When you’re working on your mental health, one bad day can make you feel like a failure

April 3, 2017, 12:59 am

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Nearly three months after I finally asked for help with my mental health issues (depression, anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive worries – you know, all the fun stuff), I’ve actually been feeling pretty positive.

The antidepressants seem to be working.

Things feel lighter, easier.

When you're working on your mental health, one bad day can make you feel like a failure

I’m not 100% better, but just opening up, coming out about what I’m going through, and talking about how I’m feeling has made a huge difference to clearing up the dark thoughts and secret sadness, while the pills have bumped me up to a level of happiness that means I’m not coming home from work and crying until 1am.

My mood’s improved. My relationships have become better now I’m not hiding a massive part of what’s going on.

It’s been great, really.

Which is why when my symptoms came back this week, it felt like… Read the full story

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Brits up for having sex on the first date don’t think other people should be

April 3, 2017, 1:10 am

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When you’re on a first date, you pretty much know within the first 10 minutes whether they’re bangable or not.

Sounds crude but it’s true.

Someone's made the blackest black even blacker to be as petty as possible

After the second drink, you’re even more certain whether you want to see them again…and in what state of disarray. But the real question is when.

For those of us brought up on a diet of American teen movies, the notion of holding out in order to avoid looking easy is one that’s difficult to shift. That first sexual encounter is fraught with… Read the full story

Unicorn eggs have arrived to inject glitter into your Easter

April 3, 2017, 2:23 am

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Does the Lindt Gold Milk Chocolate Easter Bunny just not cut it for you any more?

Apparently you can train your body to need less sleep

Are you sat reading this eating unicorn macarons whilst sipping on a unicorn hot chocolate and wondering what unicorn-themed item to consume next?

This Easter, you’re in luck – chocolatiers have now created a unicorn egg.

They’re everything you’d imagine; glittery, multicoloured and – of course – feature a set of super-cute eyelashes.

The eggs aren’t all about looks, either, as they come in either milk or white… Read the full story

Don’t think vegans can run marathons? Think again

April 3, 2017, 2:27 am

≫ Next: It took me almost a decade to get my schizophrenia diagnosed – here’s why it was such a challenge

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I have been following a plant-based diet for about six weeks now.

Veganism not only appeals to the environmentalist in me but it’s also the easiest way of eating healthily (IMO). You can’t help but get your five a day and every plate you eat is brightly coloured.

Giving tampon tax funding an anti-abortion charity is unforgivable

However, many people have expressed alarm at the prospect of me running the London Marathon, fueled solely by plant power.

‘You can’t do endurance sports without a proper protein source,’ is the main claim.

Even when I argue that I eat enough tofu, nuts and… Read the full story

It took me almost a decade to get my schizophrenia diagnosed – here’s why it was such a challenge

April 3, 2017, 3:07 am

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It’s 2002. I’m 23 and going for a routine smear test. I have been having problems, lost my job, but it was during this smear that it really hits home.

As I peer over the nurse’s shoulder I see it in my notes: ‘psychotic’.

14 things not to say to someone with schizophrenia

It feels like my jumper is on fire, like something dangerous is on me. Unstoppable, burning, hazardous.

Just because I’m mental, doesn’t mean I’m not immune to stereotypes myself. I’ve read the tabloids. I immediately think if I have babies I’ll kill them.

I… Read the full story

6 fake tans you need in your life right now

April 3, 2017, 3:14 am

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If, like me, you’re a faux tan addict, Spring will have you twitching.

When you're working on your mental health, one bad day can make you feel like a failure

As soon as the leaves on the trees are green again and you see occasional sunlight, it’s a familiar urge. The urge to slather yourself in what is effectively creosote, smell like a stale tin of biscuits and be tanned comes rushing back.

As far as I’m concerned being tanned means looking healthier, happier and makes me look a lot better without having to set foot in the gym or lay off the white wine.

Sunless… Read the full story

In pictures: Japan’s beautifully-designed manhole covers

April 3, 2017, 3:43 am

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In the UK, they’re hardly the most glamorous thing you’ll walk by today.

But in Japan, manhole covers are so much more than something preventing you falling down your local sewer system, they’re full-blown pieces of art.

