How to reset your motivation

Unless you're some kind of superhuman, I think motivation (or more specifically lack of), is a problem that affects us all from time to time. For me this has been a huge issue in the past, and it seems to become a vicious cycle; your motivation dips, which reduces productivity, which reduces motivation even more, and so on. The longer we let this cycle continue, the harder it becomes to break. Luckily, over my many years of demotivation and self-pity, I've discovered a few strategies that help me break free from the dreaded motivational block. Here are my top 3 strategies for claiming back your motivation:

1. Lists.

This is my number one secret weapon when it comes to regaining my motivation. I think one of the biggest factors that contribute to losing our drive is feeling like everything is too much. For me at least, feeling like I have more to do than I can handle causes me to shut everything out, not wanting to do anything at all. When you feel like something is impossible, your brain starts thinking 'well what's the point', causing you to feel physically and mentally deflated. When I find myself in this situation, the first thing I'll do is write lists - as many as I need, literally just write every single thing down. I find it helps to put everything down on paper because it gets it out of your head, helping you to think more clearly. It's surprising how motivating having a list is; it makes things seem much simpler because once you have it down, you can just work through it one at a time without the added stress of juggling everything in your mind. Don't think about the next thing, just go through it one by one at whatever pace works for you and soon enough, once you realise your productivity is increasing, that motivation will creep back too. I find the feeling of crossing things off to-do lists so motivating. It's up to you how you do your lists - personally I like to make them all fancy and colour-coded, but whatever works best for you.

2. Reset and restart.

This is another really effective strategy I use. Sometimes, the 'I'll start tomorrow' excuse can actually be useful (as long as you're not doing it every day)! A lot of the time running out of motivation is due to burning out and doing too much. This causes stress, which in turn causes the 'head in the sand' sort of attitude that comes with lack of motivation. In this case, I often just say to myself 'chill out, and start a fresh tomorrow'. When you're feeling demotivated, there's sometimes nothing better than having a cuppa and a long bath, reading a book and getting a good nights sleep to change your mind-set and revive your energy. Get relaxed and rested, get up in the morning with a (hopefully) fresh attitude, write yourself some to-do lists and get going.

3. Think of the bigger picture

In other cases, lack of motivation can be caused by the feeling that all your efforts are 'getting you nowhere'. When this happens, I find it helpful to take a breather and a step back, and look at the bigger picture. Working out is a great example of this. Day to day, you don't particularly see results. Personally, this can sometimes leave me feeling a little bit deflated; to put your absolute all into your gym sessions and feel like you're getting nothing from it is really disheartening. At this point, I motivate myself by looking at the big picture. I get my progress pictures up and soon realise that I of course HAVE made progress, it's just a slow process and you don't notice every tiny bit of extra muscle or loss of fat. I think this technique can benefit in so many situations. For example at college you may be in the habit of thinking 'I won't do this exam question, it's only one question, it won't make a difference'. However in the long run, doing one becomes two, and two becomes four, and so on, and you realise that a series of small progressions leads to a much bigger progression. In other words - the bigger picture. Remember that every small action counts and allow that to give meaning to all those stupid little tasks you don't want to do because they feel 'pointless'.

How horror movies can ease anxiety

To even entertain the thought that horror movies can temporarily alleviate anxiety seems ridiculous; it completely defies logic. When you think of films like The Conjuring, Insidious or Sinister, the first things that come to mind are nightmares, lying awake at night and spending half an hour plucking up the courage to go to the toilet. So how could something so fear-inducing actually be calming to anyone?

It seems though, that this might actually be the case. Personally, I've always gained a strange sense of comfort from watching horror movies. I never really thought much of it until a few months ago, when I read somewhere that this is not actually uncommon. From then on I was intrigued, and after bringing up the subject to other people who deal with with anxiety, this theory was confirmed further.

After thinking more deeply about the reasons behind this, I think I may have came up with an explanation; for me at least, I think this makes some sense. For many people, anxiety is a relatively constant thing, although it of course ranges in severity and type. From my own perspective, anxiety seems to be at it's worst when the brain is least occupied. However as any fan will know, good horror films evoke an intense level of focus. I think this focus is key. Although the viewer is scared and anxious, their fear is very specifically related to the movie. Firstly, that fact that our anxiety is pinpointed to one specific 'thing' can be comforting as it (even just for a little while) blocks out the masses of other things to worry about. The anxious mind can be overwhelming, and to be able to pinpoint your thoughts to one specific thing, and be physically unable to think about anything else, can make your mind feel less 'full' and thus in a weird way, more relaxed.

