Don’t give in to your horrible imaginings

The mind has a habit of fixating, of spinning stories about worst case scenarios and impending catastrophes. The actual danger or discomfort we might face is usually much less severe than the stories our minds make of it. — Tribune News Service

In March 2010, I achieved a long-held dream of mine to perform at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, home of The Beatles during the early 1960s. My band at the time was made up of Beatles fanatics and we were delighted to have been invited to play at what we considered our musical home.

Despite our dream-come-true moment, I was extremely anxious on the day we were due to play. In fact, performing in a band always made me anxious – which is partly why I did it. In secondary school, I struggled a lot with social anxiety. My favourite author was JD Salinger not only because I enjoyed his seminal work, Catcher in the Rye (1951), but also because he had then lived a reclusive life for the next four decades – and I wanted to do that.