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mental health

Some of us can live freely without worrying about the location of our mobile phones, and others can't.

Many of us know the sensation of an empty pocket leading to the terrifying feeling of loss when you can't find your phone, many of us don't. 

For certain people, the thought of not knowing where your phone is or not having it on your person at all times can cause genuine fear and anxiety. The scientific word for this is nomophobia.

If you get the feeling of ice cold dread just imagining the absence of your phone, you may be experiencing this 21st century phobia.

The phrase is an abbreviation for ‘no-mobile-phone phobia’, coined back in 2008 during a study of anxieties experienced by mobile phone users by the Post Office (random?).

Bear in mind that this study is now 11-years-old, but it discovered that 53 percent of phone users in the UK are anxious when they "lose their mobile phone, run out of battery, or have no network coverage".

The phobia is set to be among the largest non-drug addictions of this century, which is staggering.

We can now seemingly carry our entire lives with us in our pocket, whether it's for work, research, medical, business, pleasure, friendship, shopping, maps or just general communication.

While this is incredible advancement, it also means that we've grown to rely on the devices, to the point where some of us even feel chained to them.

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More recently, a 2017 YouGov study revealing that 38 percent of teenagers felt they couldn’t last a single day without their smartphone on them.

Nomophobia isn’t currently in the edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but has been proposed as a ‘specific phobia’. It's essentially synonymous with smartphone addiction.

The symptoms of nomophobia are similar to that of other addictions, from dependency to a growing panic psychologically when you're without it for too long, sweating, shaking and heart palpitations.

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Addictive behaviour can take it's toll when it comes to emotional and psychological ramifications; low self-esteem, constantly seeking reassurance from phones with social media engagement and a low sense of self-worth.

Treatments include EMDR and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and more scientifically-backed options. Professional help is out there when it comes to nomophobia, believe it or not.

Set yourself small goals, like leaving your phone farther away in terms of proximity and for longer periods. Try giving it to somebody to take care of, a trusted friend or family member.

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Log out of social media apps, or even just turn the notifications off. Silence is key, but it's important for you to realise that social media silence doesn't mean loneliness and isolation. 

Aim for more human connection, and give yourself breaks from technology by going on walks with friends or going for dinner with family. It's all about reliance and feeling okay with being totally alone.

Hypnotherapy is also becoming an increasingly common way to treat addiction, and acupuncture. Nomophobia is a totally irrational fear, seeing as we've survived without phones before and can do it again.

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People who open up about their mental health struggles are a true inspiration. Speaking about those raw and brutal disorders can feel impossible, but talking about them is one of the best ways to beat the stigma.

One person who knows this all too well is writer Eleanor Segall, who has penned a book about her life with Bipolar 1 disorder.

Her book Bring Me To Light tells the true story of how Eleanor got her life back on track and turned a devastating illness into a life-changing opportunity to do good.

In Bring Me To Light, we first meet Eleanor as her life was beginning. She had everything going for her; an aspiring actress and a family girl, she never thought her future would be derailed by mental illness. 

After a spate of depressive and manic episodes, panic attacks and social anxiety, Eleanor found herself in The Priory at the age of 16.

The diagnosis? Bipolar I disorder.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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But Eleanor didn’t let it stop her for long. Now a successful blogger, journalist, and pillar of the mental health and Jewish communities, she writes about finding recovery and hope after being unwell. Her story of picking herself back up again and surviving against the odds will resonate with many – and it can help you find that light in the darkness too.

Eleanor Segall is a freelance writer and journalist, mental health blogger and advocate. She has lived with bipolar and anxiety disorders since her diagnosis at just 16-years-old. Her mission is to increase understanding and end the stigma around mental illness. 

Eleanor blogs for mental health charities such as Time to Change, Mind and SANE, and has written for publications including Metro.co.uk, The Telegraph, Glamour and Happiful Magazine and Happiful.com. 

Her own blog, Be Ur Own Light, was recently listed as a Top 10 UK Mental health blog by Vuelio. Eleanor is a frequent radio guest-speaker on mental health, and has recorded several podcasts. Additionally, she volunteers with the charity Jami, the (Jewish Association of Mental Illness) in London.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Bring Me To Light by Eleanor Segall is published on November 5. The eye-opening and beautifully honest read will become one of the most beloved books of Winter 2019.

