This was one of the most thought provoking topics for me, the questions guided me through reflecting on my behaviour with others, how I learn from them, how I take criticism, how I argue and how it all ends up making me feel. I have realised maturity means acting my age, having a realistic view of the world. Accepting responsibility for myself, being kind to others. It’s about being able to regulate my emotions, stop criticising and expressing rage. But to have a balance, where I can speak up and be willing to look at myself and learn and grow and conduct myself with calm and confidence.

The questions lead me through thinking over about the definition of intimacy, how actions and behaviour encourage or damage intimacy. I thought back to my first intimate relationships, where and how I learnt about these types of relationships from the good and the bad. I thought over how people I’ve been close with let me down which was really difficult but allowed me to reflect on the great lessons I have learned from those experiences. Overall, I learned the value of intimate relationships and how vital they are to helping us thrive as human beings as well as heal and grow.

The questions guide me through thinking over how I love myself, how I express love for others, the things I do to show love and really considering my loving relationships. This was a really lovely topic to go through and it highlighted so many things for me, in particular that by loving myself I not only take care of my own needs, but I also lay the foundations for loving others. It sets my boundaries and role models how I want to be treated and loved as well as enabling me to love others in a healthy manner.

This episode is about Gratitude, one of my favourite topics. I go through questions to look at finding gratitude in unfair or unkind situations to listing things I am grateful for in life and day to day, looking at opportunities for gratitude in every encounter and how I express gratitude. Thinking over these questions affirms to me that Gratitude is a powerful antidote to despair and hopelessness. It is a great way to refocus on what we have and be thankful, instead of what we lack.

The questions guide me though considering my commitments and how I prioritise these, including committing time and nourishment for myself. It questions how reliable I am and time when I am and am not reliable, how I break commitments and why. It looked at my commitment to others and finally my commitment to my own recovery. This got me thinking through my positives and negatives, and for the first time thinking with empathy and compassion for myself about why I break certain commitments and the negative cycle of guilt that ensues. Overall, I have realised my commitment to my own growth means I am able to handle difficult situations much better than ever before and I can give that back to others through sharing my experience and giving service, which ultimately leads to a healthier and happier life.

This episode is about Trust. I answer questions on how I trust myself, I look at my behaviour and how I am trustworthy and ways I have been untrustworthy. The questions get me to consider what I find trustworthy in others and what behaviours eradicate my trust, then I look at my own and realise so many behaviours I see in others, I am also guilty of. By looking at the positive and negatives I can see my progress and realign my subconscious processes and how I can keep aware of these, trusting I already have all the answers I could ever need to all the questions I will ever have. The key to finding them is to go inside and become acquainted with myself.

This episode is on Relationships, which was always going to be a difficult one to go through, but as usual it did not disappoint. Guided through a framework of questions I look at significant relationships in my life; My interactions; My choices; the things I bring to my relationships – positive and negative; broken relationships, and conflicts. This one was an emotional rollercoaster but enlightening. Highlighting that all individuals are responsible for making an effort for a relationship to work, and that work can begin with me. My behaviour is a powerful example to those around me and as I go through this journey, my self-esteem improves and in turn the quality of my relationships improve. If I do my best in all my encounters people notice and respond accordingly.

In this episode I answer questions on shame, my feelings of shame, recognising it and making better choices. It has really highlighted many things to me, how feelings of shame affect my behaviour and perspectives, how many instances of shame I feel are actually not mine to feel shameful for, but when they are I can make amends and learn. The biggest revelation from this topic is that shame is the greatest obstacle to learning from our mistakes. A shame filled mind refuses to allow acceptance for the fact we are human beings, that are bound to make mistakes. As I become more self-aware I can recognise my feelings of shame and share them with others, which disrupts my negative thought patterns and turn them into positive blessings that help me to create a better future.

Going through these questions I have learnt more about the guilt I feel for people, things and situations and how this affects my thoughts and behaviour. It has opened my eyes to the guilt and responsibilities I take on that don’t belong to me. It has started me on a process of beginning to recognise and identify what is, and is not, my responsibility; what I have been responsible for; how my feelings of guilt turn to shame and how damaging a negative emotion like guilt can be. Thinking through this subject has been painful but enlightening.

The questions guide me through thinking over how I manage money, my financial priorities, financial security and control. It has opened my eyes to how I think and deal with financial matters, how much pressure I put on myself and how money anxiety, worry and fear affect me. But also pride and gratitude for what I’ve got - and now, a newfound awareness of behaviours that do, and do not, serve me.