Category Archives: Life & Style

Five Days Missing by Caroline Corcoran

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It takes a brave author to tackle a difficult subject, and a mother leaving her newborn baby is certainly one of those. I was intrigued to find out how the author would make this book work. All I have to say is: wow. Five Days Missing flows perfectly with not a word out of place.Just when you think you know exactly what is happening another layer is peeled away.

The characters are all fascinating and believable. I loved most of them. I raced through this novel and enjoyed every page. It’s a masterclass of a psychological thriller. I am going to have to insist that you read it.
five days missing, caroline Corcoran

Having a baby is all about firsts. The first touch. The first kiss. The first cuddle. They mark a lifetime of firsts – including the first goodbye.

 

When Romilly says goodbye to her new baby daughter, abandoning her at the hospital hours after giving birth, no one can understand why she would leave – and where she has gone.

 

In those first few hours she had been the image of a doting mother and would have done anything to protect her baby.

Something has clearly gone wrong. Could it be that Romilly is suffering from postpartum psychosis, just as her mother did?

 

Or is something even worse at hand? A danger so grave that she would leave her longed-for daughter to escape it…

 

Caroline Corcoran’s first novel, Through The Wall, came out in October 2019. It was a Sunday Times top 20 bestseller and translated into numerous foreign languages. Her second book, The Baby Group, published in September 2020. As well as writing books, Caroline is a freelance lifestyle and popular culture journalist who has written and edited for most of the top magazines, newspapers and websites in the UK.

Out now.

4 Alternative Uses of an Office Chair Cushion You Need to Know

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An office chair cushion is a multipurpose product that is not only used on office chairs but can also serve other purposes. It helps in many other situations in your daily life and you will be impressed with what it can do for you. So don’t hesitate to buy a seat cushion thinking that it is only for only office chairs yet you don’t own one. Following are the unique benefits of an office chair cushion:

 

  1. Wheel Chair Support

 

Do you have an elderly person or a patient in your home who moves in a wheelchair? Well, if yes, the best gift you can give he or she is a seat cushion. Wondering why? This is because sitting for long hours in a wheelchair causes backache as most of them to lack the needed ergonomics to give your back the needed support.

 

So if you put an office chair cushion in the wheelchair, your patient or elderly person gets the needed support for the backbone. He or she won’t experience any pain no matter the duration of his or her stay in the wheelchair.

 

  1. Car Seat Support

 

Your car seat doesn’t provide enough back support and it tends to wear with time, which leads to the loss of its ergonomic benefits. This means you need a seat cushion to give you the needed back support while driving. If you drive long distances, you need a cushion to boost your comfort throughout your journey.

 

It saves you from all the side effects that come along with driving for long hours, such as the back, neck, and leg pain. This is because the pillow positions your body in the right posture throughout your drive.

 

  1. Gaming Chair Support

 

Are you a gaming fan and you spend a lot of time playing? Well, one of the common challenges faced by gamers is backache due to sitting for long hours. It causes discomfort which affects your concentration as you play and this lowers your winning chances.

 

So if you need to have undisturbed gaming experiences, you need to get a seat cushion for your chair. It holds your body in the right position and gives your back the needed support which allows you to enjoy your games as long as you want without any back pain.

 

  1. Aeroplane Seat Support

 

Long flights take several hours and this means you have to sit for a long time, which normally leads to pain in several parts of your body. However, to boost your flight experience no matter its duration, you need to keep a seat pillow handy.

 

The good news is that many of them are portable and you can move with one wherever you go. It gives you all the needed comfort on your flight and your back and neck won’t be strained.

 

Enjoy Office Chair Multipurpose Benefits

 

Boost the efficiency or productivity of your office chair cushion by using it for some of the above purposes or you can buy another for them.

Collaborative post with our brand partner.

Some Common Signs of Bipolar Disorder

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With so many mental health problems plaguing the lives of people these days, it can be difficult to know what to look for in terms of symptoms. Some symptoms are similar across a range of disorders, and with conditions such as bipolar disorder, there are various symptoms that you have to look for. Many of those who suffer from this condition do not realize that they have it, and they do not seek medical intervention or treatment. This can be very risky and can result in a vastly reduced quality of life.

There are all sorts of options that may be considered if you are diagnosed with this disorder, and this includes ketamine bipolar disorder treatment. Of course, before you can receive suitable treatment, you need to first get a diagnosis, and this means seeking advice and support from your healthcare provider. It is also worth familiarizing yourself with some of the common signs of this disorder. We will look at some of the common signs of bipolar disorders in this article.

