Friendships and conversations online feel different to interactions in-person, and sometimes spaces such as social media, gaming apps or group messaging can become forums for jokey banter. Exchanging funny photos, comments or voice notes is good fun, but it can be easier to get carried away when you’re not face-to-face with the recipients, so it’s …
A classmate shouts ‘Speak up!’ as you’re presenting your work; a teacher suggests you raise your hand more in lessons, a friend calls you the quiet one of the group. None of this is meant unkindly, but somehow these comments imply there’s something wrong with being quiet. It also hurts. What’s wrong with keeping to …
There are a few questions that adults often ask: ‘What job would you like to do in the future?’, ‘What are you good at?’ and ‘Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?’. Big questions like these can be daunting, especially if you’re not sure of your answers. But confusion and uncertainty about who …
When you catch yourself scrolling, have you ever stopped to wonder what it is that you’re drawn to? Perhaps there are flashing notifications demanding your attention. Bright colours, badges, videos and games, all calling to you in high definition from the palm of your hand. But what would happen if you couldn’t see the pink …
Have you ever tried to kick a habit you know isn’t good for you – only to run out of steam and go back to your same old routine a few days later? So many people begin plans with optimism, only to find sticking to them trickier than they thought. But why are old habits …
This exercise is probably most enjoyable when done lying in the sun-soaked grass of a wildflower meadow, but the great thing about cloud-gazing is that you can do it pretty much anywhere, anytime. The beach, the park and the bus to school provide equal opportunities for mindful contemplation of the sky.
‘Work hard and you’ll succeed’ – sound familiar? At times of high pressure, like exams, it can feel like your family are continually getting on at you and stating the obvious. When they remind you to study instead of playing around online, they’re trying to motivate you, but when does reasonable pressure turn into unreasonable …
Do you keep putting things off until you have to do them at the last minute? Does a task seem overwhelming? Do you have chores that you can’t bring yourself to start? Whether it’s exam revision, tidying your room, cleaning the kitchen or starting your homework, sometimes a job can seem too big to begin. …
Synaesthesia is a phenomenon that causes sensory crossover or merging. It’s not a medical condition and researchers think it may be caused by extra connections between certain regions of the brain. The result is that the stimulation of one sense triggers an experience relating to another. The word comes from the Greek syn, meaning ‘join’, …
When you’re writing stories, do you ever feel like your characters are coming to life on the page? Do they seem like real people, making decisions you weren’t expecting? Or do you prefer to focus on the things that happen and the challenges they face? The majority of stories have characters – be they human, …
