Hypochondriac, neurotic and a habitual worrier, Ariel Leve has always looked on the blighted side of life. She counts it a good day if she manages to get out of bed. If someone should ask: what's the worst that can happen? she has a ready-made list and lives in permanent fear of what's to come. But at least, as a pessimist, she's fully prepared for any eventuality: people who see the glass half full are only a spill away from disappointment. Whether you've been dumped by the love of your life, lost your job, said the wrong thing at a party, or forgotten to have children, Ariel is there to remind you that it could be worse ... you could be her.

Ariel Leve is an award-winning journalist and columnist with the Sunday Times Magazine. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, Vogue, Elle, the New York Observer, and the Evening Standard. She has twice been nominated for the British Press Awards and in 2008 won Feature Writer Of The Year at the Magazine Design and Journalism Awards. She is based in London and New York and for as long as she can remember she's been worrying. www.ariel-leve.com