I have schizophrenia: Here are 10 things I can’t live without

June 25, 2017, 10:00 pm

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As a person living with schizophrenia for more than a decade, I have developed my own trusted first-aid kit for a frazzled mind.

We’ve all heard the stories about people ditching their meds and becoming a roaring success, but for a third of patients with psychosis, this, unfortunately, isn’t the case.

I have learned the hard way (after an unsuccessful suicide attempt) that I do need my medication to stay well.

Schizophrenia is about more than meds though.

Good relationships with professionals and loved ones, a modicum of exercise and some ‘tummy taming’ knickers all make up my makeshift care plan to stay well.

Perhaps you can relate to some of the things that someone… Read the full story

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National School Sport Week: Why I pretend to love PE so my daughter won’t hate it like I did

June 25, 2017, 10:00 pm

≫ Next: As a man who discovered the Harry Potter books in his 30s – damn, they’re amazing

≪ Previous: I have schizophrenia: Here are 10 things I can’t live without

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This week, June 26-30, is National School Sport Week.

The week is organised by the Youth Sport Trust to encourage kids to get active at school and to enjoy PE.

When I read about the week it got me thinking about how much I hated PE at school and how I really want to avoid my daughter feeling the same.

On PE days at secondary school I would dread it all day.

I’d feel sick and would pray for heavy rain so the playing fields would be too waterlogged. (This often backfired and they’d make us go out and get wet anyway).

Read the full story

As a man who discovered the Harry Potter books in his 30s – damn, they’re amazing

June 25, 2017, 10:00 pm

≫ Next: Every Harry Potter novel ranked from worst to best

≪ Previous: National School Sport Week: Why I pretend to love PE so my daughter won’t hate it like I did

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When it comes to reading, I’ve always been a snob.

As a pretentious teenager I made a point of only reading ‘classics’ or heavy-going non-fiction.

In my callow 20s, books were less a means of self-improvement, more a vehicle to signal my exquisite taste and refinement to fellow commuters.

Not to mention cramming my noggin with flimsy intellectual ammunition, all the better to unload on tipsy student girls at parties.

Read the full story

Every Harry Potter novel ranked from worst to best

June 25, 2017, 10:30 pm

≫ Next: How I’m feeling six months in to taking antidepressants

≪ Previous: As a man who discovered the Harry Potter books in his 30s – damn, they’re amazing

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Holy smokes. Harry Potter is twenty. Twenty!!!

From humble beginnings in an Edinburgh cafe, J.K. Rowling created a colossus. Harry Potter made us laugh, cry, cheer and wail, and inspired a generation of children to love reading.

There have been games, toys, as much merchandise as you can throw a wand at and a highly successful film franchise. But let’s be honest – really, it’s always been about the books.

And seeing as today marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of The Philosopher’s Stone, we’ve gone through every novel in the set (not including spin-offs or other material, for… Read the full story

How I’m feeling six months in to taking antidepressants

June 25, 2017, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: Kid writes a six page report to her parents on why they should adopt a cat

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I never thought I’d be someone who takes antidepressants.

I never imagined myself having alarms on my phone to take pills, chummily chatting with other depressives about side effects, and counting out little foil packs to take on holiday.

A big part of that was my fear around antidepressants – the worry that they’d change who I was, flatten out all my emotions, or wreck my sex drive.

Japanese diver has been visiting his best fish friend for 25 years

Another part of me thought that taking meds was the ‘lesser’ option, a way of dealing with mental illness that wasn’t as good as proper therapy.

But reaching a low point (suicidal thoughts, spending weekends sobbing in bed, having panic attacks in the work toilets, you know the drill) made me throw all of the worries and medication-based stigma out of the window.

I wasn’t bothered about what it meant to be taking… Read the full story

Kid writes a six page report to her parents on why they should adopt a cat

June 26, 2017, 12:04 am

≫ Next: Photographer documents what every day of Ramadan looks like for his family

≪ Previous: How I’m feeling six months in to taking antidepressants

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Every kid has tried to argue their case for a pet.

Some of us asked for ponies to be installed in our back gardens. Others asked for sausage dogs. And some simply wanted a little kitten to play with.

Dolce & Gabbana just got massively played by one of their own models

But parents are notoriously difficult to negotiate with – primarily because they’re obsessed with the question: ‘Who’s going to look after it?’.

For some reason, that seems to kill all debate.

If only we’d been more like 11-year-old Romesa from San Antonio, who presented her parents with a six-page dossier into why they should… Read the full story

Photographer documents what every day of Ramadan looks like for his family

June 26, 2017, 12:32 am

≫ Next: Canada looks like it might be about to run out of weed

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Eid ends this evening, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast between 3am and 9pm, abstaining from eating and drinking until the iftar feast.

