Why my face is none of your business: Developing the art of human kindness and the importance of a healthy routine.

23 April, 2023

I sometimes wonder why, as human beings, we’re not very good at being kind to each other. Sometimes, we all have the gift of blurting out the wrong thing.

This was the thought that pinged across my mind recently as (yet) another person decided to comment on my facial eczema, which, until very recently, had been, through my own lack of willpower, an issue I had literally faced every day.

“Ooohhh” they said. “That looks sore.”

“Yes” I said. “Unfortunately it’s quite bad at the minute.” (this is your cue to change the topic).

“Yes” they continued. “It looks really bad, doesn’t it.”

“Yes” I said, with a smile. “It is, isn’t it.”

So that was that.

 As anyone with eczema will tell you, firstly, it isn’t a condition which likes you to have fun. Mine doesn’t support low-quality white wine on a night out, for example, though I fear this is also partly to do with age. I recently risked a single “mini bottle” at a leaving do; the next morning my face had a sandpapery texture and a red hue.

Other people who suffer with it will tell you that certain foods make their skin flare up. Sometimes it is stress, or changing skin products. Too much sun does it for others.

Secondly, getting it under control is a continuous process, and you have to be committed. The issue was, I wasn’t, (until I got a very stern warning – of which, more later) - and so the result was like the age-old nursery rhyme: when the skin on my face was good it was very, very good – but when it was bad, it was horrid.

It felt horrid. It looked horrid. But of course, it was on my face, so I couldn’t see it – but everyone else could.

And sometimes, probably out of sympathy, they said something, as the angry red patches glowed at them throughout the day, or in the evening. There’s a strip of skin under my right eye which is especially noticeable, like a smudge which needs wiping away.

Just in case you’re wondering if make-up was on option, in order to smother the glow and stop the sympathetic glances (sometimes accompanied by teeth-sucking) – it was and wasn’t. Yes, I could slather on some foundation – but my skin would pay for it for three days. So, make-up was strictly limited to the occasional night out at the weekend.

You might be thinking (and you’d be right to) “So why aren’t you getting it under control?”

The answer for me is multi-layered.

Firstly, it requires adherence to a routine which takes place mainly in the morning in order to be a success. The mornings, as my husband will attest, are not my strong point. I detest them. I’m okay by 10 am once I’ve got three teas down me, but, in common with most people, I work full time and have a child to get out of the house on time to school, before I get to work. My mind is racing, so is the clock. So, I’m looking for easy time saves on that morning routine.

 After all, one must claw back some minutes if there’s a school dress which needs drying with a hairdryer or a coat to find, because you forgot to take it out of the car boot on Friday, and it’s now Monday. So, if this means (month in month out) I fail to use the globby, awful shower emollient because I’ve forgotten to re-order the prescription and if I don’t use the massive bottle of moisturiser because it’s being used as a handy door stop, so be it. True story, btw, re the door stop. It was marvellous.

I do now, though. Earlier this month, the wake-up call I needed to take my skin a bit more seriously came during an appointment with the Dermatology Department at the Hospital. The specialist did not mince their words. I had been so pre-occupied with worrying about the eczema on my face, I’d forgotten about the rest of me and how it looked. Not great, as it transpired. The backs of my knees, elbows, stomach and back were all enjoying an eczema party. There’s a persistent dry patch on the top of my right hand. I’ve just got used to it. And the party had come to an end.

I am now on a low-level antibiotic for six weeks, twice a day. I am using the gloopy shower gel replacement in its medicinal looking green bottle. I am having cooler showers (God, I love a hot shower). I am faithfully putting on the moisturiser. I take prescription-strength antibiotics. I apply paint-stripper Fucibet cream reliably. Sometimes twice a day. But once a day is better than the “not at all I was achieving” so I try to celebrate this. The catalyst was hearing the skin condition described by the doctor as being “moderate to severe” with a risk of scarring if I carried on the way I was. I was so used to living with it that I’d have described it as “mild.” It didn’t look mild to the doctor, particularly not my face, and she’s the expert.

I left the appointment feeling strangely vulnerable, a bit sorry for myself, and annoyed with myself in equal measure. I was frustrated that it had taken a medical professional to point out that the future of my face was in my hands.

