Whether it's sudden hair loss or the unmitigated urge to move to a developing country, things can happen that no amount of Wikipedia-ing could explain. You may blame physiological and psychological mysteries on temporary wiring malfunctions - or you might panic over what they mean. To allay your fears, we've called on the experts to find out what's typical, what's not and how to get help when you need it. We promise not to point and laugh.

I'm shedding like my labrador

You have about five million hairs on your body, so you can afford to lose a few. "Hairs grow for anywhere up to five years solid before taking a 12-week holiday, when they tend to stay put but don't do any growing," says GP Dr Ginni Mansberg. After their holiday they fall out, a new hair follicle will grow in their place and so the cycle continues. When to be concerned? "If you start seeing clumps of hair in the shower drain, if your clothes are covered in much more hair than usual, or your hair starts to look thin or patchy," says Dr Mansberg. "A sudden increase in hair loss could be down to hereditary baldness, a side-effect of medication or other medical problems like thyroid disease, low iron levels, diabetes, a low protein level in your diet; basically any major chronic illness that leaves your body running under par. Get a doc to help you work out what's going on in your case."

I don't have any "real" friends at work

You're not only normal, you're probably playing a wise game, especially if you want to be taken seriously. "The dynamic of your work relationships shift when you move up the ranks, so don't be surprised if you find yourself with less friends as your desk view gets better," says Gillian Fox, director of Altitude, a work performance consultancy. "Junior staff go to lunch together, talk about their weekend, bitch about the boss. As you climb the ladder, your time becomes more precious and your responsibility increases. It's natural that the dynamics of your work relationships also shift." This can be a big adjustment for women, as we're naturally skilled at connecting and sharing, but it helps to view work as a totally separate arena. "Successful female execs won't cite the need to have great friends in business, they don't need that as they have them in their personal lives," says Fox. But you won't get far if you snub colleagues. "You still need to seek out good relationships at work, based on mutual trust and respect." Helps if the witnesses to your Saturday night Beyoncé routine aren't the same ones sitting next to you on Monday.

I've thought about steering into the path of a semi-trailer

Steer straight, lady. Fleeting thoughts of death are normal and can be uplifting because they force us to appreciate the present, says psychologist Dr Sheldon Solomon. Thoughts of death that occur several times a week or cause your heart to race or palms to sweat may be a consequence of post traumatic stress disorder. Talking about your thoughts with a friend or therapist can help. "Sometimes just the knowledge that what you're thinking is common and benign is sufficiently uplifting [and can] remove the problem," Dr Solomon says.

I'm cold, even when it's 28°C inside

Body temps vary because of things like sleep deprivation, age, ethnicity, menstrual cycle, an underactive thyroid or poor diet. Another reason: your resting metabolic rate, which warms you by breaking down fats and carbs. "Men have a greater resting metabolic rate because they have greater muscle mass," says exercise physiologist Dr Ellen Glickman. (It's also why you often feel colder than he does.) Women typically have more fat and less muscle than men, and muscle is a better insulator because it actively triggers a shiver - a mechanism that revs a body's metabolism and makes it feel warmer. Adding or increasing some strength training to your workout routine can help to increase your resting metabolic rate - something that tends to decline with age.

I'm doing nasty stuff to an ex

Every one of us has wanted to ram a stiletto into an ex's backside, but there's a difference between thinking and doing. "It's normal to have revenge fantasies when someone hurts you," says Dr Gilda Carle, author of He's Not All That!. But spreading scathing gossip or smashing his car windows will hurt you, because it's emotionally draining (and/or criminal). Best solution: write out your revenge fantasy, destroy it, then say, "Tom who?" "When you forgive, you're releasing negativity and stress," Dr Carle says.

I've never had an orgasm during sex

Less than 30 per cent of women can orgasm solely from intercourse, so you're far from alone. Maybe not being alone is the problem, since masturbation preps your body for orgasms with a partner. "Orgasms are learned in puberty, if not before," says Dr Jennifer Berman, director of the Female Sexual Medicine Center in the US. "And if, for whatever reason, the brain-genital connections don't happen, they don't miraculously appear later in life." Masturbate by stroking your clitoris lightly, using a circular motion and increasing pressure every few minutes. Once you've logged solo flight time, bring in a co-pilot. Use the same technique with your (or his) fingers, then slide on top of him so you can control the grinding motion yourself. Never climaxing could signal an orgasmic disorder related to a medical condition or medications - in this case, talk to a doctor.

I'm off to volunteer in Afghanistan

After a break-up or job loss, it's tempting to escape. But the problem may follow you. "It's a question of whether you're acting on impulse or fulfilling a vision that you've held for a long time," says psychologist Michaele Dunlap. Before jetting off, make safe changes: take a leave of absence from work rather than quitting, and sublet your unit. And give yourself some TLC - when something's broken, you don't always need to chuck it; you might just need to recharge the battery.