Comparison. An act conducted by the putting together of two things in order to distinguish their similarities and differences. Every one of us compares ourselves to another, be it in admiration or to raise ones self-esteem. It is a way by which we determine what is acceptable in society or what we can be led to believe is ‘perfection’. Comparing yourself negatively can only lead to dissatisfaction and so why should be feel obliged to covet the life or looks of someone we idolise? In a sense it does give you a goal to reach and a motivation, but if it is simply unrealistic and unattainable then misery ensues. People blame eating disorders on the media who seemingly promote the need to be ‘model thin’- a …

Perseverance. The tendency to give up when the going gets tough is one that consumes us whenever we are faced with a daunting challenge. It takes a lot of willpower for someone to follow through with a difficult task despite there being seemingly no end to the ever coming trials. Without the desire to soldier on we abandon our trail, leaving us hopeless and somewhat frustrated with having wasted our precious time. Anything is attainable if we set our minds to it. To prevail, it requires determination and even should you not come out on top, you can personally commend your efforts for having tried. It is easier said than done to feel pride in your performance if you receive no gratification, but the simple knowledge that …

Ashamed. Reflect on an event within your lives which you endeavoured to supress from the outside world. We each have at least one particular moment we are immediately struck with. This inexplicable need to keep our darkest secrets hidden is down to our inability to trust one another with an intimate knowledge of our past. Such closeted events are always those that would potentially lead to us being shunned socially or viewed in a different yet negative way than to prior the revelation. Without the familiarity of how the recipient will react, we prefer to keep quiet. This mortification should not be confused with modesty whereby we downplay the impact of our actions to avoid a public display of gratification whilst not wanting to seem arrogant. Though …

Fear. The feeling that is felt in the pit of your stomach; the dread that causes all your insides to churn with anxiety whilst apprehending the occurrence of your most distressing nightmare. A phobia can be borne from experience after having had bad recollections of previous consequences caused by a particular event. In many cases there is no way to rationalise a fear, as it has seemingly developed from no specific incident. We cannot always explain why the panicked feeling arises; our hearts start beating faster, we feel the fear-fuelled adrenaline course through our veins and our breaths become spiked with distress. The effects of terror can either cause you to face it head on in order to overcome this fear or to run away and…

Survival. In Darwinian terms, those fittest for survival, endure the many tests thrown at them and go on to exist. Survival is a necessary human instinct and the one that drives us to run away in face of danger. However, what happens when the only option is to head forwards amidst the perils? Will only the strongest survive, or do we each have the capability to fight our way through and ultimately end up safely on the other side? No one can lead a meaningful existence by continuously bypassing threats and no one has been able to do so no matter how confident they may appear on the outside. The risks involved in the challenge are what lead us to shy away from the fight but we…