Something had to change. In the spirit of grim determination, I left my prescription for what would turn out to be a carrier bag of goods at the Hospital Pharmacy and went straight to the nearest chemist to buy a bottle of the gloopy shower gel substitute to tide me over while my script was being processed.

So here we are. Two weeks later I am now one packet of antibiotics down and pleased with myself that I have (hopefully) created a new routine which will benefit me long-term. The hardest thing of all for me is accepting that this is not a quick-fix. To see the benefits, I’ll have to put the work in, repeatedly for weeks on end, and possibly for the rest of my life.

 This was something I am used to doing at work, day in day out, but I’m ashamed to say, I have never thought of it in terms of my long-term health. I guess I have never thought of eczema as serious, though at times in meetings, it feels like it is burning through my clothes and I wonder why other people can’t see it. It feels visible.

By seeing a routine as an investment, rather than something else to fit in, it’s making me more positive.

I think the key is not to over-think it. I am reminded of something my (nearly) ten-year-old daughter said to me when I congratulated her on winning a prize in the Eisteddfod earlier this year. She had never taken part before and my heart was in my mouth before she started, followed by tears streaming down my face as she read her poem. Iris, however, had a different perspective.

“It’s not hard, mum” she said, with that enviable clarity and insight children often have. “You just have to get up on the stage and read a poem.”

There you are then. I just have to get up, and do my routine.

If you’re finding it hard to make a particular change stick, maybe this post will be food for thought and will give you a little boost to do the same.

Finally, a note on kindness (having had my skin laughed at)

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is say nothing at all. An absence of words can be kind.

After all, the very thing you’re commenting on could be something someone can’t help. You just don’t know what someone is dealing with. They don’t need our comments to make the bad day they could be having worse.

Unless someone specifically asks you, I find as a general rule of thumb, things they might not want or need your (negative) opinion on include, but are not limited to the below:

Their weight/appearance -  (Example: when I was pregnant, 2 men discussed in front of me “how big I was”- though by the conversation you'd have thought I was invisible)

The number of children someone does or doesn't have (you don’t know the reason why)

Where they live/the car they drive/other lifestyle choices (I have had my car, a third-hand Mercedes estate, which makes me smile every day, described as “a waste of money” by someone on six-figure salary, who had no idea what it meant to me to finally have enough money to buy a "nice" car!) ( we're all different and our salaries are used for different things)

What school their child goes to (you don’t know the reason why someone has chosen that school/has had to choose that school) (It's happened to me)

Their working hours - someone might want to work full-time but only able to manage part-time, or vice versa, they may long to work part-time, but because of their personal situation, may need full-time work currently

What that person is wearing/style choices

Why that person has been off work "for a while" (could be a bereavement/miscarriage)

Any visible or less visible disability or impairment that person has/you have been told they have 

Their eczema

Pouring from the empty cup - when asthma makes you slow down and say no

I don't think it matters how old you get, there's nothing like that feeling of disappointment when you're really, really, looking forward to something and then you can't do it.

Or, in my case, as I get older (and very, slowly wiser)….make the sensible decision NOT to do something for the good of my own health. At the grand old age of 41, I'm finally learning two things:

1. My health is quite important
2. The world isn't going to come to a grinding halt if I say "no" - I mean, look how messed-up Brexit is, and the sun still rises and sets, right?

I'm not very good at saying "no" to things, or letting people down. As a self-confessed people pleaser and peace-keeper (and hoarder of the Bag of Guilt, that famous accessory of many a woman) - sometimes I say yes, when in all honesty, there needs to be a no.

I know this. So why is it so hard to put ourselves first?

Today is a case in point. I had been looking forward to going to Pride in Jersey with the fantastic team I work with for quite a few weeks. Childcare? Sorted? Weather? Looking good. Shoes? Chosen. I'd even forked out nine quid for my bespoke team Pride t-shirt (XL)  and was looking forward to attacking the awfully unflattering high neck with a pair of scissors to create a flattering silhouette. Someone has brought me a plastic garland. I'd found the hold me in pants for my jeans. It was all systems go.

And then the asthma struck. Well, I should say sneaked, because that's what mine does. It's like a bit of an annoying, lazy monster. It sleeps soundly for most of the year. But then it wakes up. It looks at the calendar and senses changing weather. It senses stress. And when you get "changey weather" and a shit, emotional roller coaster of a week, rolled into one, it breaks out of it's slumber with a roar. Bastard.

