Alturus

How to find Hope in a Difficult World

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People.. We're living through some intense times. Between attacks of terror, conflict, terrifying political leaders and police brutality, the world can seem anything but hopeful. I don't know about you, but event after event brings me anger, confusion and a continuous state of wondering how we got to this point. In much need of a little light, a little happy[...]

The Beginning: A word on starting over

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You right now, exhausted and a little shaken, are at the start of an incredible journey. This journey can and will be whatever you make it. Embrace it, start over. Embrace that which comes your way with open arms. Challenge your negative thoughts, when your mind says 'You aren't good enough', or you've 'Never done that before'. Say YES to life. Say yes t[...]

Why You Should Help Yourself Before Helping Others

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In this clip, Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow, and mother, in all their beautiful realness, focus on the question - 'How hard is it being a wife and mother?' The ensuring answer applies not just to mothers, but also to women in the twenty-something stages and more. As women, we are often programmed to throw ourselves into something so hard, that we [...]

How to be Present in a world of Distraction

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If you’re a Londoner then you’ll know that living with Londoners is like living with lions. Commuting on the train is like hunting for a breakfast-kill with a whole pack of competitors, when the only rule of this jungle is ‘always remain silent’. You may cough, page-turn or ‘tut’ loudly at anyone who doesn’t understand the unspoken rule of silence (or can’t [...]

Finding Myself on the Mountain

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It was three miles before I realized my many mistakes. I was sweating through my cotton T-shirt and a breeze was picking up, sending shivers across my body. My overnight pack was too long for my small frame and jammed with items no longer worth their weight on my back. I hadn’t brought my own map so I kept looking ahead, searching for the spot where we’d [...]

The Uniqueness of Grief

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Last year, I gave birth to my son. I held this perfect little person in my arms and felt complete awe at this deeply personal experience. And yet at the same time, all around the world, women were giving birth to their own children, having their own deeply personal experiences. Something inside of me changed. I no longer looked at women as being “generally p[...]

Beauty vs Intelligence - Mutually Exclusive?

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The unwritten rules on what it means to be a woman are ever-evolving, and creating walls between us – between women and women, and women and men. The walls went up quietly at first but they are becoming more intrusive. At the heart of the stirring is this: Which is more important? Beauty or intelligence – and should we be referring to beauty at all. Th[...]

This year, I resolve to be Happy

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Ben Goldacre may have proved that Blue Monday is a myth, but now researchers say we need to worry about the entire first week of the year. They found that Tweets about grotty weather shot up, and everyone felt generally glum. We took down our Christmas trees, packed up the tinsel, and went back to work. We’re poor as church mice after the excesses of pa[...]

5 Reasons "Wild" Will Make You A Badass

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"Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" tells the true story of Cheryl Strayed’s 1,100 mile solo trek from California to Washington State. I finished this book in three days flat, voraciously guzzling page after page. This book is everything a woman should, at some point in her life, experience. Strayed is a legitimate superhero!! Wild has bee[...]

Make Your Twenties Count

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Sure, I’ve been told countless times by wistful relatives: ‘Make the most of your twenties’. But how about making something of your twenties? I suppose you could call me a super-grad; neither a fresh graduate, nor an established working professional. That’s the thing about being a twenty-something, there’s little pressure to get married, have children, choos[...]

Wellbeing