Charlotte Grainger

Romantic relationships don’t come with user guides. You meet someone and suddenly you find yourself thrown into domestic bliss together. Or, more likely, domestic unrest. Of course, the truth that nobody likes to admit is that one party tends to take on the majority of the emotional labor in relationships.

Do you remember the last time you text what’s-her-face? How about what’s-his-name — have you spoken to him recently? If the answer is no, you’re likely not alone.

When your partner emotionally switches off, it can be hard to know how to play it. Whether it's mid-argument or out of the blue, there’s simply no way of getting through to them. If you’re lucky, you get one or two-word answers. If you’re not, you get deafening silence. The situation can feel impossible. Welcome to the wonderful world of stonewalling.

Making new friends as an adult is tough. Once you’ve finished your education and gone out into the big, bad world, the opportunities to meet new people are few and far between.

While striking up a conversation with a stranger might sound bizarre, it could open the door to meaningful relationships.

The course of love rarely runs smoothly. Ever wondered why some people are super clingy in relationships, while others verge on being a little too laid-back? While your personality influences how you relate to partners, you may want to consider your attachment style, too.

2021 is officially over: sayonara, au revoir, buh-bye now. As we embark on a new year, it’s the ideal time to reflect on different aspects of your life and what—if anything—you want to change. If you’re in a relationship, it may be an opportunity to set new goals together.

Wait, what? Your bestie is fiddling with her paper straw and looking up at you expectantly. She wants answers, but there’s one major problem: You haven’t heard a single word she’s said for the past five minutes.

Confession time: I'm a real sucker for Instagram adverts. Say what you like about the problematic way the interweb tracks our every move, but that algorithm knows me better than my mother, my best friend, and myself combined.

Your biological clock might be a ticking time bomb. But as the years fly by and you’re more keenly aware of the mounting social pressure to procreate, it’s still not a part of your plan.
If you’ve chosen to forgo the whole parenting malarky, you’re not alone. One in five British 25-34-year-olds doesn’t want children, according to recent YouGov statistics.

The sparks fly fast—from the moment you meet that person, you are instantly attracted to them. It sounds cliché, but you can’t eat. You can’t sleep. You think that they are the one, and they could be. However, this could be the start of a fleeting and reckless karmic relationship.

Don’t let the upbeat tempo of Robert Palmer's 1980s hit "Addicted to Love" fool you, love addiction is no song or dance. Researchers from the University of Oxford recently suggested romantic love can be addictive, much like alcohol or drugs, and those experiencing it may engage in risky behavior that harms themselves or others.

Lockdown and other restrictions have meant that mixing, mingling, and in some cases, even meeting up with new people is more difficult. The result is an Austenesque approach to finding love; penning long letters (read: texts) from afar before heading on walking dates together.

While many couples go through sexual “dry patches”, it’s important to communicate openly about the issue. Keeping schtum and hoping that the spark will reignite is the easy option. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right one for you and your sex life.

COVID-19 has impacted all of our lives in the most profound way. Brides-to-be around the world have grappled with changes and even cancelations. Of course, one of the biggest shifts is towards smaller, more intimate events, to adhere to the latest restrictions. If your wedding is on the horizon and you’ve decided to go ahead, choosing which guests can still attend is a colossal decision.

While the 9-5 is still the norm for many of us, there's a new wave of employees changing the job market: digital nomads. Armed with nothing more than a laptop and a strong work ethic, they're giving a new meaning to flexible working hours, travelling the world while making beaches, cafes, and sofas their offices.