I knew I was in trouble when climbing the stairs was an effort, and felt like an Everest summit, not 11 steps.

I knew I was in trouble when multiple doses of Ventolin didn't work and I was scouring the medicine box for a "rescue pack" of steroids at 11 pm last night, with wheezy noises.

So, here I am, two doses of steroids down, many inhaler puffs in, and I'm sitting down.

That, today, is all I am capable of. I am, as the new language goes, "mindfully practicing self-care."

I'm not sure I like that expression; it's sprung up like the phrase "Wellbeing" which has spawned itself across workplaces globally, along with the ghastly offer of yoga sessions for colleagues.

But, we need to call it something. And today, for the first time in many, many months, I have recognised it's importance.

Today, I wanted to have a great time and support my friends, have fun, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the food village.

But it would have been a short-term win. I'd have had a great time.

But sometimes you have to listen to that quiet voice inside you which says that today, you need to change your plans.

Today, you need to sit in the garden with a magazine and a cup of tea.

Today, you need to watch Mad Men on Netflix.

Today, you need to rest.

Today, you need to be selfish.

Today, if you rest your weary, screaming lungs, which feel like they've got bags of sand in, you'll do yourself long-term good. Possibly even medium-term. I might avoid an A and E visit.

So, as I sat on my deckchair in the garden, staring at the drying washing, I took time to think. Steroids can be good for that.

I thought about saying no and why we don't say it more.

Do you realize how often we say "yes" when really we should say no? We battle with so much "noise" in this modern, busy life we lead. We stare at our laptops, we stare at our phones. We are glued to multiple social media channels. We don't give ourselves a break. Scrolling fretfully over social media is a form of saying "Yes". We are inviting other people's clutter, and images of their seemingly perfect lives, and all those passive aggressive memes we don't agree with - and the whinings and natterings of keyboard warriors - into ours.

Do we really need to say yes to that? I say we can say no.

It's a choice.

There's a reason I'm not on Instagram. And I know I'm not missing out on the "blessed" and "clean eating" and "gym" hashtags. You can keep it.

So, block the people who make you feel frazzled. You don't need to see them. Or rather, the snapshot they're choosing to show you.

If we have kids, we sometimes feel pressure to enrol them in activities when really, we just want to go home. We don't have to go to more than one birthday party in a day. We don't have to cram a child's day full of enrichment. Is your child loved, warm, clean and fed? Do you praise them and tell them you love them? Do you spend time with them? Does it matter if it's a free walk on the beacch, or a free play in a park? Are they enjoying themselves with you? Say yes to less "cramming" and more time.

What about you? Don't you deserve some free time while they have some free time at home? What would you do if you had some?

Away from kids, there's more. At the weekends, we don't need to make plans. We don't "have" to be doing. We can give ourselves permission to sit in the chair with a magazine. We can choose to say no, whether that's to things which drain our time, a toxic relationship, to friends we don't gel with anymore, to people who don't support us, to the job we don't like, to the way we look or what we eat. We can say no to the way people talk to us. I've done that recently. It was fantastic. We've got the power to change.

Saying no isn't selfish. Be bold and brave today, and say no when the voice inside is telling you not to say yes. Because it's doing it for a reason.

And, as the saying goes, you can't pour from an empty cup. And a cracked one isn't much good either. But a cup with a few tiny chips but pretty much whole? That's worth aiming for.

Time to give up the sugar, sugar

There's nothing like the bloated, dreamy interregnum between Christmas and the promise of a new year to make one pause for reflection on what has made up the pattern of life - both good and bad - for the previous 12 months.

Armed with a bag of easy-peel oranges, or, even better, a chocolate one, and a glass of something alcoholic, it can be tempting to look back on 2017 in all its glory, or reflect on darker moments. I'm pretty good at shovelling crisps into my mouth and thinking. So, I thought, I might as well write something while I do it.

I hope 2017 was a great year for you. If it was anything like mine, it was, as years go, mixed but ultimately, overall, a good one.

At first glance, looking back on mine, it appeared unremarkable. After all, what did I do?

