From the moment we can think, we place ourselves at the centre of our own story. This is completely natural — our brains are wired to ask, 'What does this mean for me?' The trouble is that this habit bleeds into situations where we are not actually the subject. When a stranger frowns, we assume we offended them. When a friend cancels plans, we feel rejected. We have turned ourselves into the main character of everyone else's narrative too.

This tendency is called personalisation, and it is one of the most exhausting mental habits a person can carry. Every neutral event gets filtered through the question 'What did I do?' or 'What does this say about me?' The result is a constant low-level anxiety — as though the world is quietly judging you at all times.

The first step out of the trap is simply noticing that it exists. Most people have never been told that personalisation is a choice, not a reflex. Once you see it, you can begin to question it.