I think the type of fear provided by a scary movie is also significant. Anxiety that comes with daily life feels very real; the whole concept of anxiety is generally the belief that some awful thing actually is, or is going to happen. However, when we are frightened by a film we can usually rationalise it; although we are scared, we are aware that it's not a legitimate fear. It's a type of scary that is much more manageable. I think of it as being similar to the fear we feel in nightmares; even if something terrible is happening, because our brain is somewhat aware it's not a real threat, the fear is much less intense than real-life fear. The combination of your whole attention being forced to focus on the film (most horror movies use suspense, which only makes this focus greater), and the fact that the anxiety caused by the movie is a 'safe' sort of fear, can be a combination that gives a welcome respite to the constantly anxious mind.

Hypnosis: My experience

Anyone who knows me well enough will be aware of my fear of planes; with my biggest phobias being heights and  confined spaces I guess it's understandable. Strangely I haven't always had this fear, however when all my anxiety issues started, it slowly became more and more of a problem. Ultimately, I became so scared of both flying and simply being out of the country that I felt there was no way I could set foot on a plane.

As a family who regularly went on holidays together, it was a huge problem. In the stage where I could still force myself to go, I felt awful the entire time - just incredibly anxious. One of the last holidays I went on was to Tenerife; I really wanted to enjoy it but it was so difficult. I knew that all of the anxiety stemmed from the flying, but it seemed to plague me constantly, even in completely unrelated ways. I was convinced something terrible was going to happen.

After Tenerife I decided I couldn't do it again. I was gutted but knew I couldn't stand to put myself through so much anxiety. It had got to the point where I would dread going on holiday in the weeks and months beforehand, instead of being excited. However, my Mam came home one day and said she had been talking to someone who'd suggested hypnotherapy. As quite an alternative therapy, I'd never really considered it before, but after researching and hearing about all the phobias it has seemingly cured and the smokers who have quit after a 60 minute session, I was intrigued.

I found a hypnotherapist nearby and booked my first session. On the day I didn't know what to expect, but still felt hopeful. Being a huge Derren Brown fan, I really do believe hypnosis can be a powerful tool. The first appointment was just an assessment; deciding what I hoped to get out of the therapy and how that could be done. The second session was the first time I would actually experience hypnosis. As I was led into the office and sat down on a big, comfy chair I was so nervous. The therapist put one of those little clips on my finger (I think they measure heart rate) and said this was so she could tell when I'd gone into hypnosis. Once I'd got comfortable, she put some calm music on in the background and started speaking. Honestly, to start with I was sat there trying not to laugh - it felt so awkward. I really struggled to relax and keep my eyes closed, but eventually I started feeling calmer. 

Fuelled by eccentric stage performers, I think there's a misconception that hypnosis is this really weird, mystical thing - I guess this is why so many people don't believe it's even real. In reality, it's just a very deeply relaxed state of mind, which allows you to delve into your subconscious and 'rewire' things. However scared I was beforehand, it really isn't frightening at all. From what I've heard, everyone experiences hypnosis in a different way. For me I felt completely normal, but just incredibly relaxed. I noticed a slight tingling feeling in my feet and kind of felt as though I was sinking into the chair, but apart from that I didn't feel anything weird at all. I was completely aware of my surroundings and everything that was being said to me. One thing that shocked me, though, is that at the end of the session the hypnotherapist asked me how long I thought I'd been there, to which I answered 10 minutes. In reality, I'd been there for an hour - apparently it's quite common for time to seemingly move a lot faster when under hypnosis.

If I remember rightly, I had two follow up sessions. In one of these I was taught how to carry out self-hypnosis. This was absolutely fascinating and definitely the most valuable thing I got from the experience. This is a technique I still often use today, sometimes to calm myself but usually just because I enjoy it - it's incredibly relaxing and leaves you feeling so refreshed. It's actually really easy to learn, and I've got quite good at it now; I can immediately recognise when it's working as I get that tell-tale tingling in my feet.

