The School of Life

The School of Life has opened a branch in Germany, in Berlin. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/OG0zt Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/3U9LK SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Film narrated in imperfect German (apologies) by Alain de Botton. Produced in collaboration with: Tomás Pichardo-Espaillat https://vimeo.com/tomatico #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To make a relationship work, it’s vital to try to understand how your partner wants you to behave when they are sad and down. Surprisingly, all of us want to be comforted in quite different ways. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/TR81g Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/Py7qC FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://goo.gl/2RUrzk MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Khyan Mansley Http://www.youtube.com/user/khyan1 https://twitter.com/khyan #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It can be easy, in certain moods, to suspect that we can trust no one and to feel the temptation of conspiracy theories. But we’d be wiser learning the art of an intelligent form of scepticism. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/W4IuH Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/Er7Di FURTHER READING “We live in conspiratorial times. Deeply sinister motives appear to be at work everywhere beneath the surface. No one, however high their reputation, is entirely beyond suspicion. Every institution, even the most venerable, may be at it. Whatever may publically be said, something a whole lot ghastlier is probably going on in private. Taking anything on good faith seems a sure route to naivety and disillusion. It’s never been a more tempting moment to become a conspiracy theorist...” You can read more on this and other subjects here: http://bit.ly/2o4wLfn MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on CAPITALISM in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLcapitalism SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Zedem Media http://www.zedemanimations.com/en/home #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Behind many of our moods of depression lies something surprising: anger. Anger that hasn’t had the chance to know and express itself frequently curdles into depression – something we should bear in mind when trying to dig ourselves out of our saddest states of mind. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/rWdRl Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/v2phL FURTHER READING “We are sometimes swept away by a mood of sadness that seems to have no cause. We wake up dispirited and listless. We lack energy and direction. Everything loses its taste and the smallest challenges feel unfeasibly heavy. We struggle to see the point of almost anything. We are – as the doctors tell us – in a state of severe depression...” You can read more on this and other subjects on our blog, here: https://goo.gl/4zAqVx MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Our website has classes, articles and products to help you think and grow: https://goo.gl/B8TQqS Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself You can submit translations and transcripts on all of our videos here: https://goo.gl/y7HAqG Find out how more here: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6054623?hl=en-GB SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Lois de Silva https://www.instagram.com/loishhh #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all want to change our partners in one way or another – but the best way to do this isn’t generally through long and serious speeches. It’s through well-targeted, warmly delivered jokes. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/KGj_B Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/Yv625 FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://goo.gl/hF3ATg MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Khyan Mansley Http://www.youtube.com/user/khyan1 https://twitter.com/khyan #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Partners who break up frequently think that the nicest thing to do is to try to remain good friends. But this nice-sounding gesture frequently brings with it unexpected consequences. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/G7Uq6 Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/KaXvd FURTHER READING “There are some very strong and socially-endorsed reasons why partners breaking up generally try to remain friends.To the person being – however nicely – rejected, the promise of friendship can feel like an emotionally-reassuring consolation prize. We may no longer be allowed to share their bed, have children with them or end our days in their company, but at least something can be rescued from the ashes: we will continue to be able to call them when we like, share our fears and go to the movies together...” You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://goo.gl/GR45p2 MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Animation by Martin Stacey http://www.martinstacey.co.uk & Neil Evan http://www.neilevan.com #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There remains a huge amount of stigma around depression, but if we look at what an average human is up against, feelings of depression are entirely normal, indeed, to be expected. We don’t need to compound our misery through a sense that it’s either unusual or unwarranted. I Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/L8tl7 Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/oCaXz FURTHER READING “We’re not talking about the extreme, most paralysing, regions of despair – where external medical help is vital. Our target is rather the times when we feel – as indicated by Henry David Thoreau’s phrase – mired in moods of ‘quiet desperation’: a large, grey hinterland in which beneath an outward surface of endurance, we feel exhausted, close to tears, beyond the sympathetic understanding of others, easily irritated and daunted by the simplest tasks...” You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://goo.gl/6WyB4m MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Dave Anderson http://bloodsausage.co.uk/ https://twitter.com/DaveAndersonBS #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a lot constantly going in the fantasy part of our minds that sounds pretty strange and at times, frankly, shocking. But coming to terms with our fantasies – and realising they are not our reality – belongs to the art of knowing how to live more easily with ourselves. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/4bvm7 Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/zMkYn FURTHER READING “Every day, each one of us entertains, in the caverns of our minds, a host of secretly very enjoyable but deeply taboo ideas and scenarios. We fantasise about the downfall of rivals, sudden wealth and fame, reversing and accelerating time, eliminating colleagues, anticipating the stock market, the death of various people (even a few we’re meant to love) – and of course, of having sex with a huge variety of entirely inappropriate people in a plethora of highly forbidden or just pretty non-standard ways…” You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://goo.gl/8gl7fb MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Emma Ehrling http://www.emmaehrling.co.uk/ #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are used to thinking very badly of selfishness. But knowing how – at points – to put ourselves first can be the precondition for our later generosity and true helpfulness to others. Being selfish has a role to play in later selflessness. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/59t5i Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/ILarW FURTHER READING “We’re highly attuned to the notion that being selfish is one of the worst character traits we might possess, a way of behaving associated with greed, entitlement and cruelty. And yet some of the reason we fail to have the lives we should springs from an excess of the very opposite trait: from an overweaning modesty, an over-hasty deference to the wishes of others, a dangerous and counter-productive lack of selfishness...” You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://goo.gl/Hm3EFc MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Tom Kemp https://vimeo.com/user26596912 #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A good life will always have to involve complaining about how some people behave around us. But the act of complaining can go better or worse, depending on our our approach. Knowing how to complain properly is one of life’s key skills. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/7WuD- Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/bKolb FURTHER READING “Almost every day, with slightly dispiriting inevitability, someone in our vicinity will hurt us in some way: it could be a friend, a colleague, a child or, most likely, a partner. They’ll be neglectful about something that matters immensely to us, they’ll be – to a greater or lesser extent – unkind, thoughtless, offensive or brusque...” You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://goo.gl/o02121 MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Peter Caires http://www.twitter.com/peterlikesthis http://www.petercaires.com #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We miss out on the finest opportunities of our lives because of an underlying terror of a very short word. We should overcome the fear. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/lzYU3 Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/9vYut FURTHER READING “There are many things we want to ask of other people. We want to ask for a job, for money, a chance to collaborate, a kiss. But we often don’t ask because of The Terror of a ‘No’. Why should a ‘no’ – such a small and innocuous word – prove quite so painful, so hard to hear, so much something we’d rather die in penury, ignored and unfulfilled than ever encounter? It’s because it’s not a case of trying not to hear a ‘no’. What we are trying to do is avoid hearing something quite different: that we’re disgusting…” You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://goo.gl/QTFQ48 MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Tracy Foster​ http://www.tracyfoster.co.uk Co-directed & produced by Tracy Foster & Simon Biggs Animation by Simon Biggs Sound Design by Howard Sinden #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The clothes we choose to wear constitute some of our most crucial and carefully chosen lines of autobiography. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/MlSNr Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/Jz90J FURTHER READING "Once, we were all dressed by someone else. Parents picked out a T-shirt; the school dictated what colour our trousers should be. But at some point, we were granted the opportunity to discover who we might be in the world of clothes. We had to decide for ourselves about collars and necklines, fit, colours, patterns, textures and what goes (or doesn’t) with what. We learnt to speak about ourselves in the language of garments. Despite the potential silliness and exaggeration of sections of the fashion industry, assembling a wardrobe is a serious and meaningful exercise." You can read more on this and other subjects on our blog, here: https://goo.gl/l4eHTH MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Our website has classes, articles and products to help you think and grow: https://goo.gl/lqFJ16 Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself You can submit translations and transcripts on all of our videos here: https://goo.gl/JxUuod SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Gemma Rose Green-Hope http://www.gemmagreenhope.com/ #TheSchoolOfLife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us are struggling with an intensely critical inner voice, one who relentlessly punishes us for failing to live up to an impossible standard. Taming this voice requires us to recognise where it is coming from and what may be driving its fury. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/mQN5R Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/5kR8T The School of Life runs a global online psychotherapy service that assists clients from over 40 countries. To find out more and book a session today, please visit our website: https://t.ly/xP3EL FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/389sDUu “One of the tedious aspects of having problems with our minds is that we need to take more of an interest in how they work than untroubled people do: we have to become mind mechanics because something is hurting inside. A particularly noxious problem that afflicts many of us is that we are almost permanently anxious, self-critical, self-hating and afflicted by a sense that we don’t deserve to exist. We are definitely not good enough. Ever…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Deanca Rensyta Mihardja https://www.behance.net/deancarensa5a9 Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Those of us in relationships suffer from an ignorance of what other people’s relationships are really like. We should recognise that episodes of difficulty and ambivalence are not the exception, but the norm. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/CMFlP Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/nHVMa FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/2M1Ute6 “A question that rarely leaves us alone in love is: what exactly are other people’s relationships like? The question is far from disinterested sociological curiosity. What we urgently seek to know is: are other people in as much trouble as we are? After a furious row over nothing very much at eleven at night or after yet another month that has unfolded with almost no sex, we wonder how statistically normal our case might be – precisely because it threatens to feel like a unique curse…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Lois De silva http://www.loisdesilva.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The triggers for addictive behaviours are always rooted in painful, self-critical emotions. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/0vGhl Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/M0QxW FURTHER READING “Many of us are prey to addictive behaviours which we know run contrary to our deeper interests but which we find ourselves entirely unable to desist from at key moments. Let’s pick three of these: — Bulimia — Porn addiction — Alcoholism We will appreciate, as soon as we come out of the tunnel of addiction, that we have neglected our interests and harmed ourselves. And yet we are at a loss as to what we might do. What, if anything, could help? One kind of answer is this: we should try to notice when the desire to regurgitate food or watch porn or drink strikes us. Though this might sound strange, those in the grip of addictions seldom do notice. They don’t pay much attention to what has immediately happened before their desires strike; it doesn’t occur to them that anything has…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Provincia Studio https://www.youtube.com/c/ProvinciaStudio Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Immanuel Kant was acutely aware of living in an age when philosophy would need to supplant the role once played by religion. This helped him to arrive at his most famous concept: the ‘categorical imperative.’ Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/Ii_YN Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/LpcLq FURTHER READING “Immanuel Kant is a philosopher who tried to work out how human beings could be good and kind – outside of the exhortations and blandishments of traditional religion. He was born in 1724 in the Baltic city of Königsberg, which at that time was part of Prussia, and now belongs to Russia (renamed Kaliningrad)...” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE More films on PHILOSOPHY in our playlist below: http://bit.ly/TSOLphilosophy SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Mad Adam http://madadamfilms.co.uk #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fundamental idea behind psychotherapy is that we tend to grow mentally unwell because we haven’t been able to think with sufficient clarity about the difficulties in our past, typically in our distant childhoods. EMDR therapy is a fascinating tool that can help us process these difficulties, move past them and continue with our adult lives. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/f8_Gd Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/2dJ0B The School of Life runs a global online psychotherapy service that assists clients from over 40 countries. To find out more and book a session today, please visit our website: https://t.ly/xP3EL FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/34VcFfY "The fundamental idea behind psychotherapy is that we tend to grow mentally unwell because we haven’t been able to think with sufficient clarity about the difficulties in our past, typically in our distant childhoods. Damaging incidents have been locked away, and continue to have an outsized impact on us, but we have no way of going back over them in order to liberate ourselves from their distorting influences. A sense that we are bad or disgusting, acquired in our fifth year, may ruin our chances of fulfilment in our fiftieth..." MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Noelle Smith Design http://www.noellesmithdesign.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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We are unnecessarily scared of being on our own because we fail to keep in mind the distinction between solitude (a fine condition) and loneliness (a pain). We need to recover a sense of the good sides of being by ourselves - in order to be able to make the right choices around friendship and love. FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/2A9k7HI “In the privacy of our minds, one thought – highly shameful by nature – may haunt us as we evaluate whether to stay in or leave an unsatisfactory relationship: what if we were to end things and end up in a place of appalling loneliness? We’re meant to be above such pragmatic worries. Only cowards and reprobates would mind a few weekends (or decades) by themselves. We’ve heard of those books that sing the praises of solitude (the divorcee who relocated to a solitary hut on a bare Scottish island; the one who went sailing around the world in a dinghy). But we can admit that we’re not naturals at this sort of thing: there have been empty days when we almost lost our minds. There was one trip that we took on our own years back that was, behind the scenes, a psychological catastrophe. We’re not really in a position to wave away the dangers of being left alone on our rock…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Tomas Espaillat http://www.tomatico.net/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dream of becoming an entrepreneur is extremely common. Putting the plan in action requires many things, most importantly: a really great idea. But where do really good ideas come from? Our unhappiest moments… Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/9LyCV Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/W7Gcs SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Brought to you by http://www.theschooloflife.com Produced in collaboration with Zedem Media http://www.zedemanimations.com/ #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emotional Intelligence, Daily. Start now: https://www.theschooloflife.com/subscription/ Forget the search for a perfect physique or professional success. An ideal lover is defined by their emotional intelligence, their ability to admit to