Look after my family, go to work, do the 1,001 small jobs which keep body, mind and soul together. And, we were fortunate enough to have some great breaks away together. And pow! Just like that, when I first sat down to start writing this, it was  the end of December.....exactly 365 days since I vowed to do more exercise, get financially fit, meet people more face to face, do less mindless scrolling on Facebook, sort out conflict and try to figure out my working life....oh, and blog more.   Pretty run of the mill stuff.

So run of the mill, in fact, that in between walking the treadmill of the everyday, and meeting our own needs and the needs of others, it can be easy to look back on 12 months and think that we haven't achieved much. Other people's lives can seem to be easier/more exciting/all figured out, while we can tend to feel we are plodding on with little to show for the passing weeks.

So, at the end of 2016, I decided to keep a note on my phone of 2017 achievements, both small and large. Basically, if I felt like achieved something, I made a note of it. 12 months later, here's the (largely) unedited list. I was surprised, when it was all in one place, how much I'd done, and it was a boost to read something positive, all in one place. I think as humans we're too good at concentrating on the negative.

• De-cluttering
• Not spending as much on stuff I don't need (this is very much a work in progress)
• April: Job interview (didn't get it, but good, if slightly terrifying experience, complete with PowerPoint horror experience)
• April: Started Inspiring Managers Course for CMI qualification
• Trying to do 10,000 steps a day or more
• More decluttering!
• New tyres on car (I'd been meaning to do this for months)
• April: started and finished Diabetes Jersey walk
• Carried on Saving for my 40th (which seemed like a long time away in Jan 2017)
• Bought new plants for window box
• Good progress with various work projects
• May: Gritted my teeth and got a personal trainer
• Did 15 mile walk - South Coast Challenge
• Iris started at gymnastics
• Iris turned 4 and loved her birthday party
• Carried on with Caring Cooks, local charity
• Massive cupboard clear out on Bank Holiday Monday
• Did charity clothing sale
• More de-cluttering
• Blog accepted by Blog of the Day by MumsNet (yay!) in September
• Essay submitted for CMI (after doing no academic work for 20 odd years, major stuff)
• Iris started school
• Iris learned to swim
• Great family holiday
• Great day trip to Guernsey with my mum
• More de-cluttering
• Launch of 2 major work projects
• Spa day at Hotel de France
• Had some difficult conversations
• Gave up sugar (as in constantly grazing cakes, chocolate and biscuits) 
• Passed CMI course! And loved my Cohort, new friends, best bit

So, what stands out from this list for me the most, as the biggest achievement, apart from the emotional wobble of Iris starting school?

It might surprise you.

Giving up the sugar. Seriously. It's been a revelation.

When I began 2017, one of the issues not on my list was "sort your skin out". I have been putting up with, for a couple of years now, eczema (particularly on my face) which seems to come and go with a life cycle and party schedule all of its own.

Eczema does not like me to:

• drink white wine
• go swimming
• get stressed at work
• have fun

Bastard.

So, in October, as I stood before my GP with a blotchy red face and feeling like I wanted to go at my elbow joints with wire wool, I was prepared to try anything.

After a short, mumbled confession on my part about processed foods, he advised me to try cutting down on sugar. I've made half hearted attempts at this in the past. It didn't last. This time, I snapped. And, since October half term (probably on reflection, not the best time to try this) - I have cut out sweets, chocolate, cake and biscuits out of my daily diet. (I'm not going to lie. At Christmas the Chocolate Orange made a brief and welcome return.)

For the first few days, I felt lethargic and odd that I couldn't turn to sugar, (thank God for crisps) but after a week, my stomach looked flatter and there was no 3 pm "afternoon slump" where I was desperate for 12 biscuits. And it carried on.

I haven't abstained completely, but I'm 98 per cent away from it, and I feel much, much better for it.

An unexpected bonus has been the steady shrinking of the "doughnut" on my belly.

I've also been impressed that, after many years, I've been able to say no to something which was a fast, easy fix, but was quietly and slowly doing me long-term damage.

So, while 2018 is still young....here's the challenge.....what's your sugar? What are you going to say no or yes to this year that'll stretch you, make you think differently? Is it waving goodbye to a toxic job, relationship, friend, lifestyle or mindset? Or saying hello to improving any or all of those things.