If I cut to the chase, ultimately hypnotherapy did not 'cure' my phobia of flying. Afterwards, I did feel very positive and got on a plane to go to Austria. I was absolutely fine on the way there, even relaxed enough to take pictures whilst landing. Unfortunately, on the flight home the anxiety all came flooding back, which was really disappointing. However despite not achieving my original goal,  I'm definitely glad I tried hypnotherapy, even just for the experience and knowledge of self-hypnosis, which has been so useful to me.

Bootea teatox: Results and review

When you think of Bootea, the first thing that comes to mind is glamourous celebrity endorsements and images of smiling, fit young women holding up their tea with a huge smile on their face. But does it really live up to the hype? I decided to find out, and at the end of December ordered myself a 28 day Bootea teatox, ready to use throughout January.

Bootea is one of the many 'teatox' brands, which are essentially supposed to be a natural aid to weight loss, when used in conjunction with a healthy diet. The 28 day teatox consists of 28 morning teabags (one for each day) and 14 bedtime teabags (one for every other night).

The first thing I'm going to mention is the taste, as I think this is something a lot of people worry about before buying the product. Personally, I didn't mind it at all. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't completely my cup of tea (no pun intended), but it wasn't unpleasant. The morning tea is really just a green tea with some added ingredients, which make it taste a bit more 'perfume-y' if that makes sense. The bedtime tea just tastes like normal peppermint tea; this was my least favourite of the two but I think that was just personal taste. My only real complaint would be that there was always little bits of leaves left at the bottom of the cup, which made drinking the last bit quite unpleasant.

I will admit I was apprehensive at the start, as I'd heard a few horror stories - but I'd also heard a lot of people rave about it, so I decided that the potential benefits outweighed the risks. I took my before pictures and got started. Luckily, I didn't experience any terrible side-effects, but I did seem to be getting a lot more stomach cramps - usually at night. I am really prone to stomach aches anyway, but I'm convinced this was a result of the teatox. If I'm honest, at one point (near the 14 day mark) I did consider stopping because of this, so at times it was quite a significant issue. However, I pushed on and decided I would see it though to the end, mainly because I didn't want to waste my money! In myself, I didn't notice a huge difference as I went along - some days I felt energetic and less bloated and then the next it would be the other way round.

Although it had not been a bad experience, I was glad to see the end of the teatox at the beginning of this week; mainly because I was looking forward to having my cup of Yorkshire tea in the morning again! The day after my last cup of bootea, I took my after pictures. It was only then I noticed the difference this month had made, and I was definitely pleasantly surprised! Below is my before and after pictures; the left hand side is before, and the right hand side after. The results I've achieved are from a combination of the teatox, 2 litres of water per day, no alcohol and exercising 4 times a week. I've also improved my diet slightly, using recipes from Joe Wicks' 'Lean in 15: The Shape plan' book for a lot of my meals. Don't get me wrong, I've not been eating amazingly or anything, just made a few healthier choices.

My final verdict would be that I feel neutral about Bootea. Granted, I am really happy with my results, but I'm not entirely convinced the teatox made a huge difference. I think the water and exercise are mainly to thank, however I do think the Bootea has sped up the toning process and I'm definitely glad I gave it a try. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!

Why we should stop waiting for 'the right time'

We've all been there; sat thinking about what we want to achieve, and how amazing it will be when we do it. I'd love to count the number of times I've psyched myself up ready to smash my goals, but when it comes down to it I've just come up with excuse after excuse, essentially ending up achieving nothing.

The biggest excuse (lie) I have told myself over and over again is 'it's not the right time', 'I'll do it once exams are over' or 'I'll do it in the new year'. I doubt I'm the only one who's said this to themselves, for the simple reason that it 'not being the right time' is an incredibly versatile excuse, that can be used whenever we want. Here's the thing though - we always have something we're busy with. We rationalise our putting off of activities by thinking that after something in particular is finished, we'll have a clear schedule and the timing will be perfect. The stars will align, everything will fall into place and we will easily achieve our goals. However, I guarantee this is a plan that will never work, because however much we plan for life, the 'right time' never comes. Really it's just a lie we tell ourselves as a cover-up; simply to make us feel better and to justify why we're not doing what we want to be doing. The simple reality is, we're not doing it because we don't want to. We're not doing it because although the idea seems great, when it comes down to it we realise that the thing we want to achieve is actually not that easy. We say it's not the right time because we are giving up before we've even begun.