Bring Me To Light is published by Trigger Publishing, part of the Shaw Mind Foundation.

You can order a copy here.

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Nearly two-in-five third-level students are experiencing serious levels of anxiety and depression as a result of stress, a new survey has revealed.

The newly published 'Report on Student Mental Health in Third-Level Education' was compiled by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), with the support of the HSE Mental Health and the National Office for Suicide Prevention.

Almost one-third of students have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, with the results painting a worrying picture of the extent of pressures and struggles on the shoulders of Irish students.

The statistics examined the occurrence of mental health distress and ill health among third-level students and the availability and use of mental health support service for young people.

Multiple factors influence depression and anxiety, and women were found to be more likely to suffer anxiety than men. Non-binary students had the highest levels of severe anxiety.

The survey, which was conducted in 2018, was open to students in every college, North and in the Republic, and most of the respondents were undergraduates aged between 18 and 24-years-old.

74 percent of participants were female, and experiences varied largely depending on the type of college attended, the area of study and whether it was inside or outside of Dublin.

One in five of those surveyed identified as LGBTQ+ and just over 1 percent identified as transgender. 38 percent are experiencing extremely severe levels of anxiety, alarmingly.

30 percent of people are reporting suffering from depression and 17 percent are experiencing stress. Almost one-third reported that they had a formal mental health difficulty which was diagnosed.

One of the most distressing points is that 21 percent of participants did not have someone to talk to about personal and emotional difficulties. Free on-campus counselling is imperative for students.

Students were found to use on and off-campus services to aid their mental health, and the student union made 35 percent of students aware of support services. 

The study had a large response of 3,340 students, but the findings may not be a full picture of the student population.

Employment during college was also found to affect students' ability to socialise with their classmates, and those involved in activities outside of coursework had improved mental health.

USI president Lorna Fitzpatrick in Trinity College Dublin said students had provided a vast amount of vital data which would be used to improve mental health services at third level for everyone.

Numerous institutions were found to be problematic in terms of the quality of care offered to students, and a quality assurance tool must be made to ensure consistency between institutions.

Transitioning from secondary school to college is a huge step for all students, and comes at a time when they are most at risk of developing mental health difficulties.

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Can you really learn how to be happy? Well, Ivy-League University Yale certainly thinks so.

The world-famous American college created a course called 'Psychology and the Good Life' which became the most popular class in the course's history last year, according to Stylist.

The happiness class is now open to everyone online, and we're more than a little bit tempted to get in on this magic. The age-old question of the secret to happiness has been circulating for centuries.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Sparking joy can happen through a variety of different mindsets and methods. For some of us, all we need is a kickass Spotify playlist or a trip to the dancefloor with our friends, while others need to be outdoors and delete all of their social media accounts. To each their own.

The art of happiness is an art form that we can only pursue by switching up our daily routines, and getting in on those feel-good vibes. Yale is here to help us get closer to the sacred state of mind.

Yale has been around for 317 years, and still the happiness class is by far it's most popular course to ever be taught. Last year, the class debuted to global attention when 1,200 students (nearly a quarter of Yale's undergrad student body) enrolled in the course, led by psychology Professor Laurie Santos.

'Psychology and the Good Life' was created in direct response to skyrocketing levels of student stress, anxiety and depression at Yale and teaches practical advice about finding the fight career path, satisfying pursuits and how to cultivate happiness in our everyday lives.

Santos has since created an extended version of the course; The Science Of Well-Being, filmed in her own house, which can be taken online for free.

Absolutely anyone can enroll, so why not try it? It's got a varied curriculum that explores topics including misconceptions about happiness, why our expectations around joy are so low, how to overcome our inner biases, activities that have been proven to boost satisfaction, and how to put strategies into practice.

The course description states; “The purpose of the course is to not only learn what psychological research says about what makes us happy but also to put those strategies into practice,” the course description reads.

Don't stress if academia isn't your background and there are no compulsory texts. If you're feeling overwhelmed at the thought of studying, don't be; these deadlines are flexible and there are no comebacks if you miss one. Go at your own pace.