flaws, and their benevolent interpretation of our behavior. Learn why vulnerability and humor are the true keys to intimacy. #Relationships #SelfAwareness #IdealLover #LoveAdvice #Psychology Unlock all the content of The School of Life with a subscription to our podcast, articles, videos, and exercises, specially tailored to your needs. Get weekly insights for better relationships, deeper self-knowledge, and inner calm straight to your inbox. Sign up for more ideas, plus 10% off your first shop order: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/ You can read more on this and other subjects in our articles, here: https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/how-to-be-a-great-lover/ “The goal of becoming an ideal lover has a tendency to bring up certain stock images: a slender physique, clear eyes, taut skin, a successful business, a confident manner. These have their advantages no doubt, but the true virtues of love might lie in a slightly different, slightly less heralded corner. An ideal lover might be endowed with some of the following…” OUR COLLECTIONS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcEwc0qydf2jSszQFSht81E https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpckOvZZ_AZjD7WM2p9-6NBv https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeUL1vz9Su7OmeghBDgmj7X https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeypJMHfNbJ4RAFkRtmAN3P https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcpxBm1RoGRx4mVKNRIrKkG https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpcp7jXVszdNruKUtHZ2zuZb https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpfv2COuuJaKzy6E2n8nSMdi https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpc1qCJ6RYYh4rKNOOlKtFIK SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theschooloflife?lang=en CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Hannah O'brien https://www.hanobrien.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ghosts of the past haunting your present? Explore the psychology of ancestors and traditional healing from Africa. Discover how ancient wisdom can unlock modern well-being. #Ancestors #Therapy #Psychology #Africa #Healing #Spirituality Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://www.theschooloflife.com/the-school-of-life-youtube/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=How%20your%20ancestors%20are%20influencing%20your%20life%20-%20and%20an%20idea%20from%20Africa Learn, heal and grow. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=How%20your%20ancestors%20are%20influencing%20your%20life%20-%20and%20an%20idea%20from%20Africa FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects in our articles, here: https://www.theschooloflife.com/articles/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=How%20your%20ancestors%20are%20influencing%20your%20life%20-%20and%20an%20idea%20from%20Africa “We may feel that it is a uniquely Western neurosis, especially one afflicting people who have spent too long in psychotherapy, to go on about one’s relatives and their contribution to one’s unhappiness - to be twenty-five or sixty-two and still turning over in one’s mind how mum or grandpa have been responsible for spoiling one’s relationships or ruined one’s life…” SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: X: https://x.com/TheSchoolOfLife/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theschooloflife?lang=en CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Hannah O'brien https://www.hanobrien.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every parent offers their child one of three possible answers to the question ‘what do I need to be loved?’ This answer will shape not just their earliest years, but the course of their adult lives. FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/41PS8F3 “The moment babies are born, their minds are dominated by a powerful implicit question: What do I need to do in order to be loved? We have to remember that babies are entirely at the mercy of the prevailing environment, and therefore, knowing what exactly the people in this environment want from them in exchange for keeping them alive is central to their very survival. Furthermore, how the question is answered will shape their entire personality and sense of adult priorities; who we are is predominantly the result of what we needed to do to capture and sustain the interest of the people who put us on the earth…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Léon Moh-Cah Na Na Na Studio https://nananastudio.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taking the time to start a small chat with a stranger might be more consequential than it seems. It may even play a part in changing the world. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/gcwuj Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/wlSZ0 FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/3VMWVFb “Taking time to have small chats about nothing in particular with people we don’t know and are unlikely ever to meet again can — from some perspectives — seem like the height of absurdity. Maybe we’re in a coffee shop and someone is preparing us a drink. Perhaps we’ve crossed a neighbour in the hallway while getting our post. Or we’re on a train, waiting for the doors to open. Why would we bother to hold up our day for a few moments, given how many things we already need to do and how many good friends we have that we haven’t seen in far too long? We may also have a more high minded defence for our silence: we aspire to be profound people and there is no way that we can get anywhere meaningful with a near or complete stranger in a compressed amount of time. We shun the smaller chats because — in the back of our minds — we tell ourselves that we are already sufficiently deeply committed to the long and consequential ones…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Natalia Beigaj https://www.nb-animation.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emotional Intelligence, Daily. Start now: https://www.theschooloflife.com/subscription/ Get weekly insights for better relationships, deeper self-knowledge, and inner calm straight to your inbox: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our 3am awakenings are signs that we have not been doing the sort of self-reflection we need to do in order to be at – or sleep in – peace. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/MLPI_ Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/1oA-G FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/42Z1bDR “Sometimes we have simply had too much coffee, or the bedroom is too hot…but most often, insomnia is psychological. It is the mind’s revenge for all the efforts we have, largely unbeknownst to us, been making not to have certain thoughts in the day. We are being woken up by a need to think about something that we have assiduously been ignoring, probably thanks to our work, or our social and family commitments. Having attempted to get our attention by more normal means in the clamour of the day, our deep minds are now trying to get us to have an appointment with certain insights in the quieter hours of night…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Mike Booth https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCbQk_s7ZmvUZ3MqilVcdLg Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Renaissance is a historical period with some important lessons to teach us about how to improve the world today. We need to study it not for its own sake, but for the sake of our collective futures. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/VcMJ4 Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/16OY4 SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Brought to you by http://www.theschooloflife.com Produced in collaboration with a man who is a genius: Signor Mike Booth http://www.youtube.com/somegreybloke Thank you So much Mike. #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you like our films here on Youtube, consider coming to study with us at our campuses around the world: in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Sydney, Melbourne, Seoul and Sao Paulo: http://www.theschooloflife.com/london/shop/classroom/core-curriculum Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/EyVYs Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/S6ne0 SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS http://www.theschooloflife.com/london/ #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Masochism is the belief that one is secretly deserving of punishment. Whilst sexual masochism can be fun, emotional masochism - which is much more common - often stems from unexamined trauma. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/YPdGB Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/jTnaT FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/3hMJ6T2 “The word Masochism derives, somewhat unfairly for him and his family, from the Austrian 19th century aristocrat and writer, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. As a young man, Leopold made a conventional marriage to a fellow member of the nobility, Aurora von Rümelin, but he swiftly discovered that his sexual tastes could not be accommodated within the relationship. When he was contacted by an admiring reader, a Baroness Fanny Pistor, under the ostensible excuse of seeking help with her writing style, he was able to discover a whole new side to his sexual identity. What he wanted most of all was that Fanny would dress in a grand and imperious-looking fur coat, flog him, dominate him and treat him with haughty cruelty. He wanted Fanny to call him ‘Gregor’, at that time a popular servant’s name – and when they travelled, despite being far wealthier than her, insisted on being forced to sit in third class while she took her place in first…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Gemma Green-Hope http://www.gemmagreenhope.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We don't have to be Hindus to admire the imaginative way in which the religion seeks to align its teachings with the particular demands we face across time. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/ltnWQ Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/jbAQ7 FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://admin1.hopp.to/Article “Most world religions and philosophies make the cardinal error of supposing that what they see as the meaning of life should — by virtue of its importance — apply to everyone, irrespective of age, circumstance or position. So proud are they of their insight into existence, they can’t help but accord it universal and dogmatic application. Hinduism is a great deal more supple and imaginative. It too has a sense of how a good life should be lived, but crucially, it never assumes that the rules should apply across the board. It cuts up populations into segments — and differentiates right conduct according to four life stages collectively called ‘ashramas.’...” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on EASTERN PHILOSOPHY in our playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeUL1vz9Su7OmeghBDgmj7X SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Reflective Films https://www.reflectivefilms.co.uk/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pessimism is generally equated with a grumpy and immature kind of mood. But it is in fact at the origin of wisdom – and can even leave us feeling surprisingly cheerful. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/TeRZB Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/qCEmB SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Brought to you by http://www.theschooloflife.com Produced in collaboration with Claudio Salas http://www.claudiosalas.com #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emotional Intelligence, Daily. Start now: https://www.theschooloflife.com/subscription/ Get weekly insights for better relationships, deeper self-knowledge, and inner calm straight to your inbox: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are male friendships so hard? This film explores the psychology of masculinity and the barriers to intimacy between men. Can we redefine what it means to be a friend? #MaleFriendship #Masculinity #Psychology #Intimacy #Loneliness #Connection Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://www.theschooloflife.com/the-school-of-life-youtube/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDjlHY5Z2xI&t=7s Learn, heal and grow. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDjlHY5Z2xI&t=7s FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects in our articles, here: https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/the-challenges-of-male-friendships/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=The%20Psychology%20of%20Male%20Loneliness "There are, of course, exceptions: buddies who know all about intimacy and cosiness, camaraderie and connection. But let’s state the darker and more general truth plainly: friendship is difficult for men. For every man who can claim a decent male friend, there must be at least eight who – in the honesty of their deep minds – know they have none that truly merit the term..." MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: X: https://x.com/TheSchoolOfLife/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theschooloflife?lang=en CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Natalia Biegaj https://www.nb-animation.