Here's mine:

• Less spending
• Less scrolling
• Less sugar
• Less stress

(why do they all begin with s?!)

• More time with family and friends
• More ambition
• Not fearing change
• More new friends
• More experiences
• More appreciation of what I have
• More joy
• Love being 40 come March!  I can't wait
• More blogging: (Aside: my Christmas present from my husband was a fantastic computer, given to me on the promise that I blog more....)

That little lot sounds a lot sweeter than sugar, yes? :)

One kid or two...it's up to you...(or none, or three, or four)

The Power of One and Minding Your Manners.

Bracing myself, I paste on a smile and try to think of what to say as the question is asked. The inevitable one which rears up like a two headed snake whenever the conversation turns to kids and I say that I have one. Or, as it's commonly commented on "only one." Normally asked in public of course, or, in front of a group, for maximum awkwardness.....

"So, when are you having another" asks the woman. This one's had a few glasses, too, so it's followed up by "you can't just have one."

It's always a woman. Normally one who has grown up kids and has, I think, forgotten what hard work it can sometimes seem to be to have a child now that those busy years of being constantly needed are behind her.

And, I know, sometimes people don't mean anything by it...maybe they are just trying to be friendly, make conversation, break the ice.

If I had a pound for every time this question has been asked, I wouldn't be driving around in a second hand Peugeot estate, I'll tell you that much.

I never know what to say. So, I politely end up justifying my whole life, often to someone who I wouldn't consider myself to be close to. Then afterwards I feel frustrated with myself for being like that, just to be polite. After all, I wouldn't tell someone I didn't like their outfit, or that they looked awful. It's just too personal, isn't it?

So, why don't I want another child? (At the moment) . I'll come to that later. But firstly, can we talk about rudeness? Or more precisely, why do you think it's okay to ask? Why do we feel need to offer comment at all? On anything? Not just kids.

I've been guilty of it myself. I once saw a guy I know at our local swimming pool with his brood of three energetic kids. It was post swim and instead of carrying 3 bags filled with arm bands and sodden towels, he was lugging a gigantic plastic basket.

We exchanged greetings, and he and the kids headed out. "Wow" I said as he walked out. I really don't know how you do it with three." What a bloody stupid thing to say, looking back. What I meant was, I think you're fantastic. You're doing a great job. You've got it all together.

But, let's face it. Did he really need to hear it? How many times had he heard it before? He knows he's busy with 3 kids. He doesn't need reminding. And neither do any of my friends with three kids, or two kids, or four kids or five kids, or no kids. It's none of my business. What they might like is a positive comment. Or not to talk about it at all.Imagine if we all did that in support of each other's choices. Wow.

My point is, being blunt, that we have no right to make comments to other people about subjects which may be sensitive. Routinely, people don't ask me what I earn, what my house is worth or what savings I have, but my own experience is that when it comes to kids, all bets are off. Manners can go out of the window. And above all, you could really, really hurt someone's feelings.

Here's the thing. That woman you are quizzing about having no kids, one kid, two kids, three kids.....you get the idea. Maybe she has one longed for child and would dearly love another, maybe she's endured rounds of emotionally draining Ivf to get her adored baby. Maybe she can't have more. Maybe she has had miscarriages or endured the pain of a stillbirth which she hides behind a smile while bringing up her child or children. Maybe she's put her dreams on hold to care for a seriously ill family member.

Perhaps she has two kids and would love more. Maybe she has none and loves the freedom of that life. Yes! Not everyone wants kids!

And maybe she has none and yearns to be a mum more than anything. Maybe she can't afford to have kids, maybe she has many and worries herself sick every night about how to feed and clothe them. Maybe she's unexpectedly pregnant again and secretly isn't glowing and thrilled. Or maybe she is. The whole point is, we don't know what is going on in someone else's world. So we shouldn't try to guess (and potentially wound) with heavy, clumsy words.

I was shocked once by a story a pregnant friend told me. She already had an eighteen month old daughter and was happily expecting her second. When I congratulated her I was amazed that not everyone had been so positive. In fact, friends who had been pregnant at the same time as her with their first had been downright rude. "Rather you than me" said one. "You must be mad having them so close together" said another.