Some of the Signs to Look For

There are various signs and symptoms to look out for in order to determine whether you or someone you know may be suffering from bipolar disorder. Some of the main ones include:

Episodes of Depression

One of the things you may experience when you have bipolar disorder is episodes of depression, and there are many symptoms that you may experience during these episodes. This includes irritability and sadness, loss of interest in life, lack of energy, feeling worthless, extreme pessimism, feeling delusional, having hallucinations, sleep difficulties, and thoughts of suicide.

Episodes of Mania or Hypomania

The other extreme of bipolar disorder is episodes of mania or even hypomania, and this is where you may experience extreme highs in sharp contrast to the lows your experience during a depressive episode. Some of the symptoms you may experience include speedy talking, agitation, feeling elated, having a lot of energy, feelings of grandeur, illogical thinking, not wanting to sleep or eat, making rash and illogical decisions, and more.

Cycling Episodes

As a sufferer of bipolar disorder, you will experience both highs and lows, although many experience lows more often than highs. Some also find that the episodes of depression and mania cycle rapidly, and this means that you can suddenly go from being extremely low to being extremely high in a very short space of time.

Getting Help and Treatment

The episodes and symptoms that you experience when you have bipolar disorder can make all aspects of your life very difficult to cope with. When you are roller-coasting from extreme lows to extreme highs, everything from maintaining relationships to being able to work can be affected.

This is why it is so important to seek medical advice and support if you feel you may have bipolar, as this means that treatment can then be considered. This can then make a big difference to both the symptoms and your life. 

 

Corner shops and post offices are alive and well – particularly in Carlton Miniott – thank heavens…

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Lockdown has, I believe, made us consider ‘community’ and over the months I have remembered our lives as children just post war, the rationing, the making do, the repayment of the country’s debt, the lack of complaint allowed by our parents. Why? Because we had been born too late to be part of the  generation of kids evacuated from their homes as the skies filled with bombers. We were not delivered by trains to bunk in with strangers in small villages for years, with some schooling if lucky, often half days, as the local children had the morning, the evacuees the afternoon. No online teaching for them. And while they were in rural areas, frequently their mothers were  victims of the bombing. Consequently we post-war kids were aware we were the lucky ones.

I remembered going to the corner shop with mum, holding out our ration cards for sweets. Boiled or liquorice I seem to remember. I remembered my mum chatting to everyone else who was registered at the corner shop, their ration cards at the ready too. Corner shops were a community asset. Corner shops were part of our lives, and then the supermarkets landed.

But… But … In Carlton Miniott a step from Thirsk , there is a corner shop, not admittedly on the corner, but it is a precious wonderful community asset. Carlton Stores and Post Ofice is family owned, there they all are, with a couple of helpers, but it is on Jack I inflict myself most often though they are all glad to see us, all glad to laugh with us, chat with us. In masks still , as the family cannpt afford to become unwell for who would run this priceless asset?

So, come with me, down the path, and into this world of wonders. Dad makes their very own coleslaw. I eat too much, we all do, it is scrumptious, and not a calorie included. Ho hum

.                                                              

You need a birthday card? There, over to the right, just along from the newspapers, and we have loyalty cards for well – cards, ‘There you go,’ Jack says. Stamp goes the -well – stamper. When full, we have a free card. So peruse the great choice carefully. But don’t take up too much room for it is here   we queue for the Post Office part. The queue gives one time to check the padded envelopes, and gather up cellotape from the shelves to your right,  and on the other side; biscuits and  cakes. And there they are – Grandma Wild’s Shortbread biscuits – again calorie free Dick has decided because he eats LOTS.

Bought your stamps, have you, and posted your parcels, had a chat with whoever in the family is behind the perspex shield? So move on with me round the centre aisle. Bread? Yes. Ibuprofen ? Yes.

Here are the fridge cabinets – independent cheese makers?  Oh, yes please, and there is wine for the evening, and in the cool cabinet behind which Jack is waiting are Jones’s deep pies. My friends, deep means deep. Chunky steak, and chunky chicken means chunky.  The best we’ve ever tasted, yes really. so home they come.

         

Then the ham. ‘Just two slices please, Jack.’

