A little help from karma — ‘Just two inches?’ The traffic warden dips his head to look over dark-rimmed glasses. Pen jammed between fat fingers, he’s two squiggles away from ending the conversation. ‘Madam, the lines clearly outline the area permitted for parking. There’s no leeway.’ ‘But you passed on this car. I saw you! Look.’…

And I’m not sure how to feel about this — It’s been over two decades since I was first diagnosed with PTSD. I’ve had every kind of treatment available to me — CBT, EMDR, group therapy, art therapy, medication — and have always said that I’m high-functioning and capable of coping with my triggers. Until last year. Something triggered me…

Can you be really sure it happened? — Have you ever tried getting a narcissist to admit to doing something wrong? It’s easier to win the lottery, squeeze blood out of a stone, and find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow because narcissists love using plausible deniability for everything. Plausible deniability is a free…

How do you know when there’s something wrong? — Narcissists can be hard to recognise, especially at the beginning of a relationship. It’s easy to ignore that gut feeling when you’re being love-bombed or have no experience with them. But what things should you be looking for? Are you googling their behaviour? One telltale sign something is wrong with a relationship is when you…

Everything in his life is chaotic except his supply — Every narcissist has an ‘island’ of stability, whether that is his spouse or work. He might be a career nightmare, constantly switching from one job to another, or a serial cheater, unable to form solid relationships, but his supply is the one stable feature in his life. The narcissist regards…

When you can’t seem to stop chasing that high — I have a friend — let’s call him Steve — who has an interesting lifestyle. If you want to find Steve, you only need to look up when the next extreme running event takes place in our region. …

The abortion debate has reached the UK — That I’m pro-choice should hardly come as a surprise if you follow me. Most feminists are. Getting involved in the Roe v Wade debate was never my intention. …

Breaking all the rules of fiction — (Note: this is written purely to break every rule in fiction writing, so how fun finding all the mistakes!) Breaking All The Rules of Fiction Paxxy Whiskerson woke with a start from the blinding warm sunlight streaming through her third-floor around-the-corner-of-the-castle bedroom window. Her trustful gun was placed besides her on the egyptian cotton silken sheets.

Some things I wish I could unsee (warning: spoilers) — Few movies shock me, but sometimes I come across films I wish I could unsee. Midsommar was one of them. Men is another one. The plot Recently bereaved widow Harper, seeks the British countryside to heal after the sudden death of her husband. But soon, a mysterious stranger is stalking her, and…