They also give you the chance to communicate with your classmates, and carry out video lectures, quizzes and 'rewirement' activities for building healthier habits.

The Science Of Well-Being is available for free on Coursera, audited for free or carried out with certification for €44.20. The pursuit of happiness doesn't seem so impossible now, does it?

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WW, formerly known as WeightWatchers, launched a diet and nutrition app marketed at children and adolescents this week and have faced immense backlash since.

Kurbo by WW is a free programme that claims to help eight-year-olds to 17-year-olds "build healthy habits", and lose weight through personalised coaching and food tracking.

The app's "traffic light" diet approach categorises foods as red, yellow and green (red being the most process, sugar-filled, yellow being lean protein and pasta and green being fruit and veg).

Kurbo by WW was developed at Stanford University, and WW have defended their programme by stating the app is backed by safe scientific studies. 

CEO of WW, Mindy Grossman, said; "To change the health trajectory of the world, we have a tremendous opportunity, but also a responsibility, to help kids, teens and families adopt healthy habits."

Many critics of the app insist that encouraging kids and teenagers to diet can perpetuate an unhealthy and dangerous mindset.

Fatphobic cultural messaging around dieting has led to a massive issue surrounding eating disorders and mental health among youth.

In an article published in Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics in 2015, researchers found that because adolescence is such an important time for body image development, 12-to-18-year-olds with a negative perception of their body or weight are more likely to develop eating disorders or dysfunctional exercise habits.

Of course, obesity can be linked to numerous health concerns but disordered eating and mental health conditions among adolescent is reportedly more likely to pose a dangerous risk than paediatric obesity.

35-to-37 percent of adolescent girls in the US alone report using unhealthy weight loss measures, according to the National Eating Disorder Association. These methods include fasting, smoking, taking laxatives and 'skinny teas', skipping meals and even vomiting.

One-in-three adolescents in the UK alone reported experiencing mental health issues, according to a troubling survey by the charity Action for Children. 

More than 12 percent of adolescents in the US are affected by depression every year. 

Many people on social media were furious about the Kurbo by WW app. Jameela Jamil, an activist and actress who runs the iWeigh campaign for body positivity, tweeted her disgust at the news.

“Are we kidding? Breeding obsession with weight and calories and food at the age of…8?" she wrote. "I was 11 when my obsession started, due to being put on a diet for being the heaviest girl in the class. I became afraid of food. It ruined my teens and twenties.”

Petitions have already been created against the app, with the hashtag #LoveNotDiets trending to urge parents to use love rather than diets to help their nutritional habits.

Childhood obesity is still an incredibly serious public health challenge of the 21st century, and the app attempts to reduce a child's sugar intake. There is nothing wrong with promoting healthy foods and exercising for physical and mental health benefits. 

However, many parents feel that instilling a diet-centered mindset among young people who are already vulnerable could be a dangerous mistake. Targeting the mental health crisis could be a more productive way forward.

Feature image: Instagram/@coachdavidflowers

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Tayto Park has announced two special awareness days for Irish Guide Dogs for the blind, which will take place on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 of August.

Tayto Park is Ireland's only theme park and zoo, and is a proud supporter and charity partner of Assistance Dogs in association with Irish Guide Dogs. 

The park has donated €5,000 to the charity, and has also put together an array of activities to support and raise funds for the brilliant organisation.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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The Irish Guide Dogs staff and Tayto Park volunteers will encourage visitors across the two days to experience the Sensory Tunnel, which offers users the sensory chance to experience what it's like to be vision impaired.

Guests will be invited to walk through the tunnel blindfolded with street noises and loud traffic blared over the speakers around them. Surfaces like brick walls, a wooden fence, netting, grass and fur allows users to feel their way through the five-metre-long structure.

Floor panels with bumps similar to the tactile pavement used to guide vision impaired people on the streets are included in the structure.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Irish Guide Dogs staff will be on hand to provide information to visitors about how the charity can be supported, and Tayto Park will have bucket collections raising funds for them.