Swish goes the slicer. Something to read in the evening? A bookcase to your left as you wait to know  how much to pay. But you give what you want for the books, they are donated for charity. Raffles with proceeds to charity take place near to the hot food cabinet, which is empty  of pies, pasties and so on, once  the blokes in hi-viz jackets and others have popped in. Hot drink too? Here you go. There are knitted toys now Easter is entering people’s consciousness.

Chat chat to Jack, or whoever else is there, then home. On the way a neighbour shares with me that if a regular fails to appear the family make  sure all is well. My daughter came from the south to see us. ‘It looks like the front room of their house, and they treated us like friends come to see them for a chat.’

‘That, my girl,’ I said, ‘Is called a corner shop.’   ‘You must cherish it,’ she said. ‘Oh we do,’ I reassured her.

Carlton Miniott – lucky lucky us. We have a proper corner shop, one with a heart, one that every community should have.

 

Would You Like to Break into a Career in Customer Service?

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People who thrive when working completely alone and in isolation often become frustrated and a little scared if they suddenly have to start dealing with other people. Similarly, those who love to work alongside others and deal with other people find it frustration and boring when they end up stuck on their own.

If you fall into the latter group and you want to get into a job where you can deal with people on a daily basis, a position in customer service could be just right for you. Of course, you need to first gain some experience or find a junior customer service role where you can learn the ropes and work your way up. If this is something that you are keen to do, there are various steps that you can take to break into a career in customer service. We will look at some of these within this article.

Some of the Key Steps to Take

There are a few important steps that you should take if you want to boost the chances of breaking into a career in customer services. Some of the main ones are:

Try to Gain Some Experience

If you have no experience at all in customer service but you know you want to work in this field, it is well worth putting the time and effort into gaining some experience. If you are still in college, you could try to find a company that will allow you to do some work experience in your spare time. Failing this, you could contact charitable organizations to see if they have any voluntary opportunities that involve dealing with customers. If you already have a job, you could even speak to your manager to see if you might be able to shadow members of another team that deal with customers on a regular basis.

Add Your Details to Job Sites

Another thing to do even if you have little or no experience in customer service is to add your name onto the variety of online job sites. Some businesses are looking for junior team members who can be trained on the job, and this could be ideal for you if you do not already have experience. If you do have experience, you can go for one of the more advanced positions that come up. Either way, this will make it easier for you to find and apply for any customer service positions that come up if you feel they might be suitable. Try to explore some job aggregator websites to do that. For instance, there are lots of perfect customer service job offers on Jooble you could send a CV for.

Work on Your Resume

One of the other things that you should do is to work on your resume, as you need to ensure it will make a great impression if you do apply for any customer service jobs. You can create a customer service resume that highlights all of the relevant skills that you do have and also demonstrates your willingness to learn.

These are some of the steps that you should take if you want to break into this type of career.

Collaborative post with our brand partner.

Caroline Corcoran: Five Books That Changed my Life

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Nearly ten years ago, I started keeping a notebook of every book I read. It’s incredibly geeky, totally pointless (turns out no one has ever wanted to know what book I was reading at Christmas 2015) and I don’t care at all because I love it. 

five days missing , Caroline corcoran

I love being able to look back and see what I read when the Big Life Events happened (I literally have zero memory of the first book in there I read after giving birth. No idea what it is. Not even vaguely). It also means I can revisit and see sometimes what I didn’t see at the time: how the books I chose related to what was going on in my life at the time. Still, <changing> your life is a big ask. I believe books are up to the challenge though. Here are five that did it…

Dear Nobody, Bernie Doherty

Context: I was a very dramatic teenager. If I broke up with someone I went out with for two weeks, I listened to Lionel Richie on my walkman and wept. I kept endless diaries where I wrote my pretty mundane teenage existence into what I see now was the prototype of a novel. I was fascinated by – and still am fascinated by – the depiction of human emotion at its edges. Only one thing to do: seek out the true drama in fiction. I loved a book with heartbreak and chaos and teenagers suffering loss and pain and grief. God, I loved all of it. But I loved none of it like I loved Dear Nobody, where teenage Helen writes letters to the baby she is pregnant with. It was award-winning and groundbreaking and I must have read it fifty times, easily.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou

“What do you like reading?” asked my then English teacher. I had moved on from that mega nineties shelf of joy in WH Smith – Judy Blume, The Babysitters Club, Saddle Club, every other club you can imagine etc – but I hadn’t figured out yet where to go next. She was a teacher that stayed with you, that English teacher, because she was the first person I had met (barring my chief book buddy Vic) who loved books like I did. Vic and I nodded in wonder when she passed on a list of recommendations to us for real grown up books (I could recite that list even now; it was a holy grail for me) and over the next few years, I read them all. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings though, was the first and the best. I read it over and over, and I read everything else I could get my hands on by Maya Angelou, this incredible, life-changing woman. She was the first author who showed me what books could do: enunciate thoughts you didn’t know you had, make sense of the world by telling the most vivid truth and teach you about – not to mention transport you to – worlds so far away from your own. More than anything though, Maya Angelou made me fall in love with the unrivalled, crazy beauty of words.