Fucking hell. Just say congratulations. Or "I'm so pleased for you." It's so easy. Imagine if we all did that every time some one had some great news. The world could be bathed in kindness.

Before I go any further I want to be clear that this post isn't about the fact that I think people with more than one child need to defend that decision, just as I shouldn't need to defend mine, that at the minute, in my gut and and in my heart, one child feels right. She's enough for me. My heart and life is filled with love for her. All I can say is that I don't feel a need, or a longing (at the moment) to do it again . And I'm equally supportive of people who want to have as many - or as few - children as they want.

I'm lucky enough to have good friends with more than one child who have told me that honestly, sometimes having more than one child is double the work. Yes, it's amazing, but it's tough. I just don't see a way, at the moment, in my life, to make two children work. In truth, the idea leaves me feeling slightly panicked.

That's what I tell people when they ask. "You can't just have one" said one woman, when I told her that I was happy with my one lovely girl. But I can. And, I will. Because for me, at the moment, one is enough. And whatever your enough is, I celebrate it with you. Enjoy it, it's fantastic. And it's your business.

I give myself permission....to give myself permission:

Someone commented to me the other day that I hadn't blogged for a long time. "And it's a shame" they added. "I really like your blog."

I was surprised. Firstly, that anyone reads it (the sad truth is I love looking at my little stats table and seeing where it is getting read), secondly, to get a compliment, which, of course, in time honoured British fashion, I waved away, but thirdly, that indeed, I realised it has been some time since I blogged. And I missed it.

I've been busy. But that's another way of saying I haven't given myself permission to spend time on something I enjoy, to think it's important, even though I love writing, and when I do make the effort to post something, I feel good. And, if other people can relate to it, that's a great bonus.

Let's face it. We're just not very good at putting ourselves first. I can't speak for men, but every woman I know does a great, gold medal winning job of putting herself fairly and squarely last in her life. Whether or not you have kids, we just don't seem to be great at enjoying ourselves or doing something nice without first, spending time procrastinating, feeling guilty and putting off whatever the thing is, whether it is a watch, a car, a holiday, a spa day, a mini break, a new dress, a haircut....

Take my new found foray into the world of personal training. Despite turning a blind eye to a gently and slowly growing spare tyre, and my diet of (mainly) beige food, I finally got tired of what I was seeing in the mirror. Of course, before I recently discovered my wonderful PT Cindy, I had to find three million reasons why I couldn't make me a priority.

As you haven't got ten hours to spare, I'll limit them to a few key ones:

1. I haven't got time
2. I'm not a morning person (I can't do evenings, so early starts were a horrid reality if I wanted to do this)
3. Other people have a personal trainer, not me
4. It's a bit indulgent (no it isn't)
5. I can't afford it (oh yes you can, stop spending your money on other shit)
6. I've got nothing to wear (buy some cheap leggings and put on a t shirt, you moody cow)

Basically, I just wasn't willing to give myself permission to look good and feel good. For some reason, it just wasn't important enough to me. I wasn't giving it the priority it needed. But the only person who can make that happen is me. As the old saying goes, you can't expect a different result if you keep doing the same thing.

So, three sessions in, I've bitten the bullet. Tuns out it isn't that hard after all to get out of bed, into the lurid pink leggings, and sweat for 30 minutes. It's probably worth noting that I wasn't feeling quite so charitable at 7:10 am as I staggered between burpees and prayed for my stomach to stop popping out of my clothes and agreed to keep a "food diary."

But.... why do we feel this way? Why do we have to work so hard to assure ourselves it's okay to do something for ourselves? We find it so easy to be critical and negative, self depreciating. Facebook is filled with memes like "In a world where it's possible to be anything, be kind" but we're not kind to ourselves, or each other, and I often find myself toying with the idea that the people who post those things are sometimes the opposite of what it says on the meme. We don't become better versions of ourselves by tossing a thought out there for others to "Like" and "Share" - it takes action. My quick fix? I've said it before, make an effort to lay off the social media.

On a more serious note, the other thing apart from the mirror which has made me take action and realise that the time is now was the sad and untimely death of someone I knew earlier this week. He wasn't a close friend but he was a great former work colleague, a true gentleman, with a dark sense of humour and when needed, loads of great advice. And, he was kind. He once lent me a book about job interview success years ago when I had a job interview looming.

