My advice if you’re not over them just yet

How can I advise you on something I am still struggling with? I am the friend people come to for the advice and I don’t mind that, I am good at helping other people. I am full of solutions, the voice of reason, yet when it comes to listening to my own advice I ignore

Learning to date yourself

One thing I have realised since becoming single is how important it is to be able to spend time by yourself, and not just at home in your own bubble but actually take yourself out, eating alone, going to the cinema alone – all the things we do when we’re in a relationship or with

Millennial Male Effort Deficit

“When I was courting…” Oh, that gem. The phrase my mum proudly trumpets to precede a piece of sage dating advice which she has saved for me, her only daughter. A nugget of wisdom she gained along the treacherous path of dating that she unyieldingly navigated until she finally, finally met my father at the

Dear Donna, My best friend’s moodswings are breaking our friendship

Dear Donna,   I’d really appreciate your advice. I’ve been feeling very low lately because my best friend, who I’ve been inseparable from for over two years, has become a very different person. Her personality has changed dramatically and her mood swings are unbearable. She was once a funny, kind, thoughtful person but now I’m

The pain of past flames tying the knot

He’s the boy whose eyes met mine across a frenetic crowd of tipsy dancers gyrating gawkily to Beyonce’s Crazy In Love. He buys me a cocktail to share so our faces can meet as we each take a straw. He comes home with me and doesn’t leave until two pm the next day when I

A letter to the women in my life

To all the wondrous, powerful, inspiring and loving women in my life,   It’s because of you all that I am here now, being who I am, being what I want to be, with all the happiness, strength and pride you taught me to have, as we all continue discovering ourselves.   On International Women’s

Dear Donna, My boyfriend’s future plans don’t include me

Dear Donna, My ex boyfriend and I have been at university together for 3 years and we were in a relationship for 2 and a half of them. He decided he wanted to go to China for a year to teach English. I was a bit heartbroken because of the distance between UK and China

When you feel like you’re not where you should be

I can be sure that you’re not where you thought you would be in life, or where you thought you would be by now. Because I am the same. And I know how hard it is no to not completely discouraged by that realisation. Everywhere you look you’re just reminded of what others are doing

Sometimes Courage Is Forced Upon You

I often write on here about things that people have said to me since my attack and the unintended effect their words have had. One phrase has reoccurred more times than I can count: “You’re so brave”. It was said to me in the immediate weeks after the attack, in the months spent rebuilding myself

How not to be inspired

Inspiration is an odd thing. Just like motivation, it is powerful when it’s there but it is also fragile and fleeting. Whilst I generally believe that we should never rely on inspiration to get us closer to our goals – as habit, strategy and planning will get us much further much faster – it is