Recently, I saw a book called ‘Six Questions that can change your life’ at the charity shop where I volunteer.

As Moodscopers know, I love questions.

I will start with the first one and will decide whether I will use some other questions later.

Who am I?

I would like you to set aside five to ten minutes and answer the question without stopping or correcting your words. Ideally you can write before you read what I wrote.

Who am I?

I am a mother, a grandmother, a sister, an aunt, a great aunt, a woman, a human, a volunteer, a book-lover, a walker, a survivor of a bushfire.

I am moody, kind, compassionate, impatient, fidgety, distracted.

I am someone who sometimes feels she doesn’t belong.

I am someone who others see as confident but I feel unconfident.

I am someone who trusts too easily, who can forgive but finds it hard to forget,

who likes to promote an understanding of mental health by sharing her story.

I am someone who sometimes feels overwhelmed, who finds it hard to be positive.

I am someone who can make fun of myself and see the humour in life.

I am someone who has made many mistakes and is still making some.

I am someone who loves her children and grandchildren but has difficulty in long term relationships.

I could have written more, but I was interested in what would come out without thinking. What I learnt, I first wrote nouns of roles I play, then I went on to adjectives by describing parts of me, then I wrote sentences about my behaviour. The thing that surprised me was that I was more positive than I thought I would be. Usually, I am negative about myself.

If you like, answer the question ‘Who am I?’ in ten or less minutes with whatever comes into your mind. Then think about what you learnt about yourself from what you have written.

Leah 

A Moodscope member