Woman claims she was kicked out of her own apartment pool for wearing a swimsuit

It’s a time for family and loved ones, with everyone congregating to break their fast together.

This year, photographer Elham Ehsas has been documenting what each day of Ramadan looks like for his family.

Each photo that he’s been posting to Instagram has ended with the following sign off: ‘The Islamic holy month of Ramadhan has started. For one… Read the full story

Canada looks like it might be about to run out of weed

June 26, 2017, 12:55 am

≫ Next: Endometriosis is much more than just ‘bad period pains’

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Canada is a model nation in so many ways.

It’s beautiful. Liberal. It has Justin Trudeau.

Kid writes a six page report to her parents on why they should adopt a cat

And in line with its forward-thinking ways, it’s about to become the first major economy to legalise the recreational use of cannabis next year.

But Canadians are already hitting the blunt so hard that the country might well be in for a weed shortage.

There are worries that plans to create a legal market are going to put added pressure on an already struggling market.

Read the full story

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Endometriosis is much more than just ‘bad period pains’

June 26, 2017, 1:05 am

≫ Next: Hospital holds graduation ceremonies for premature babies leaving intensive care

≪ Previous: Canada looks like it might be about to run out of weed

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I was first diagnosed with endometriosis back in 2012, after I’d already had two surgeries and had been living in agony for over a year.

How I'm feeling six months in to taking antidepressants

My symptoms first started in August 2011. I collapsed at home in a great deal of pain and was taken by ambulance to hospital.

After five days I was released with some pain medication. Two days later I returned and was rushed to the operating theatre under the care of a general surgeon – no, not a gynaecology specialist, a general surgeon.

I was told there was… Read the full story

Hospital holds graduation ceremonies for premature babies leaving intensive care

June 26, 2017, 1:47 am

≫ Next: Yes, we’re grown up and no, we won’t let go of our Harry Potter obsession

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We might be coming up to degree graduation season here but over in North Carolina, they’re already in full swing.

Neonatal nurse Melissa Jordan and her colleagues at the CaroMont Regional Medical Centre are holding graduation ceremonies for premature babies.

Pret salads might actually have more calories and fat than baguettes

They hold the mini ceremonies for babies who were born at six weeks or more premature.

Once the babies are ready to leave the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), they get their own personalised graduation cap and photo.

‘The programme was started as a way to celebrate this milestone in the babies’ lives,’… Read the full story

Yes, we’re grown up and no, we won’t let go of our Harry Potter obsession

June 26, 2017, 2:10 am

≫ Next: Teen says she was slut-shamed for wearing a long t-shirt and shorts in 40°C

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If, as an adult woman, who has reached the grand old age of 26, I was still obsessed with Barbies I would be considered a bit strange. 

A fondness for Thomas the Tank Engine would also be seen as a bit out of left field.

How I'm feeling six months in to taking antidepressants

But an enduring love for Harry Potter? That’s pretty common.

My love for Harry Potter is hard to explain. I have seen every single film a dozen times. I’ve re-read the books until they’ve fallen apart. I have a Deathly Hallows tattoo on my left ankle (yes, really).

I feel, like… Read the full story

Teen says she was slut-shamed for wearing a long t-shirt and shorts in 40°C

June 26, 2017, 2:23 am

≫ Next: 20 Harry Potter quotes to live your life by

≪ Previous: Yes, we’re grown up and no, we won’t let go of our Harry Potter obsession

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Yesterday we brought you news that a woman was rejected from her apartment building’s communal pool for wearing a one-piece swimming suit.

Why? Because it was thought that her curvaceous body might prove too much of a temptation for the randy boys hanging around the complex.

People are using toilet seat covers as skin-blotting sheets

The takeaway surely was that women should just cover up if they don’t want to be assaulted.

But even that’s not right.

Because 19-year-old Madison Herber says that she was getting a drink at a petrol station in 40°C when a stranger started yelling… Read the full story

20 Harry Potter quotes to live your life by

June 26, 2017, 2:31 am

≫ Next: Does sun cream have an expiry date?

≪ Previous: Teen says she was slut-shamed for wearing a long t-shirt and shorts in 40°C

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Harry Potter. To some it’s a book series. To others, it’s a whole lifestyle.

Whatever your level of interest / enthusiasm / obsession with the tale of The Boy Who Lived, chances are you’ve encountered him in at least one form, along with his faithful friends and sneering, often surprising enemies.

