Most people have a love/hate relationship with Christmas. In theory we should love it. As the white lights, garlands and glistening baubles dangle all around us, it’s an opportunity to spend time with family and friends at the end of a long year. But in reality, Christmas often gets lost in the chaos and many of us can't wait for December to be over.

Author and podcast host Mel Robbins is the ultimate self-help guru to millions. She has gone beyond Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret and Tony Robbins motivational books & seminars (presumably no relation)and reached into the minds of the everyday regular person trying to cope with life.

Ever since Davina McCall's first menopause documentary, Sex, Myths and the Menopause, was released in 2021 on Channel 4, women have been more comfortable talking about the menopause, it’s symptoms and HRT therapy. It’s no longer a shameful period that occurs to women. Thanks to Davina, we have become wide open in discussing the menopause, comparing notes and often trying to make light of its often unbearable symptoms.

Dandelions are wild perennial weeds that sprout up in every garden, particularly during the Spring and Summer months. Our brains are conditioned to dislike their rapid growth as well as their strong rooting systems and unattractive leaves they display. On the other hand their vivid yellow flowers add a bright yellow glow even to the most mundane green fields and meadows. And more than just a weed...

Many women (approx. one in three) experience heavier periods during perimenopause, also known as menorrhagia. The requirement to change sanitary products more frequently and double protect becomes a necessity as leaking accidents and unexpected gushes can occur, often at the most inconvenient times.

Did you know that the online word game ‘Wordle’ was created in 2021 by a Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle. He had originally only shared it with family and friends until the New York Times snapped it up in 2022 for an undisclosed seven figure sum. How many of us are thinking why didn’t I think of that?

How many women tirelessly cover the toilet seat when using public toilets? I for one have been practising this ritual with surgical precision for years, meticulously laying each square on the rim to cover any germs from previous bums. But research shows that this thin barrier protection may in fact be a myth and actually increase our chances of picking up germs.

The term "menopause" comes from the Greek words "meno" (month) and "pausis" (end). I think it's the 'end' part some women struggle with along with the discomfort it can bring. Thankfully some good news was announced recently that will make many women feel happy.

Some say that crocheting is the new form of meditation. I admit that I am slightly envious of anyone who has the knack for creating with a hooked needle as I myself have yet to master the art.  However, the rhythmic and repetitive motion of crocheting is said to calm the body and mind almost immediately.

Every time I start to practice yoga, I wonder how I ever stopped. We all know the benefits of yoga for the mind, body and soul. When you push yourself to achieve those difficult-to-reach stretches, it feels like personal empowerment that is both rewarding and self-fulfilling. Yoga practice is your own precious time on the mat where no-one can interrupt or bother you. It is a peaceful space for you to breathe deeply and lose those negative feelings encroaching on your life.

Most of us never forget the wrath of a stinging nettle. Growing wild in almost every patch of grass across the country, many strolls through the fields in our youth inevitably ended up with someone yelping in agony when stung by a hairy nettle as everyone else scrambled to find a neighbouring dock leaf to soothe the pain.  Luckily there was nearly always one nearby.