The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood

Somebody pointed out to me recently when I posted about writing this piece that when people speak of books that changed their lives, they usually quote books they read in their teens and early twenties and I think they are right. All but one in this list, I read before I turned 25. I suspect that’s because those years are when we are forming ourselves and books – as well as music and film – help us to do this. They show us who we are, who we want to be and what possibilities there are in the world. I would go on to read so much more Margaret Atwood (and to stare at her like she was a pop star heartthrob when I saw her being interviewed once) but this one got under my skin and kick started something in me. 

Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn

I think this was the first proper psychological thriller I read and the start of me uncovering – unbeknown to me at the time – the genre I would eventually write myself. Unreliable narrators, multiple points of view, twists… I adored the whole, all-encompassing experience and after Gone Girl, I read back-to-back psychological thrillers with barely a break for much else for years. Many were brilliant, but this was the masterclass. I still hold Gone Girl up as that holy grail and the most annoying thing: the book I would have <loved> to have written myself. Grrr.

Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Most of the time, my reading pattern is based on instinct: when I finish a book I know where I need to go next whether that’s a move to something gentler, contemporary, a classic, some short stories, something funny… Every now and again I read a book and all I know is that next I have to read <every single book that author has ever written>. It happened recently with Taylor Jenkins Reid after I read Daisy Jones and the Six, and I did the same with Tana French. But never has it been so mesmerising as it was in the summer of 2014 when I picked up a book I kept hearing about: Americanah. I barely came up for air. I’ve never read a love story like it; I’ve never felt such a strong sense of place, and I spent that summer hovering up everything else she had written. It tracked all the way back to Dear Nobody: I love reading (and writing) about human emotion, and nobody does it like the inimitable Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Five Days Missing is out 17 February (Avon, Harper Collins)

A Wedding in Provence By Katie Fforde reviewed by Kate Hutchinson

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Many, many years ago, I picked up a book in the Barbican Centre bookshop because I liked the painting on the cover and the title: Stately Pursuits. I had never heard of the author, Katie Fforde, but my usual technique of reading a random page led me to buy the book, and then her previous three books, and I think I have read pretty well all of them since.

Back in the last century, light romantic reading (mainly aimed at women), had not become the huge phenomenon of ‘Chick-lit’ it is today, but Katie Fforde has managed the impressive feat of riding the wave and has produced a book a year ever since. From canal boats to auction houses to celebrity chefs, she has explored many settings, always turning them into places where her heroines could find love.

Katie Fforde is now exploring a new time period with her latest two books, moving from modern day back to the 1960’s. Although it meant more research into the period for her, perhaps it is a relief for a romantic novelist not to have to deal with awkward modern inventions like mobile phones. Imagine An Affair to Remember if Deborah Kerr had just been able to What’sApp Cary Grant – ‘I’ve had an accident – meet me at the hospital’ instead of suffering for all those years apart. I enjoyed the simpler feel and felt she used the descriptions of the clothes as a very good way of getting the sense of the period.

Set in late summer 1963, A Wedding In Provence follows the adventures of Alexandra, a young heiress at the mercy of distant relatives, who whilst trying to stay in Paris, accidentally becomes nanny to three children in a chateau in Provence. She arrives to find the housekeeper has departed, a stove she can’t light, and the children are at first hostile (shades of The Sound of Music), but she gradually wins them over. Add in a handsome Count, some wonderful friends to help her out of fixes, a selfish ex-wife and some glorious food (she is really very good at food) and you have a very pleasant novel filled with delightful characters to while away a Sunday afternoon with. Also perfect if you happen to be confined to bed. I would recommend a large pot of tea and some French pastries as well. Warning: you will want croissants after reading this book.

