I have travelled extensively through my childhood. Various incidents have taught me that people are willing to help those who they don’t know. There is an inherent kindness to the majority of people. This isn’t always true, but in times of need, most people would help you. It’s part of human nature – you give what you might one day need. But help without the expectation of return.

Calmness starts with your space. If you live in disorder, you will struggle to find order in your mind. It’s the same with your appearance. While I am not one to wear make up everyday, and would always rather be comfortable then fashionable, making an effort shows an amount of respect, and self-respect.

Living in a tip with no personal pride is symptomatic of a deeper struggle. I have lived with someone who was OCD. This extreme is also unhealthy. There must be a balance between a calm space, and a calm mind. An obsession with clean also demonstrates the obsession within your mind.

Mental health is something that I think previous generations have not given much credence too. It is something that must never be underestimated.

In the throw of panic, or mental difficulty, context is always forgotten. It’s part of the illness, I think. Leaving your room becomes unbearable. Catastrophizing inevitable. The goal is always to minimize the impact of catastrophizing, and to be at calm in your head, with yourself, and with your life.

It’s an aim I am still working on.

I am an atheist. I went to a Church of England Primary School. As part of that we would go to the local Church for assemblies and school plays, nativities and so on. The school was one of the smallest in England. There were 5 people in my year. I remember vividly sitting next to a girl who was praying. I shut my eyes having been told God would talk to you when you’re at Church. I heard nothing from him, and right then realized that it wasn’t for me. I was around 5 years old.

I am excessively empathetic. I am outrageously dangerous. Mum was convinced that it is an inherited trait – Dad has broken more bones than everyone else I know put together.

I was brought up with clear distinctions between right and wrong. Partly as a result of this, I struggle to find ‘the grey’ areas in life, where there isn’t always a given absolute. I believe that this is due to growing up deaf. When you’re slightly deaf, instructions need to be clear.

I don’t do very well with Nuances, and again that’s something I’m working on.