Shame is spooky like that too. Something happens and we feel bad - sometimes really bad. Others can’t always see what it is that has made us upset. But we react anyway.

The life of someone with high-functioning anxiety can become overly complicated with unrealistic expectations of yourself and of life. With a skilled therapist by your side, therapy sessions can be like a private workshop in which you can let down your guard and share your innermost emotions.

I believe that even in the in-between we are not alone, and we are fundamentally safe. We can take steps to trust the process and lean into this in-between experience of life. You never know where it will lead you, which is the unbearable and unavoidable truth of being human

For all the emphasis on celebration and family bonding and traditions - which can be very nice, don’t get me wrong - there is often an undercurrent of mixed emotions.

I’ve been reading a book called Why We Sleep (2017) by the neuroscience and psychology professor Matthew Walker. His data and insights about how sleep impacts our health and well-being is motivating to me. I’ve definitely been giving myself more sleep opportunity (time spent in bed each night, ready to sleep) and I have noticed a daily improvement in my focus, energy and resilience. I like it! If sleep were a medication, Walker quips, we’d all want it.