But the great thing about J. K. Rowling’s epic series is the manner in which she weaves in priceless nuggets of wisdom – many from Albus Dumbledore, who almost outrivals Plato in the sage advice department – amidst all the wand waving and monster battling.

And to help celebrate Harry reaching the ripe old age of 20 (that’s the books; he’s actually… Read the full story

Does sun cream have an expiry date?

June 26, 2017, 2:32 am

≫ Next: Looking at cute animals could give your relationship its mojo back

≪ Previous: 20 Harry Potter quotes to live your life by

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Why is it that those last-minute pre-holiday Boots shops always ends up costing almost as much as the holiday itself?

Pret salads might actually have more calories and fat than baguettes

Forgetting body scrubs, hair masques and after-sun for a sec, the bulk of the expense is usually sun cream.

I always take a specialist SPF 50 non-comedogenic lotion for my face, a moisturising SPF for beach time and a super water resistant kids sunscreen to protect me when I’m living my best life as a water baby.

This stuff gets expensive,… Read the full story

Looking at cute animals could give your relationship its mojo back

June 26, 2017, 2:50 am

≫ Next: This sand repelling, waterproof pop-up beach towel might be the best yet

≪ Previous: Does sun cream have an expiry date?

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Does looking at your partner not produce that flutter that it used to?

How I'm feeling six months in to taking antidepressants

Ever consider that – or perhaps you thought it all along – baby animals really are better than people?

According to a new study published in Psychological Science, cute animals could hold the key to making your relationship wonderful again.

Researchers from Florida State University have discovered that when people view happy stimulus – such as pictures of bunnies and puppies – alongside photos of their long-term partner, they see… Read the full story

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This sand repelling, waterproof pop-up beach towel might be the best yet

June 26, 2017, 3:12 am

≫ Next: Fitness blogger doesn’t care if she’s got a bit of extra belly fat

≪ Previous: Looking at cute animals could give your relationship its mojo back

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Fitness blogger doesn’t care if she’s got a bit of extra belly fat

June 26, 2017, 3:52 am

≫ Next: The Last Six Weeks: What if being married changes everything?

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Belly fat is the hardest thing to lose.

You can run till you’re blue in the face but that stomach pudge barely budges.

Fitness blogger doesn't care if she's got a bit of extra belly fat

It’s normal to have a little padding but the desire to get rid of belly fat can become all-consuming if you let it.

Which is why one body positive blogger has been posting about the fact that she’s more than happy to be carrying a little extra belly fat.

Fitness blogger Fenella Scarlett McCall recently posted a series of pictures on Instagram after being fat-shamed about a photo she’d… Read the full story

The Last Six Weeks: What if being married changes everything?

June 26, 2017, 4:21 am

≫ Next: People are using toilet seat covers as skin-blotting sheets

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I’m getting married twice this week. 

I’m a pretty OTT person, so getting married once obviously wouldn’t be enough. We’re having a tiny legal wedding in London tomorrow, and a big white wedding on Saturday.

Cutting my hair short was the day I chose function over femininity

People keep asking me if I’m excited. Which is a bit of a strange question to ask. Obviously, I’m excited. I’m having a massive party and then I’m going on an incredible holiday. What’s not to like?

But as well as being super excited, I’m a little bit sad. Being married means the… Read the full story

People are using toilet seat covers as skin-blotting sheets

June 26, 2017, 4:22 am

≫ Next: Quiz: How much do you love cheese?

≪ Previous: The Last Six Weeks: What if being married changes everything?

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Toilets and your face are never, for the most part, a good combination.

Here are the most bizarre stock images on the net

This rule doesn’t apply to some beauty trailblazers, however, who have found the perfect skincare product in the most unusual of form; a toilet seat cover.

As according to reviewers, it turns out that the wax covers are effective blotters for oily skin.

While toilet seat covers are questionable products when it comes to germs and your butt, reviewers on giant beauty review site MakeupAlley claim that it’s… Read the full story

Quiz: How much do you love cheese?

June 26, 2017, 4:54 am

≫ Next: How Harry Potter taught me to embrace my ‘differences’ and love who I was

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When it comes to cheese, just how obsessed are you?

Here's how being a poor millennial has actually worked in my favour

Everyone is aware of the sheer abundance of cheese, but just how thankful are you for it? Are you one of those actual cheese addicts that cannot go a meal without cheese? Or are you a mild consumer that isn’t all too bothered about the type of cheese you are consuming?

Do you think that a fridge without a cheese board is a sad little thing? Do you get upset if someone asks… Read the full story