‘After the divorce and the kids moving out, I feel like I’ve disappeared. I’ve spent so long being someone’s wife, someone’s mother, someone’s employee – I don’t know what I want any more. Even small

As the days grow shorter and darker, Caro seeks out ways to sit more comfortably in the dark while also enjoying the chinks of brightness that she manages to find.

LET COUNSELLOR KEREN LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD

THAT FEELING OF BEING ON THE OUTSIDE, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE WITH EVERYONE? YOU’RE NOT IMAGINING IT – AND IT CAN CHANGE. HERE’S HOW TO GET THE FEELING OF CONNECTION BACK

It’s funny, isn’t it that, despite all the modernity around us, our life paths remain fairly old-fashioned: dating, settling down with someone, marriage, buying a home, kids, grandchildren then growin

Q‘I’m 61 and have just moved from London to Scotland to start a new life. The scenery is breathtaking but my social life… less so. I’ve always been “the nice one” – helpful, upbeat, unfailingly polite