selective disclosure.

You just can’t buy contentment, no matter what it might look like when you scroll through your feeds.

Instead of diversity and originality, what the majority of people on social media appear to want is more of the same. Conformity is rewarded by both the community and the system – what we “like” most drives the algorithms, which in turn feed us more indistinguishable content which we happily consume.

While we like to preach the idea that you can “be anything you want to be” in our real lives, the truth is that there is a social stigma attached to self-invention as if it’s a con.

I’ve found it incredibly hard to be open about any of these feelings, both the downs and the anxieties, even on my own platforms, simply because there is a huge amount of guilt that goes alongside it. How dare I feel overwhelmed, teary or have panic attacks when there are so many women who would do anything to have a baby growing inside them? I

“When it comes to striving for a six-pack, people are often only considering the now and what they see in the mirror in front of them. They’re not thinking about fertility, bone density or gut health.

But that’s the trade-off – I’d prefer to earn less, be my own boss and have control over my time.

I am much less productive and it means my work day bleeds over into my free time.

It’s so easy to think, ‘she’s glowing’, or ‘she obviously got pregnant on her first try’. We can very quickly persuade ourselves that she never struggled.