Someone's made the blackest black even blacker to be as petty as possible

Dotted throughout the country are hundreds of beautifully-designed manhole covers, often featuring symbols specific to an area or town such as landscapes, plants and animals.

They came about in the 1980s when fresh plans to modernise the sewer systems of communities outside of Japan’s major… Read the full story

Here are the best teas to drink with your favourite biscuits, according to an expert

April 3, 2017, 3:53 am

≫ Next: From sheet masks to peel-off masks, we’ve tested five of the coolest new face masks

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The world has been built on great food pairings.

Wine and cheese. Beer and crisps. Whisky and Haggis.

Brits are up for having sex on the first date but don't think other people should be

But there’s only one edible couple that anyone in Britain actually cares about – and that’s tea and biscuits.

Is tea even tea without a sweet, crunchie offering on the side to dip in it?

Even this humble tradition, however, can be improved with a little consideration for complimentary flavours, says one master blender.

Philippa Thacker, who blends teas at Twinings, says that in order to make your… Read the full story

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From sheet masks to peel-off masks, we’ve tested five of the coolest new face masks

April 3, 2017, 3:53 am

≫ Next: Attention: Ben & Jerry’s are handing out free ice cream tomorrow for Free Cone Day

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The popularity of face masks – sheet masks in particular – is ever increasing and beauty brands are constantly trying to come up with innovative (and often crazy) ideas to make their face masks different from the rest.

PS Beauty Workout Collection: Primark’s budget makeup for the gym put through its paces

There have been lots of new masks hitting the market recently, all promising fantastic skin conditioning and anti-aging results.

I’ve picked out five of the coolest and most interesting new releases and have put them to the test.

From ones that give you a chrome metallic face, to… Read the full story

Attention: Ben & Jerry’s are handing out free ice cream tomorrow for Free Cone Day

April 3, 2017, 4:59 am

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The weekend might have flown by in the blink of an eye, but tomorrow is set to be full of free, creamy deliciousness.

When it’s as gloriously sunny as it is at the moment, free ice cream can make even the worst start to the week better.

When you're working on your mental health, one bad day can make you feel like a failure

So hold onto your desk chair, because tomorrow is Free Cone Day.

That means that Ben & Jerry’s is giving away free scoops at participating Scoop Shops.

And we’re not just talking about grabbing one pot.

Ben & Jerry’s say: ‘You’re… Read the full story

Almost half of British men would like to propose to their partners, but feel they can’t

April 3, 2017, 5:14 am

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Getting close to getting engaged is an incredibly exciting time. 

Someone's made the blackest black even blacker to be as petty as possible

Every time you go on holiday, or for a nice walk, you wonder if it might be it. Every time the person you’re with reaches into their coat, it could be a ring.

But after a while, that waiting can become frustrating. If you’ve decided that you’re going to spend the rest of your life together, you can end up feeling frustrated, and unable to enjoy the waiting period.

Of course,… Read the full story

Apparently you can train your body to need less sleep

April 3, 2017, 5:49 am

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Not getting enough shut-eye can play havoc with your wellbeing.

It can turn even the most placid person into an aggro santos. We’ve all been in ‘Don’t Talk To Me Until I’ve Finished My Coffee mode’ in the office the morning after the night before

Brits are up for having sex on the first date but don't think other people should be

Being perennially shattered is sh*t.

But there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the things you need to do. If you want to have a social life and have a job to get to, you’ve just got to… Read the full story

Are you having a midi-life crisis? How the stress kicks in when you turn 30

April 3, 2017, 6:30 am

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Do you remember your 30^th birthday?

Me neither. The exactitudes of the day were washed away in a tide of booze, dancing, friends, and more booze.

The impact of turning 30, however, is something with which I am still coming to terms.

After the sweetness of 16 and the legal emancipation that comes from turning 18, birthdays in your twenties are relatively arbitrary.

Being twenty-anything is to be youthful. In this decade you are required only to decide what you like, not who you are.

Maybe pick a direction, and you should probably earn some money but don’t worry because you have your whole life ahead of you to… Read the full story

Dads are pissed off with this sexist, out-of-date babygrow

April 3, 2017, 7:26 am

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Bringing up babies might have once been the primary domain of women, but modern dads are much more involved these days.