"You can do it" he said "and I have never not got a job with this book. So, borrow it." And that faith, that kindness (and who knows, maybe even that book) got me the job I wanted. I just can't believe he's gone. Wow. There are no words for that kind of finality. But there is a very slight upside. There's something about someone dying unexpectedly which can help make us seize the day....We learn that we shouldn't put things off. So, through gritted teeth I am trying to embrace the world of 6:30 starts and eating a bit less.

Here's the thing.There isn't a right time. The time is now. You're the change. So, put yourself first...and is the Facebook meme goes....eat the cake, buy the shoes, swim in the sea, take the holiday. Life's too short. And that's one I don't mind posting.

Ain't no holding back girl...de-railed by the sale rail

Can you remember the last time you really, really wanted to buy something?

I can. And I did. 

Turn back the clock to just over a year ago....before cruel, grey, diet filled, booze free, miserable, creaking January limped to an end.

It had been one of those days at work where everyone seemed to be in a bad mood , the weather was miserable as sin, so was everyone in the office and beyond and the passive aggressive emails were piling up high. And I hadn't eaten anything, always a warning light that the day isn't going to be a winner.

Slowly, the hands of the clock crept round to 12 noon and as soon as it was 12:01 I made a big show to no one at all of putting on my coat and heading into town "for a bit".

Faint with low blood sugar though I was,the urge to buy something, anything , was like an itch to be scratched. And it wouldn't go away. It had blended, that perfect combination of the irritable temper, the need to escape the witchy, wind whipped weather and the tug and lure of the warm, fragrant store full of wardrobe essentials that awaited. A perfect case of the temper, the witch and the wardrobe.

The excuses started, piling up high in my mind as I made my way through the racks. I just need one thing, I said to myself. I've got through a lousy morning. I've worked so hard. I've been so nice. So, this being the middle of January (with no pay packet in sight after Christmas) I perused the sale rails, thinking how self restrained I was being because I was only looking at reduced clothes.

In truth, the jumbled up stuff that had been hanging round for months was depressing. I congratulated myself on not buying anything and foolishly headed for the new season stock. After all, it couldn't hurt just to look, right?

And there it was, so prettily displayed.

Wrong. The sight of the designer navy coat was like a sucker punch to my inner shopper. It hung on its own which to me has always been a sign that I should buy it because "it's the only one there."

You know what happens next....your heart rate speeds up, you reach up, dry mouthed to try it on. You check the price tag and reluctantly see it is about £150 over any kind of budget you might have just dreamed up....and then you think: "it can't hurt to try it on." So you do. I did.

And reader, with one soft whisper of expensive fabric falling into place, that coat made me look like the grown-up I'd always longed to be. Suddenly my handbag looked less beaten up, my hair appeared glossier, my teeth got whiter and my scarf became the coat's stylish partner in crime.

If my husband is reading this, I need you to stop now. Have you stopped ? Good. The rest of you can carry on.

So, I'm in front of the mirror, heart beating, coat tempting and wallet empty. Particularly at this price. And yet....and yet.....it's perfect. It's my grown up moment. It's Italian (Maxmara, in fact, just in case anyone from their PR company is reading and wants to throw in a voucher) and ....it was the Only One There. Meant For Me. 

In my head, I started dividing the too high price tag over 12...... So, if I wear it all year round, it's like, practically free! And one good coat is better then 3 cheap ones? Right? 

So, out came the credit card along with the myriad of excuses and justifications and I bought it, as the sales assistant made all the right noises about "quality" and "a great choice." And suddenly got that clammy feeling like you've done something wrong and someone's going to find out.

I debated taking it back for the rest of the day, but in truth I liked it too much to return it, and in my mind it had already got 100 compliments. So, for my vanity, the coat was kept.

The reason I'm telling you this story is that I'm guessing (and hoping) you have a similar one. It isn't easy to give up what we think we need , but if we're serious about , for example, getting our financial house in order, or just feeling like we're more in control, we sometimes need to listen to the voice in our head. The one which you try to block out. But, the bottom line is, as humans, we find it hard to walk away from temptation.....Why? 