Of course, there is a simple solution to this predicament - just do it. That thing that you've been putting off for months or even years because now's not the right time; because you'll do it after exams, or you'll start on Monday. Get up right now, and do it. I think half of the time we put things off so we can keep the idealistic image of how great it will be. In a way, it's a method of protecting ourselves from disappointment. However, everything worth doing takes time, effort and often a hell of a lot of frustration or disappointment. By putting things off I think we're subconsciously trying to protect ourselves from this, whereas in reality it only makes us more frustrated. So next time you're sat there thinking 'I will start the gym next year' or 'I will start revising on Monday', put aside the excuses and ask yourself if there really is any reason you can't do it now.

Standing up and just going for it can be a daunting prospect, but I guarantee the alternative is much scarier. However busy you are, if you have an ambition it's so important to make time for it; you will thank yourself in the future.

Mental illness: My story

Somewhere deep down, I always knew I was a bit different. I wanted to write about this - my story from start to the present day, because I recently realised that despite my few years of mental health campaigning, I've never written a detailed account of where my passion comes from.

Even as a small child, I suspected that I felt things more deeply than most people of my age. It never took a lot to make me cry and looking back, I'm sure my anxiety levels were much higher than they should have been. Once I was actually diagnosed at the age of 16, my mental health issues were put into the bracket of depression, although they have manifested themselves in a range of different forms over the years. It's kind of been a random mashup of depression, SAD, different types of anxiety and phobias. As I've already mentioned, it started out primarily as anxiety. As a small child I remember having anxiety about going to school - there were days up until being about 8 or 9 where the thought of going would be so upsetting to me. I would occasionally have to be physically carried into school. I suppose this to some extent is quite normal for a young child, but I never really grew out of the anxiety; it just transferred itself to different situations. By the age of about 9 I had developed a complete and utter phobia of buses - more specifically of travel sickness. Travel sickness is something I've always suffered with, but in this situation I think it was a vicious cycle. The anxiety made me feel sick hours or even days before I knew I had to get on a bus, so on the day I thought 'I'm already ill so I definitely can't go on the bus or I'll be more ill'. The next time the memory made the fear even stronger. I got myself so worked up that even on short bus journeys I would often end up being sick.

However, it was only when I started secondary school that my issues really began to interfere with my life regularly. At the beginning of year 7 I got really ill - just being sick all the time. I was so scared of being sick at school and so had a lot of time off in my first term there. I would often get into school but end up throwing up and having to go home. It was a complete mystery illness at the time; I lost a lot of weight but when I went to the doctors, they couldn't find anything wrong. Looking back, it's blatantly obvious to me that it was all anxiety. Deep down, I was terrified of going to school, which was making me feel sick. My mind was telling me that the sickness was causing the anxiety, but in reality is was the other way round. It seems crazy that I had no idea, but I know all too well how your mind can play tricks on you, in an effort to protect you from the truth.

From this, my health continued to steadily decline. It's so strange to think that it never occurred to me that I may actually have a mental illness, when looking back it is so clear; I was incredibly sensitive and in tears almost every day for years. This is why I believe mental health education from a young age is vital, and I will always stick by this belief. Whenever I've brought this up before, teachers have shied away from it because it's deemed as too heavy a topic for very young children. However I believe it doesn't have to be scary; there are ways to present mental health education in an age-appropriate manner. I would also argue that a child growing up as I did, convinced that they are just 'pathetic', is vastly more scary.

At the age of 15, things took a real turn for the worst. A variety of factors really triggered something in me, and I just fell into complete despair. I isolated myself every day and barely even spoke to my friends for about a year. At the worst point, I felt completely detached from my body. It was the weirdest feeling and it's probably hard to imagine unless you've felt it yourself. The best way I can describe it is that it was as though I was floating above my body - not living my life, but just observing it. I couldn't feel anything at all. I could see myself walking around, and hear myself talking, but it wasn't me that was doing it. I think it was my mind's way of trying to protect me from feeling so depressed, but it was counterproductive. For me, feeling nothing was so much worse than feeling awful. Expressing what you feel is how you heal, and not being able to feel what you need to is actually indescribably frustrating. I used to try to make myself cry because I needed to get the emotions out, but I just couldn't make myself feel anything. I was so detached from my own life that I can barely remember that year at all - it's completely lost. My one vivid memory is standing in front of the mirror at college one day and physically jumping, because I didn't recognise my own reflection. I eventually plucked up the courage and went to my GP, because by this point I knew what I was experiencing was not at all normal. However, it was completely brushed off and I was told that every teenager feels this way - it was devastating. I actually wanted something to be wrong; if something was actually wrong with me, measures could be taken to make it better, but if what I was experiencing was deemed as normal, I essentially just had to live with it. I knew in my heart something was seriously wrong, but was so defeated I just buried my head in the sand.

