Cynthia Lawrence

After the initial shock and panic, it’s easy to wallow in a sea of self-pity (over a bottle of red). But don’t let it be all doom and gloom. Dust yourself off, get your Olivia Pope thinking-cap on and get it ‘handled’.

1. Don’t go wild at the free bar — Yes it’s a party, you’re having fun and the drinks are overflowing but that’s no excuse to get ridiculously drunk. You probably won’t even realize your glass being constantly refilled, so pace yourself!

Two weeks after the UK voted out of the European Union, the dust has not yet settled. With the PM quitting, the Sterling dropping, and no apparent Brexit-plan — the aftermath has left many feeling uncertain. In a tense climate of racial commentary and unprecedented abuse, Brexit, thus far, has not been favourable.

The player — His shady behavior raises suspicions, and he never seems to elaborate on what he’s been doing. His phone constantly bleeps which he deliberately ignores (“must be the mother again…”) before switching it off.

"So what happens when the split is acrimonious and your friends end up dumping you, too? Suddenly you’re treated as an outcast, and when you bump into them in the street, they pretend they haven’t seen you, even when you’re standing in the next line in Costco!"

2. Searching for an anti-allergen birthday cake. Back in the day, there was only one birthday cake (usually homemade). All the kids would eat it problem-free, and the only emergency would be little Jack vomiting on a chair. But with today’s abundance of nut, gluten, wheat, egg and you-name-it allergies, vomiting is the least of your worries. Now, your mission is to find a cake (or several) that will not require antihistamines afterwards.

I crave it 24/7 and it follows me everywhere I go...even to the bathroom!

It's so easy to sit and pass judgment on why friends or family stay “trapped” in unhappy relationships. We often wonder why she hasn’t left him/her, why can't she see that she could do much better, why can't she value her self-worth, etc.

But while it may seem like the logical thing to do, for many, it’s not so simple in reality. Many complex factors come to play, and people “stick it out” for all kinds of reasons, often at a personal price.

"When is there going to be baby number two?" It's a familiar question to those who opt to have an only child. But it's no one else's business whether or not I have another child.

Wouldn't it be great if we could go back in time and talk to our younger selves? What would you say (besides ridiculing those questionable hairstyles and dodgy dates!)? Fortunately, we live and learn — painfully at times — and realize these experiences only define who we are.