Maybe it's shame. It's truly hard to say "I can't afford it" whether you are walking away from the item of clothing which makes the endorphins rush through your body , the weekend away, the new car, or the friend's birthday dinner which is just too close to payday, the thing you really want., If its just out of reach, it's a lot more tantalising.

Since CoatGate I do two things: I try to stay out of town and away from websites when the going gets tough and the "need to buy" strikes. I don't succeed all the time but there hasn't been another (serious) CoatGate since. And the second thing? I wear that fucking coat as much as I can. 

Feel free to tweet me a pic of your #CoatGate to @lvjourneaux

Cold Turkey Tastic: Loving the social media detox

This was written in August 2016...when I was so laid back on holiday I totally forgot to post it.....it also gave me some valuable thinking time. See what you think.

I have stopped using Facebook. Nearly. And I tell you what, I feel better for it.

My own anti social media revolution began on a recent holiday. Our holiday home in northern Cyrpus had no wifi, and it was an amazing break. Not just from the routine of home, not to mention work, but from the break from the constant immersion in other people's lives. 

There's something about holidays which makes you believe anything is possible, and the enforced break from routine made me realise how many hours a week I must spend aimlessly scrolling through my iPhone, checking Facebook, Twitter, linked in and local and national news pages. 

On holiday, thanks to the lack of wifi in the house, I looked less and talked more. It was truly refreshing so, since my return home, I've tried to make the effort to keep off social media, (apart from what I have to do for work) and I feel the better for it. 

One of the first things I did while soaking up the calm in a local cafe was take 30 minutes and go through my Friends list....and my rule now with Facebook friends is this.....if you and I bumped into each other and had a spare half hour, would we sit down for a cuppa or a glass of wine? If the answer's yes, they stayed, if the answer's no, they went.

I actually found the process quite refreshing, but emotional. I realised who I am close to, who I am not close to and painfully, sometimes, who I have grown apart from. But the relief of cutting down my newsfeed and being a witness to countless other lives was enormous. No more gazing at photos of the friends who have never let me past the perfection. I no longer have to look at the carefully chosen pictures of a "friend" who wouldn't let me past the front door when I called round with a house warming gift. Or the photos of the overdone hen do, filtered smile, food photographed at the high end restaurant (why do people do that!) or seemingly great night out. I don't need to be a lurking guest at events I was never invited to. And, we all have that choice. 

We don't have to use social media. We can limit what we see...have a choice....The relief is palpable. 

I don't think we should feel guilty for having a shake up. Life moves on, it's only sensible that people do too. But I can choose all the great bits. I love seeing my best friend's new baby, catching up on news from family from afar and seeing the life journeys of the friends I feel close to but don't see. 

I think that because social media is so overused, we forget that actually, we have a choice. This world we love in is now hyper connected, which adds so many pressures, but we don't have to be that way. I love being off the hamster wheel.

As an avid tea drinker, I know how I feel when I've drunk too many cups in one day; kind of numb but buzzing. I can feel it sloshing around inside me, but I'll still have one more cup. 

That's what social media is like. The endless scrolling, for me at least, like an ever changing magazine, was resulting in the same kind of numbness, but for me it goes deeper than that. I truly believe that even without realising it, watching picture perfect versions of other people's lives isn't good for us.

I believe it makes us dissatisfied with what we have. We view other people's photos and posts, and for us they're the truth about that person. When money is tight, the rain is lashing at the window and the kids are playing up, but someone else is on a magical holiday, or boasting about their gym visit, or a new job, or a new home or car, we can feel stuck. Why do we need to share, have constant approval from others? Give it a try....you might be surprised at what you don't need to see.

I think life is complex enough, yet we add to the stress of needlessly comparing ourselves with others by staring at images of Instagramed beauty and wishing we had more. #NoFilter say the posts, but there is always a filter, it's our filter, our internal monologue, whispering that we're not good enough, that we can never have enough.

I believe that one of the hardest things in life is living a simple life, being grateful for what you have. 

But I know one thing for sure, looking at other people's Facebook accounts isn't going to bring me what I want. It only moves me further away and makes me more dissatisfied. We have got enough obstacles to face to get to our goals without intentionally putting another one in the way.

Think what you could do if you weren't scrolling. Cut down and see how you go. Trust me; I think you'll find you're not missing anything.