From children’s books to school textbooks and adult novels, Clare Azzopardi is a household name to anyone who appreciates Maltese literature. She shares her feel-good formula.

We tell our children to wish for the stars. To believe in magic. But when it comes to ourselves, we try to make our dreams fit into “reality”. And our version of reality is much more stringent and unforgiving.

Some fairytales live in our heads and take shape without us even realising – perhaps sparked by a mix of Disney, social media and social expectations. They infiltrate into our minds and transform into some sort of happiness yardstick we measure our lives against.

Tennis champion Helen Asciak has a very practical view of life. She likes to keep things simple and uncomplicated. Helen is the first woman to share Her Feel-Good Formula with us.

The urge to shop is a feeling many of us experience regularly. Sometimes it is a gradual craving. But it can also feature as a sudden unexpected force. Paulann Grech tells us why this happens and how to get through it.

I often questioned: why am I a crier? Is it a gender thing fuelled by hormones? Is it culture? Research shows women cry more than men and there are various reasons explaining this phenomenon.

Once upon a time I used to wear high heels effortlessly. Those days are long gone. But now I know why it’s almost impossible to get used to them again.

I often feel like my mind is everywhere and nowhere. Within the span of a few minutes my mind plays mental hopscotch jumping around from one task to another. It’s all about the mental load.

It’s not about looking good. It’s about feeling good. The ‘beauty’ created by hair dye, nails or whatever treatment, is skin-deep. What we need to stop and think about is what is happening underneath that skin.