In fact, head to any Whole Foods and you’ll find plenty of DILFs walking around with their bundles of joy strapped to their chests.

Giving tampon tax funding an anti-abortion charity is unforgivable

It’s no longer funny or relevant to talk about men as being incompetent parents. They know how to change nappies. They know how to blend soft foods. They know various In the Night Garden plot lines.

So it’s not surprising that when one dad posted a picture of a ‘Daddy-proof’ babygrow… Read the full story

Giving tampon tax funding an anti-abortion charity is unforgivable

April 3, 2017, 7:53 am

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Remember tampon tax? 

Brits are up for having sex on the first date but don't think other people should be

In case you somehow managed to miss it, tampon tax was a long-running row which kicked off when it was pointed out that despite men’s grooming products like razors, don’t carry VAT, when tampons do.

After a LOT of pushing, the government came up with an idea. Not, as everyone was hoping, to scrap the tampon tax full stop, but as a compromise, the money raised from it would go to women’s charities.

Basically, they thought it would be a good idea if we… Read the full story

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Someone’s made the blackest black even blacker to be as petty as possible

April 3, 2017, 8:27 am

≫ Next: 25 vegan meat alternatives ranked from worst to best

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True pettiness is an artform.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that nobody does it better than artists – notably Anish Kapoor and Stuart Semple.

Almost half of British men would like to propose to their partners, but feel they can't

You might remember a while ago that they had a feud over paint.

Anish Kapoor owns exclusive rights to use Vantablack – the blackest black substance in the world.

Although it was designed by British company NanoSystem for scientific and military uses, Anish managed to secure the rights to being the only artist in the world with permission to paint with it.

Read the full story

25 vegan meat alternatives ranked from worst to best

April 3, 2017, 9:24 am

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With 2017 officially being the year of the vegan – thank you, Simon Amstell – there are more tasty meat-free products than ever for us to get our lips around.

The definitive ranking of high street vegan lunches

In the true spirit of committed veganism I have taken it upon myself to try out as many vegan-friendly meat alternatives as my fridge freezer could hold and whittle it down to my top 25.

Who doesn’t love a good old list?

25. Quorn vegan fillets

It’s not 2008, Quorn. Up your game… Read the full story

A mac ‘n cheese festival is taking place in the UK this spring

April 3, 2017, 10:02 am

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I consider myself a winner each and every time I tuck into a bowl of macaroni cheese.

Someone's made the blackest black even blacker to be as petty as possible

But at a mac ‘n’ cheese festival being held in Glasgow this year, there can only be one champion.

At Pastaval, several restaurants will compete with one another to make the very best mac ‘n’ cheese in the area.

Cheese-loving ticket holders will get to try each participating restaurant’s take on the glorious dish, marking each attempt on a score card.

And the best mac ‘n’ cheese maker in Shawlands will (besides presumably bathing… Read the full story

This remote island resort makes ‘castaway’ sound attractive rather than terrifying

April 3, 2017, 10:09 am

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We’d usually associate the word ‘castaway’ with losing our minds and befriending a volleyball called Wilson.

Apparently you can train your body to need less sleep

But besides the being-completely-stranded part, being in the middle of the ocean doesn’t sound so bad.

No work, no more neighbours torturing you with Ed Sheeran on a loop – just endless sandy beaches and sea.

Which is why one Vietnamese architecture firm is reclaiming the word by creating a magical castaway island resort.

Only accessible via a two-hour boat trip through the iconic cliffs of Ha Long… Read the full story

This has to be the pinkest house on Airbnb

April 3, 2017, 10:10 am

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Has pink been your favourite colour ever since you were a little girl or boy?

Giving tampon tax funding an anti-abortion charity is unforgivable

Well, it’s time to add something to your bucket list, as what’s quite probably the pinkest house ever decorated is now available to rent.

The mansion for hire on Airbnb (it sleeps up to 30 people) has out-pinked the rest of the internet and universe with its exceptionally bright decor.

Featuring 15 beds, a hot tub and probably tons of pink Dulux, the property based in Tiptree, Essex can be yours and your… Read the full story