Speaking on the partnership Chairman of the Irish Guide Dogs Board, Patrick Burke said,

“Support such as this is fundamental to our ability to reach and help families of children with autism and those with visual impairment achieve independence and mobility."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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85 percent of our income comes from fundraising and donations from the public and our partnerships with our corporate supporters means we can provide a future for a family of a child with autism or person with visual impairment achieve independence”.

Tayto Park are proud charity partners of Assistance Dogs in association with Irish Guide Dogs, ALONE, supporting older people to age at home and JIGSAW, supporting young people’s health in mind.

Feature image: Instagram/@irishguidedogs

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Love Island star Amy Hart has slammed BBC Radio 1 for "trivialising" her heartbreak after it mentioned a potential new prank involving Curtis Pritchard.

The ex-Islander was dumped emotionally by the professional dancer on the show, following which she left the villa.

Radio 1's Chris Stark posted in a now-deleted tweet;  "Would you like the chance to be dumped by Curtis from Love Island? We've had an idea for the show where we can offer you a fake dumping."

Stark added; "Keen to do a few of these with loads of you. So if you'd like to know what it's like to be dumped by Curtis message me back now…"

Amy posted a screenshot of the post on her own Instagram Stories, writing: "One of the replies was 'it's going to be funny, get him to email in'. I thought we were being conscious of mental health these days?"

She added: "I'm all for a laugh but I just feel that trivialising something that so many people resonated with and turning it into a laughing matter isn't entertainment."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Amy Hart (@amyhartxo) on

Radio 1 has since told Digital Spy in a statement: "We will have Curtis as a guest on the show and with any live radio, ideas and plans change and this feature isn't something we'll be doing."

Amy reunited with Curtis and Maura Higgins on Love Island's Aftersun Reunion last weekend, and it was mighty uncomfortable to watch. 

The former air hostess has been a huge success story since leaving the villa, with audiences praising her for promoting positive mental health practice.

Feature image; Instagram/@amyhartxo

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A smartphone app has been designed to manage negative emotions and periods of anxiety in order to reduce self-harm in young people, new data has revealed.

BlueIce is a prescribed app and is created to be used alongside face-to-face therapies, overseen by medical professionals.

Clinical psychologist Professor Paul Stallard, of the University of Bath, developed the app in conjunction with patient groups.

A number of papers published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research emphasise that the app could help tackle self-harm in young people.

Head of psychological therapies for Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Prof Stallard, claims the idea for BlueIce came about as a result of his work with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

“Many of the young people I was working with were self-harming but nearly all had their mobile phone close by,” he said.

“Our young people’s participation group at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust thought that a smartphone app could be a way of helping at times of distress, and with their input we produced BlueIce," he continued

“It helps the young person to monitor and manage their unpleasant emotions and to find alternative ways of coping," Prof Stallard added.

“Feedback from young users has been overwhelmingly positive, and there’s a huge potential for it to make a difference to young lives across the UK and internationally.”

BlueIce refers to low mood and ICE (in case of emergency) and is now included on the NHS Apps Library, which holds apps which have undergone technical and clinical reviews.

The app has a mood wheel for young people to keep track of their mood every day, adding notes on their current emotions and actions

The user is immediately routed to a mood-lifting section if a low mood is reported, which has activities designed to reduce distress.

Options include ideas from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and personalised mindfulness guides, images and music.

BlueIce can also take users to emergency contacts like Childline and the 111 service.

Professor Stallard assessed the influence of using the app for three months on a group of 40 young people aged between 12 and 17.

He discovered that 73 percent of those involved either stopped self-harming or reduced it as a result of the app.

BlueIce is currently being used by CAMHS services in Bath, North East Somserset, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire.

It's also being evaluated in a randomised controlled trial undertaken across Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne.

Professor Stallard will start a trial in September to analyse whether BlueIce reduces the number of young people taken to A&E.

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Teen drama 13 Reasons Why has been renewed for a fourth and final season on Netflix, Variety has just reported.

Season 4 is currently in production, with the trailer for Season 3 being released yesterday teasing the death of a major, yet controversial, character at Liberty High.

The core cast's graduation from high school will be featured in the final season, and Season 3 will debut on August 23 with 13 more drama-filled episodes.