Century   Hardback £14.99 and e-Book

 

My Meno Journey – Panic Atttacks Part 3 by Alex Bannard Wellness and Wellbeing Editor

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One of my favourite daily mindful practices is to go out for a walk, just me & the dog, no phone, just us & nature. I absolutely relish it. It’s my happy place.

I had my first ever panic attack on a dog walk, I literally thought I was dying & didn’t know what on earth was going on. I thought I was having a heart attack. I was terrified. At the time I was cycling 20-30kms a week, doing yoga, I couldn’t have been fitter at 50. So I just couldn’t believe it was a heart attack.

I was beginning to realise that the chaos of the previous year or so wasn’t because I was going mad like I thought, but was more likely caused by the menopause. I thought I had sailed through the menopause because in my head I was Peter Pan. I was in denial. Big time.

So I started investigating my symptoms, talking to professionals, other women & friends & realised it wasn’t just me & I probably wasn’t going mad, it was probably menopause.

I briefly considered going holistic & investing in some flower petals to solve it…but I was so lost  that I realised a few rose petals was just not going to cut it. In the end I resorted to HRT (that is another story).

But I also realised I couldn’t heal & get better in the environment I was living in which had become really toxic & unhealthy, so we moved again (for the 4th time in 3 years). And so began the recovery which has evolved into an amazing journey of self-discovery & spiritual growth. And now I feel better than ever.

But I digress. I was beginning to think what I had experienced on my dog walk had been a panic attack because I’d experienced more & talked to friends. One shared an article about the links between alcohol, caffeine, the menopause & anxiety. I barely drank anymore…one glass & my filter was right off & things were fragile enough. So I ditched the caffeine & had another ah ha moment: I had had a panic attack. And it was fuelled by the menopause.

So using my mindfulness training I started to recognise the physical signs my body was giving me when the anxiety started to rise. I was particularly mindful not to drink coffee to exacerbate it. I would ground myself, connecting my feet into the floor to centre & balance myself physically. Then I would gently challenge my thoughts & remind myself: this is just menopause, it’s not real, this is just anxiety, it’s not real, it’s not real – until I felt calm.

And I only had to do that a couple of times & my panic attacks were over.

And that is the power of a mindfulness practice. All those frustrated meditations at the beginning when I thought I was doing it wrong, and therefore I was failing, I was learning & when I really needed it I had the answers & could solve the problem.

Sadly, the menopause being what it is, the anxiety passed but now my happy place was being sabotaged by suicidal thoughts. I would stand by the farm gate onto the bypass that ran alongside the fields willing myself to step in front of a lorry. I felt a failure & didn’t know another way out.

Thankfully again a logical, mindful voice of reason would remind me: these are not the thoughts of a happy healthy mind, these are the thoughts of an unhappy, unhealthy mind, no need to act on them. I  must not believe everything I think. And I would not only step away from those thoughts in my head & become more of an observer to them but I would also literally step backwards & walk away with those replacement mindful words reverberating in my head.

And again I repeated this process several times & I just stopped doing it or even thinking about it.

And all this was possible because as my practice developed, I learnt more & grew. What’s more, I kept practicing even if I didn’t think I needed to. And as my practice evolved so did a much more profound conscious awareness of how I was feeling, what I was thinking, how I was behaving & being.

I believe thoughts are energy. So it makes sense to me to be more mindful of my thoughts & the quality of them because only I can change the way I am thinking. And in changing the way I am thinking, this changes the things I am doing & how I am being. This has changed my life.

And yes 18 months or so ago I would have said I was at the end  of my tether. But I have learnt so much, healed, transformed and now I feel better than ever. I am grateful for my meno journey for it broke me into a million pieces to allow the light in, to quote another Rumi favourite  & make space for this growth & healing.

And you know it is possible for you to learn how to bring a more mindful approach into your life & to learn how to meditate & how these beautiful practices can literally change your life in the same way they have & continue to change my life.

If you would like to find out more about creating your own self-care practices check out Alex’s FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindfulnessyoga4selfcare

Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexbannard/

Incorporate short yoga sequences & meditations as part of your self-care toolkit with guided practices on Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQlKZJ7MeyYc6lqkv6seISw

For more info check out www.alexbannard.com

Alex is based on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds & has been sharing her love for all things yoga & mindfulness for almost a decade, not just in the UK but also around the world. Having used her training & knowledge to navigate her own menopausal journey & create a life in which she is thriving, Alex is devoted in supporting other’s in this life changing transition.