When I was 17, I was suddenly hit with an awful anxiety related to my health. I don't want to go into details about this because, of everything, I actually find this the hardest thing to talk about. It was so strong that it actually caused some of the physical things in my body which I was worried about to happen. This is the one experience that cemented my belief that mental and physical health are so closely connected. My health was constantly on my mind. At about the same time I started getting into strange habits of repeating phrases in my head and touching certain objects at certain times because it temporarily eased my anxiety. I knew logically it made no difference to anything, but it felt as though it 'balanced' things in my head somehow. However the immediate sense of comfort these actions gave me never lasted long, and at the worst point I was doing them hundreds of times a day. It was very easy to hide because it was mostly just silently saying words in my head, but it meant my head always felt 'full', it was so frustrating and impossible to concentrate. This is a habit I managed to cut down on massively, although I still to this day repeat a set of phrases in my head every night before I sleep. It's so ingrained in me that I honestly don't know if I will ever be able to stop doing it - but it doesn't really affect my life much anymore, so it doesn't particularly bother me. Like I said, the anxiety I was experiencing also caused physical symptoms, which just fed the anxiety even further, so it turned into a vicious cycle. It was at this point I decided to go to a different GP, armed with everything I had experienced written down in my phone. I was a lot more prepared and made sure I really put across how miserable these issues were making my life. This time, I was taken seriously; I was diagnosed with depression and prescribed medication - and was already having counselling at school.

Since then, it's been a constant journey and I can honestly say that not a single day has gone by where I haven't learnt something new about myself. I've tried tons of different treatments; medications, counselling, CBT and hypnotherapy to name a few. I've had so many issues with side effects of medications (one of which almost ruined my A-Levels). I've lost count of the number of times I have fought to get myself better and then completely gone back on myself. However, every time it happens, I eventually pick myself up and it strengthens me. I used to get frustrated with myself for letting things slip over and over again, but I've found that a better way of looking at things is from a 'what will be, will be' stance. Taking every day one at a time and trying to stay focused on being well, but not torturing myself if I go downhill again. At the end of the day, falling down and making mistakes are a vital part of the process of learning how to heal. I think mental health issues are often seen as something that somebody gets, recovers from and then it's left behind and forgotten about. From my point of view, I don't believe in that; I think it takes constant work. I don't think there will ever be a day in my life where I don't have to consciously decide to keep working on my health. I think recovery from mental illness is not a destination to be reached, but a constant state of making the right choices for yourself, and of knowing what to do if things do start to decline again. Nowadays I don't really put myself in a bracket of 'this is what I have' and 'these are the clinical symptoms I have', because it's never been that black and white for me. I simply have come to the conclusion that I feel the same feelings as everyone else, it's just that whatever emotion I feel, it's to the extreme. I am either happy as hell or everything is terrible, and every situation that provokes an emotion, that emotion is without fail, so intense. Part of me hates this, but another part of me thinks what a beautiful thing it is to be able to feel everything so deeply. The year where I felt nothing at all makes me - in a strange way - grateful for my excess of emotion now.

At this point in my life, in a strange sort of way, I feel grateful for everything that has happened. It has made me incredibly self-aware, determined and ambitious in a way that I don't think I ever would have been, had I not experienced all of this. Weirdly, it's sculpted me into a much more positive person; I think when you have seen such catastrophic lows, it makes you more grateful for everything that is good in life. Although never in quite as much detail as this, I have told this story so many times now. Each time I feel more comfortable revealing more and more, because as I continually grow I become more at peace with my past. I worry that speaking about this so much makes me look self-absorbed, but I don't tell my story to generate attention for myself. I tell it to generate attention towards mental health. My input is small and although my personal story may not reach many, if it can encourage one other person to be open about their struggles, or to reach out for help if they're struggling right now, then surely it's worth putting it out there. I've always said this, but in a way I feel as though I was dealt this card in life so I could work through it, and then turn it into a positive and help others. I think the sharing of personal stories is one of the most powerful tools in mental health awareness. Sometimes it's hard to put into words how you feel, but the more people who share their experiences, the more likely it is that somebody will read something that strikes a chord with them, and suddenly they will realise they're not alone. If that hope makes me attention-seeking or self-absorbed, then so be it.

