Eleanor Gordon-Smith

Dec 12, 2024 | theguardian.com | Eleanor Gordon-Smith

My long-distance partner of nearly 10 years is moving in with me in the next few months. For most of this time it is what I thought I wanted, but the closer it gets, the more trepidation I have. I used to put up with behaviours from people that I didn’t really like, but kept relationships going for fear of what would happen if I ended them. I’m not that person any more.

Dec 5, 2024 | theguardian.com | Eleanor Gordon-Smith

I used to be really interested in the world. I’d read lots of news, books from authors around the world and had opinions about world events. I work for a charity that works globally too. But lately I’ve become less engaged. I don’t know if it’s due to having children, fatigue or the harshness of the world, but I feel unplugged from it all and not interested. Equally I’m not interested in anything else as an alternative. I feel my world becoming smaller. I spend hours scrolling Instagram too.

Nov 28, 2024 | theguardian.com | Eleanor Gordon-Smith

How do I get my parents to stop fixating on the fact I’ve gained weight? I’m an undergraduate at one of the most competitive universities in the UK and received top grades throughout school to get in. Since going to university I’ve kept busy and achieved a lot. I am president of a student society, do pro-bono tutoring and have done multiple internships and a part-time job alongside my degree, which I am averaging a first in.

Nov 21, 2024 | theguardian.com | Eleanor Gordon-Smith

I graduated from university a year ago, and while I have settled into a postgrad job that I am OK with, I have felt a deep sense of guilt and frustration since my late teens at not having an answer to the big question: what do you want to do with your life? I realise much of this anxiety will come from pressure to be perceived as successful, feel financially secure and other factors, but there remains a deep-seated belief that to be truly happy, I need to find my “thing”.

Nov 14, 2024 | theguardian.com | Eleanor Gordon-Smith

A few months ago my boyfriend and I had a fairly major issue around him following and regularly looking up influencers or celebrities he found attractive. This tapped into a lot of insecurities about my appearance, about not being enough for him, not being his type, and the idea that if he met a woman who looked more like them he might be unfaithful. We talked about it a lot.