Season 3 is set to pick up eight months after the events from Season 2, focusing on Clay (Dylan Minnette), Tony (Christian Navarro), Jessica (Alisha Boe), Alex (Miles Heizer), Justin (Brandon Flynn), and Zach (Ross Butler) discovering methods to handle the cover-up together while helping Tyler (Devin Druid) move on from his issues.

A turbulent Homecoming football game leads to the disappearance of a key player, and Clay becomes the subject of a police investigation. A shrewd outsider must guide the group from the danger which could release everyone's darkest secrets.

According to Variety's source, suicide will not be part of Season 3.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Timothy Granaderos, Anne Winters, Steven Weber, Brenda Strong. Amy Hargreaves, and Grace Saif will also feature in Season 3.

Showrunner and creator Brian Yorkey will executive produce with Mandy Teefey, Kristel Laiblin, Selena Gomez, and Joy Gorman.

The show is based on the novel of the same name by Jay Asher, which wrapped up at the end of the pilot season. Season 1 gained notoriety for its depictions of teenage suicide.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Season 2 was regarded as a step down from the first season, with critics and fans alike disapproving of the storylines. Netflix have only recently edited out the scene in Season 1 where Hannah (Katherine Langford) commits suicide.

The scene now shows Hannah staring at her own reflection in the mirror before cutting to her parents’ reaction in a later scene, without showing the gruesome wrists-slitting bath scene.

"On the advice of medical experts, including Dr. Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, we’ve decided with creator Brian Yorkey and the producers to edit the scene in which Hannah takes her own life from season one," a statement from the show read.

Feature image: Instagram/@13reasonswhy_13

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Ex-Love Island star Danny Williams has revealed that he's contacted the police over a series of racist death threats made against him.

The 21-year-old model commented that the abuse he's been receiving has been "worse than you can imagine."

He told OK! Magazine: “I’ve had death threats, racism, people threatening to come ‘round to my house and hurt my family."

He continued; “As worse as you can imagine, I’ve had it all. And it’s still happening today. Daily.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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“When it’s racist and it’s threats and you have to get the police involved that’s next level. And it got to that extent."

Social media has been a cesspit for death threats targeting reality stars;

“I'm going to bed at night I go on my phone like everybody else does, and you see some of the people saying they're going to come and kill me or, 'You're a horrible sick f' and whatever.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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He added: “Everyone’s entitled to their opinions, but there’s never an excuse for that kind of stuff. It’s horrible.”

Danny became an infamous Love Island character known as the 'travel agent', as every girl he liked ended up on a plane home.

His relationship with Jourdan Riane appears to be getting stronger by the day, at least. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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During an interview on Capital Breakfast with hosts Roman Kemp and Vick Hope, the pair announced that they'd become official.

Roman quizzed the pair on their relationship status, asking: "Have you dropped the girlfriend/boyfriend question?"

Jourdan replied with a teasing comment; "Potentially…" However, Danny then confirmed: "Yeah we have, it's official."

Feature image: Instagram@itsdannywilliams

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Amy Hart has opened up to Grazia Magazine about committing to therapy after leaving the Love Island villa, and the forgiving nature of women in the villa.

The former BA flight attendant has also commented on certain Islanders in particular, namely Maura Higgins' "ever-changing" definition of girl code and the two sides of Curtis Pritchard.

The blonde beauty quit the show after Curtis ended their 720 hour romance, following his head turning in Casa Amor and his new romance with Maura Higgins. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Amy Hart (@amyhartxo) on

Amy has been open about putting her mental health first, which has earned her fans from all over the world and celebrity support alike.

The former Islander also claims she "cannot fault" ITV for their improved after care, saying: “I’ve got 14 months of therapy guaranteed, but if I need it afterwards I can still have it.

"People have had a lot of bad things to say about them and they might have upped the aftercare, but it’s the same team who’ve worked on the show for five years. I don’t agree with the criticism – they are amazing.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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The suicides of former Love Island contestants Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis has drawn criticism and increased scrutiny on ITV over the aftercare of the show.

The broadcaster recently announced a more intense duty of care process for participants on the show, including a minimum of eight therapy sessions.