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alain de Botton sits down with Jaime Laing on the @GreatCompanyPodcast. Together they dive into such subjects as: What is love? How do we navigate heartbreak? Why is our childhood so critical in shaping the rest of our life? And what does it all mean, anyway? Along the way, Alain walks Jamie through some of the reasons why we experience the ‘ick’, the typical emotional burdens parents project onto their children, and why breakdowns often lead to breakthroughs. They also explore ways of understanding our own relationships – and how our attachment styles and past experiences can shape the way we love. Great Company is an original podcast from JamPot Productions uploaded with their permission to The School of Life. If you enjoyed this podcast you can find more on the Great Company podcast, links below: YouTube |  @greatcompanypodcast Instagram |  @greatcompanypodcast TikTok |  @greatcompanypodcast -- Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://www.theschooloflife.com/the-school-of-life-youtube/ Learn, heal and grow. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/ FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects in our articles, here: https://www.theschooloflife.com/articles/ Timestamps 00:00 What is the meaning of life? 00:45 Finding the extraordinary with the ordinary 3:30 An exercise that can help with anxiety 07:00 How difficult self-awareness is 08:50 What Jamie was like as a child 10:20 Why funny people often come from sad childhoods 12:50 Looking for familiarity not happiness in relationships 18:00 Examining Jamie’s relationship through attachment styles 21:45 Acknowledging a relationship is between two broken people 23:00 Why asking ‘How are you mad?’ on a date can help 25:00 Best way to diffuse an argument with a partner 26:30 The worst heartbreak comes from the nice ones 29:20 How to become the best version of yourself 31:20 Our past can explain how we act in our current relationships 36:45 What has led me to do what I do 39:20 Life is about deepening time not just lengthening it 40:40 Ways to help when feeling mentally unwell 48:30 Breakdowns can actually be breakthroughs 50:15 Why read my new book ‘A Therapeutic Journey’ 52:00 Final eight questions #THESCHOOLOFLIFE #GREATCOMPANYPODCAST #ALAINDEBOTTON -- THE CREDITS: Exec Producer: Jemima Rathbone Assistant Producer: Gurlina Heer Editor: Steve Melia Video: Jake Ji Marketing: Eleanore Bamber Social Media: Laura Coughlan SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: X: https://x.com/TheSchoolOfLife/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theschooloflife?lang=en Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://

It can be hard to know what we really need from a relationship. But the task becomes much simpler if we keep in mind that every relationship requires just three crucial ingredients to work. Enjoying our YouTube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/ecH4C Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/HRtwg FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects on our blog, here: https://bit.ly/2XCj63C “Many people, after they’ve been in a couple for some time, will privately admit that they are – in many ways – frustrated and disappointed by the person they’ve chosen to share their lives with. If pressed for details, they will have no difficulty coming up with a list: their partner, they might complain:..” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Gemma Green-Hope http://www.gemmagreenhope.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do we sabotage good relationships? This film dissects the psychology of avoidance and the impact of childhood trauma on adult love. Learn to break free from fear and embrace intimacy. #Relationships #Trauma #Psychology #Love #Intimacy #avoidance Enjoying our YouTube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://www.theschooloflife.com/app/ Learn, heal and grow; get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/ FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects in our articles, here: https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/the-psychology-of-avoidance/ “One of the most perplexing of all our behaviours is our tendency – in relationships – to flee from the warmth and affection it is so natural for us to want. In the face of someone who seems to like us very much, who smiles tenderly at us whenever we walk in the room and is interested in the details of our lives, some of us may respond in an extremely counterintuitive way: by feeling nauseous and (in time, probably) running away…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: X: https://x.com/TheSchoolOfLife/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theschooloflife?lang=en CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Leon Moh Cah https://leonmohcah.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though each individual is unique, deep down, everyone is searching for the same thing: reassurance - a gift that is within all of our power to give. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/lnDWT Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/H_Mlr FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/2XZbMPw “We’re often in situations of wanting to help and be kind to others, but of not knowing quite what they might be in need of. We’d like to deepen our connection to them and be of service, and yet lack a real grasp of what we could plausibly offer them; their minds seem impenetrable, their problems opaque. At such moments, we would do well to remember that we all possess a superpower, a capacity to give people something we can be sure they fundamentally require, founded on a primordial and basic insight into human nature: that all of us are in deep need of reassurance. Life is a more or less ongoing emergency for everyone. We are invariably haunted by doubts about our value, by concerns for our future, by shapeless anxiety and dread about things we’ve done, by feelings of guilt and embarrassment about ourselves. Everyday brings new threats to our integrity and except for very rare moments when we and the world feel solid, there is almost always a background throb of unwellness in our minds. It doesn’t matter whether they are old or young, accomplished or starting out, at the top of the tree or struggling to get by, we can count on one thing about anyone we meet: they’ll be beset by a sense of insecurity and, beneath some excellent camouflage, to a greater or lesser extent, of desperation…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Tom Kemp Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite what we might think, there are no such things as ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ in life. Those who win in some areas will lose in others - and vice versa. The task lies in working out where our true successes and failures lie. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/4YxK8 Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/v4sDE FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/3sZxPDY “Our societies have advanced tendencies to label certain people ‘winners’ and others – logically enough – ‘losers’. Aside from the evident meanness of this categorisation, the underlying problem with it is the suggestion that life might be a unitary, singular race, at the conclusion to which one could neatly rank all the competitors from highest to lowest…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Mike Booth https://www.youtube.com/user/somegreybloke Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even if we've never spelled them out, each of us carries within us a private list of 'reasons to live'. Mental illness can threaten these reasons: to heal, we may need to seek out new ones. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/T7szM Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/kMSG9 If you are struggling with mental health there are lines where you can get professional support: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines. The School of Life runs a global online psychotherapy service that assists clients from over 40 countries. To find out more and book a session today, please visit our website: https://t.ly/xP3EL FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/3cIgji9 “When we are feeling well in our minds, we hardly notice that we might be harbouring in ourselves anything as formal or as dramatic-sounding as ‘reasons to live.’ We simply assume that we like life itself and that it must be natural and inevitable to do so. And yet a broad appetite for life is, on close inspection, never simply that; our apparently general buoyancy must covertly rest on a range of specific elements that, while we may not bother to itemise them, have their own and distinct identities nevertheless…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Tracy Foster http://tj-tracyfoster.squarespace.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It can be surprisingly difficult for us to accept that a major cause of much of our mental distress may be nothing so dramatic as a lack of sleep. Getting better requires us to take our need for sleep seriously. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/16ZKb Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/FbO5z FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/3aQc8y6 “Part of the reason why many of us have a tangled and unhelpful relationship to sleep can be traced back to the way we first learnt about the subject many years ago. Parents of small children tend to be very careful about bedtimes. They favour early nights, they give their babies plenty of naps throughout the day, they think a lot about black-out curtains, they are quick to diagnose many instances of bad temper as stemming from a background deficit of rest and while they may be indulgent in some areas, they are likely to be entirely implacable in any negotiation over routines: seven p.m. lights out, no ifs ands or buts…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Hannah O’brien https://www.hanobrien.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk a lot about love without fully understanding exactly what it means. True love is less an appreciation of strength than a tolerance of (and kindness towards) what is weak and misshapen in another person. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/mWtp1 Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/fSCEy FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/3b8WCxo "There is so much talk of love in our societies, it would be natural to think that we must by now know what it is and why it counts. Love is the excited feeling we get in the presence of someone of unusual accomplishment and talent – great intelligence or beauty for the most part – whom we hope will reciprocate our interest and whom we badly want to touch, caress and one day share our lives with. This definition sounds so plausible and enjoys such powerful cultural endorsement, we are apt to miss another vision of love altogether, this one focused not so much on the appreciation of strength as on a tolerance of, and kindness towards, what is weak and misshapen…" MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Eunju Ara Choi https://vimeo.com/arachoi Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s easy to criticise modern societies for being ‘celebrity obsessed’. But the problem isn’t an interest in celebrity, it’s the sort of celebrities paraded before us. We don’t need no-celebrities, we need better-celebrities. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/3ldgp Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/o4M3d SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Brought to you by http://www.theschooloflife.com Produced in collaboration with Damn Fine Media: http://www.damnfinemedia.co.uk/ #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s remarkably easy to spend most of one’s life in a blind rage. So much of existence is, after all, infuriating. But there are other options to be painfully and slowly learnt. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/os_hI Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/DSGyd SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Brought to you by http://www.theschooloflife.com Produced in collaboration with Avi Ofer http://www.aviofer.com/ #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re used to thinking that state broadcasters do something very important: but what really is their function in modern societies? A utopian proposal from The School of Life. