Life tips

It's all about being okay with yourself and rediscovering your life. Your kids have left home, you might be divorced. You might be experiencing menopause or maybe you have suffered from a period of mild depression. Or maybe you've just been working too hard. You feel that there's not much to get out of bed for except for the same old routine, that you're not really involved in your own life, that you're just a spare part. You may feel lonely, yet you're not desperate to make new friends. Everything has fallen into a rut. You've done your best for your kids, your husband, your boss... now do the same for yourself.

Even if you don't feel bright and breezy, act as if you do. A smile is the best instant facelift. Try smiling at ten strangers a day and you will be amazed at the response - don't overdo it though or they might come after you with a net.

Look around your home. Is it tired, cluttered and just a little bit dirty? Take a day to go round your house to touch all of your possessions and choose to have them in your life. Then get rid of everything that is not chosen. Now you'll be living in a home where everything feels loved and in its place. If you can manage it, hire a cleaner, if only for a couple of hours a week. Even if you are a cleaner yourself, sometimes you need help.

Indulge in a spa day with a facial and massage. You'll feel rejuvenated afterwards, walk taller and glow from within.

Make a date with yourself once a week and go to the cinema, a gallery, a play, a restaurant. Each week do something different that you've always wanted to do. Just enjoy your own company.

Taking this a step further, go on holiday in your own town. Book into a hotel for a long weekend, but don't tell anyone where you're going. Then do all the things that you would do on holiday - museums, tourist attractions, long walks. Rediscover the place where you live. Maybe you'll fall in love with it all over again.