According to Hart, all the contestants were briefed on the pressure of fame they would face when they exit the famous show, saying: “They told us, ‘You might be a star, but you might not’.

“‘Be aware you won’t be able to go back and work at Tesco afterwards because everyone will know who you are – your work life will change’. We were all very aware."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Amy later blocked the words 'fat' and 'ugly' from appearing on her social media feed, but doesn't regret leaving despite the trolls.

She said: “When you’re thinking rationally you’d think this was all so stupid but it’s such a pressurised environment in there.

“Before leaving I just sat there and thought, ‘There are 17 other people in this villa but I am so lonely’. I went to the Beach Hut and just sobbed.”

She's got job opportunities coming out of her ears now, at least, with Loose Women calling her up to be a permanent guest panellist;

Derry Girls’ Nicola Coughlan said that Richard Curtis, creator of Notting Hill, texted her saying, ‘I never believed in the saying it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, until I watched Amy leave Love Island’".

“The king of romantic comedy! I made him believe in love," she adds, saying that she hasn't been disheartened from finding love again. David Walliams even slid into her DMs, which is an achievement.

The forgiving nature of women has also been commented on by fans;

"‘Yes, 100% we shouldn’t have blamed ourselves. But I was willing to hear all of that and work on myself to make it work," she says. "I did feel humiliated."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Her forgiveness of Curtis has moved on to unconcealed frustration, saying, "We’ve seen two different people in that villa, the Curtis that I knew and the Curtis now. I don’t know which one’s real, because they can’t both be."

Amy has wisely decided not to watch Love Island, but she's aware that Maura and Curtis got together just days after her exit. Maura, she says, definitively does not follow Girl Code;

"The thing with Maura is that she has an ever-changing definition of Girl Code. She constantly moves the goalposts to suit her situation. And then suddenly she decided we were never friends. And I will maintain this forever: we weren’t best friends but we did have a close friendship."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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When asked if she's have happiness for Curtis if he wins the show, Amy replied;

"If I say no that will be the headline!" she says. "If he’s happy I’m happy. If he’s happy and they win that’s fine. No one will beat Tommy and Molly, though I really want Anna and Jordan to win."

Unfortunately, Anna and Jordan have been in the bottom three multiple times and now Jordan's head is getting turned by India, who is coupled up with Ovie. So that ship has most likely sailed…

Feature image: Instagram/@brett_d_cove

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It is Mental Health Awareness Week and we reached out to our readers to have a frank and honest chat about mental health and the workplace.

If you’re suffering with mental health issues like depression or an anxiety disorder, then you know all too well that there are days when going into the office feels completely impossible.

You may be too anxious to get on your train or maybe your depression is so severe you can’t even manage to get out of bed.

They are real and valid issues, but why are we so afraid to talk about them?

52 percent of SHEmazing readers said they have taken a mental health day from work, but more often than not we give our boss a different reason for our absence.

There are so many incredible people working hard to break the stigma surrounding mental health disorders, but we still live in fear of telling someone that ‘I can’t go to work this morning because I’ve had a massive panic attack.’

We can often feel ashamed or embarrassed when opening up about our mental health issues, but why is this?

A fear of not being taken seriously is one of the biggest reasons. When asked if they felt comfortable talking to their boss about their mental health struggles, a striking 83 percent of our readers said no.

So, what can workplaces do to help their employees when it comes to their mental health because saying ‘it is okay not to be okay’ simply isn’t enough anymore.

With suicide rates increasing, we need to provide proper services and support for those suffering.

Our readers had some incredible recommendations about what can be done to support mental health in the workplace.

One reader said: “There should be a liaison officer in your workplace that you can speak to that will keep your anonymity and help you.”

“Allow employees to take a mental health day,” was one of the biggest recommendations.

Others said meditation classes, yoga, flexi-time and regular reminders about self-care would also help.

However, the recommendation that stood out the most was to simply treat it like any other illness. You wouldn’t expect an employee with a flu or broken leg to trek into the office so why should those with crippling depression or a panic disorder feel pressured to show up on days when they feel as low as can be?

Support the See Change campaign this week by wearing a green ribbon and show those who are suffering that they are never alone.

It is time to put an end to mental health stigma.

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