Selfie sabotage

Imagine a world without social media. Nothing to scroll through, no way to message your friends instantly, no likes, no comments, no way of knowing what everyone else is doing. How does it feel? Scary? Boring? Or peaceful?

When the rise of social media steadily began back in the mid-noughties, it was probably deemed by most as intriguing, but nonetheless relatively harmless. In the decade following, social media has boomed more than we could have ever imagined. It follows us every second of the day; sat in our back pockets, next to our beds, on every screen we own, ingrained into our minds near constantly. It seems impossible to avoid, and I believe that this once innocent means of connecting the world may be turning ever more insidious.

For people predisposed to anxiety, over-analysis, or low self-esteem I truly believe that social media can be a massive trigger. After years of navigating and learning about my own depression and anxiety, I've realised it can be a huge trigger for me. The vicious cycle it creates can be so damaging; when you're starting to feel vulnerable, it can be enough to push you that extra bit into a full-blown pit of insecurity.

A few years ago, I read an article somewhere about 'selfie addiction', discussing the destructive effects that social media can have, and from first-hand experience, I really do believe it. I think the main issue with social media - particularly Instagram, is that it's so easy to start judging your worth on what other people think of you. Admittedly, there have been so many nights out in my life where I've spent hours getting ready and then, feeling happy with my appearance, decided to take a selfie. It almost always takes me countless numbers of 'tries' to get the 'perfect' picture, and if it doesn't go right, it genuinely has the power to ruin my entire night. Which I know is completely stupid, and it's actually kind of embarrassing to admit, but I bet I'm not the only one. On other occasions, I will take a picture that I actually like, but as soon as it is posted I start judging myself on the number of 'likes'; literally checking my phone throughout the night. This is the second hurdle that has the power to ruin my entire day, which is absolutely absurd.

This need for the approval of others can become a vicious cycle, and one that is hard to let go of. Looking back, I cringe at my own use of social media when I was younger, and in a really bad place mentally. Selfies were a huge issue; I had such wretched self-esteem that I craved the approval of others near constantly. I guess posting selfies and analysing the number of likes was a 'quick fix' when I needed reassurance. Unfortunately, this can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy, driven by a need for love and attention. For starters, the actual process of taking the selfies was awful. There were times when I would spend up to an hour, literally taking hundreds and ending up in tears by the end. Yet it still became an almost addictive behaviour; I would eventually give in and post a selfie that I thought was kind of ok, and wait for likes. While the likes were coming in, it gave me a temporary buzz and feelings of worthiness, but inevitably in the end, whatever I got was never enough. Because of course, deep down, self-worth is driven by what we think of ourselves; if you don't believe you're good enough then nothing anyone else says will really get rid of that thought.  Feeling dissatisfied with the likes I had 'achieved', my self-esteem would drop even further than what it was to start with, and the whole process would start again. It seems strange that people with such low feelings of self-worth may actually be the ones that post more pictures of themselves, but if you think about it in this way, it does kind of make sense.

As I've grown up I have thankfully recognised the behaviour in myself, and really got to the roots of why I was doing it. However when I'm feeling vulnerable, some of those warped logics still come to the surface even now. Over the years I've found that the best way of tackling this is to do a 'social media cleanse'. Literally just log out of everything for a set period of time and live your life. It feels weird to be unconnected, but I promise it's so peaceful. For me, every time I do this, without fail, my feeling of self-worth improve. The longest I've done it for is 3 months and although I felt disconnected with the world, I felt more connected with myself than ever. It was a true turning point for me. It doesn't have to be this extreme though, even a day or two without constant social pressure can clear your mind and leave you feeling so refreshed.

It actually feels really embarrassing to admit to this as being an issue, but I'm certain I won't be the only one. Unfortunately, so many of us are looking for self-worth in the wrong place; turn your gaze inwards and life will become a hell of a lot more peaceful and fulfilling.