Dear Sarah,
I am 25 and have recently moved to London for work. I come from a relatively small community in the North of England and I am finding the transition very difficult. I am living in a small studio flat on my own and my job as a trainee solicitor involves me working long hours.
I am finding my new existence very lonely. I didn’t know anyone in the city before I arrived and although my colleagues at work are nice enough, they don’t seem to socialise with each other. I haven’t met any neighbours apart from a couple upstairs with a noisy baby but they always seem too tired or stressed to stop to talk.
I really miss my friends and family. My plan is to go back once every two months for a weekend and I spend a lot of my free time calling, texting and messaging everyone on Facebook but it isn’t the same.
Any advice on how I can improve things (or whether I should just throw in the towel) would be welcome.
Thanks, Emily
Read MoreChristmas can be a wonderful time of year: an opportunity to focus on the simplicity and power of the nativity story, as well as a chance to celebrate and spend time with those you love. But what if the thought of hanging out with your relatives fills you with dread and not excitement? How can you minimise family conflict and maximise the fun, especially if you are hosting? Here are a few ideas:
Read MoreDear Naked Hedgehog,
I was wondering if you could help me? I work in an all-female office and one of my colleagues seems to be in a very bad way. All she talks about is how depressed she is because she doesn't have a man in her life. It's hard on the rest of us in the office as it's affecting her work and the way she talks to people. I'm pretty happy on my own but I am struggling with her constant talk of what a failure women are without a man by their side. I would love to help her to discover her own self-worth as an individual and I would also like to give her some practical information on how to find a partner. I’d appreciate any advice on how I could do that.
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