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/nNUfq Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/qJbwu SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Brought to you by http://www.theschooloflife.com Produced in collaboration with Reflective films http://www.reflectivefilms.co.uk #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emotional Intelligence, Daily. Start now: https://www.theschooloflife.com/subscription/ Feeling overwhelmed by adult life? This film explores the inner child concept, revealing how our childhood selves influence daily struggles. Learn to reconnect with your emotional needs and practice radical self-compassion for lasting well-being. #InnerChild #SelfCare #MentalHealth #EmotionalWellness #Psychology #Compassion Unlock all the content of The School of Life with a subscription to our podcast, articles, videos, and exercises, specially tailored to your needs. Get weekly insights for better relationships, deeper self-knowledge, and inner calm straight to your inbox. Sign up for more ideas, plus 10% off your first shop order: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/ You can read more on this and other subjects in our articles, here: https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/what-does-the-child-in-you-need-today “We know - in theory - that it is extremely wise to try to look after ourselves, to show ourselves compassion and patience and to attempt to be kind to who we are. The difficulty is how to pull any of this off. It tends to feel highly incongruous to try to interrupt the normal panicked, stern or critical way we speak to ourselves for the sake of a moment of stillness and nurture. It can be infinitely easier to look after someone else than to direct generosity inwards. It may in this context help to try out a minor imaginative exercise: to picture ourselves as being, alongside our normal duties, always responsible for looking after a small child, a distinctly sensitive five year old, who happens to be a version of our younger selves…” OUR COLLECTIONS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcEwc0qydf2jSszQFSht81E https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpckOvZZ_AZjD7WM2p9-6NBv https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeUL1vz9Su7OmeghBDgmj7X https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpeypJMHfNbJ4RAFkRtmAN3P https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcpxBm1RoGRx4mVKNRIrKkG https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpcp7jXVszdNruKUtHZ2zuZb https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpfv2COuuJaKzy6E2n8nSMdi https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28Xmpc1qCJ6RYYh4rKNOOlKtFIK SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theschooloflife?lang=en CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Deanca Rensyta https://www.deancarensyta.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mental crises can seem to come out of the blue, but their roots probably reach back years, even decades. Recovery begins only when we begin to listen to what our pain is trying to tell us. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/9QZGG Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/ifDMX The School of Life runs a global online psychotherapy service that assists clients from over 40 countries. To find out more and book a session today, please visit our website: https://t.ly/xP3EL FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://bit.ly/3bw2nW4 “For a long time, we may cope well enough. We make it to work every morning, we give pleasant summaries of our lives to friends, we smile over dinner. We aren’t totally balanced, but there’s little way of knowing how difficult things might be for other people, and what we have a right to expect in terms of contentment and peace of mind. We probably tell ourselves to stop being self-indulgent and redouble our efforts to feel worthy through achievement. We are probably world experts in not feeling sorry for ourselves…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Dal Park https://dalpark.net/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feeling at rock bottom? Don't despair. This film explores how to ask for help at times of crisis and loneliness. Learn to overcome shame and find support in times of crisis. #MentalHealth #Vulnerability #Help #Support #Crisis #Resilience Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://www.theschooloflife.com/the-school-of-life-youtube/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=How%20to%20Ask%20for%20Help%20When%20You're%20Drowning Learn, heal and grow. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://www.theschooloflife.com/signup/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDjlHY5Z2xI&t=7s MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: X: https://x.com/TheSchoolOfLife/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theschooloflife?lang=en CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Diego Lodeiros https://thebrightagency.com/uk/animation/artists/diego-lodeiros Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jamie Oliver is a big inspiration for us at The School of Life, as he is a hugely talented teacher, opening an often complicated subject (food preparation) to a mass audience; we'd like to do for the health of the mind what he has done for the health of our bodies. Here Jamie - an extraordinarily generous person - comes to cook us a meal and chats to us about nutrition and well-being. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/ANKIb Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/FSVAD SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Brought to you by http://www.theschooloflife.com Produced in collaboration with Jamie Oliver's Food Tube http://www.youtube.com/JamieOliver and John Harding https://vimeo.com/johnharding #TheSchoolOfLife ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When relationships start, enthusiasm for our partners is typically natural and intense. We think of them constantly, we want only to spend more time in their company, we delight in their many skills and accomplishments: but this early phase of powerful admiration and longing rarely lasts. The world often explains this cooling as an inevitable result of sheer exposure. It is, they say, typical to neglect what is always around. But the true reasons seem more complicated, more psychologically rich and, in their own way, a lot more hopeful. Enjoying our Youtube videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: https://t.ly/yTaqZ Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: https://t.ly/CzsDD FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects here: https://9qq0.short.gy/Izy3Md MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ X: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-school-of-life-for-business/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Deanca Rensyta https://www.deancarensyta.com/about Title animation produced in collaboration with Graeme Probert www.gpmotion.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices