustling with cheery faces. In scenes that I’m sure are being repeated around the world, just a few people sat alone or in small groups, alongside establishment owners who appeared understandably uneasy about what might lie ahead for their busniesses. …