What’s with the random-acts-of-kindness thing? They’re something my character Sam Taylor talks about in GingerSnaps… things like helping out a new kid at school, sending a letter/email to an old friend or even just walking the dog! The world needs more random acts of kindness, and the best thing of all is, they make YOU feel good too.

What goes around comes around. If you put good stuff out into the world, good stuff will come back to you. If you put bad stuff out, bad stuff will come back to you.

Write a list of random acts of kindness you could try on others… everything from doing the washing-up or cleaning your dad’s car to helping a new Year Seven/student teacher. Add the list to your Happy Box – doing something for others is a perfect antidote to feeling sorry for yourself.

What else can go in your Happy Box? A set of ‘treat’ cards to cheer you up on bad days, maybe… cards that give you permission to do something fun, like take a long bubble bath, have a mani/pedicure, a girls’ night in with slushy DVDs… you decide!

When you’re feeling low, your Happy Box can remind you of the good times, the things you’ve achieved, the things you plan to achieve.

Oh, and the next time you see the girl in the mirror, say hi to her from me… she’s cool!

Helpbox

Read It…

• Think Pink by Lisa Clark (Macmillan) – has a fab section of self-esteem
• Wise Guides: Self-Esteem by Anita Naik (Hodder)
• Seven Day Self-Esteem Super Booster by Jenny Alexander (Hodder)

Cathy’s Books… Published by Puffin

• GingerSnaps – lacking confidence, being yourself, Sam Taylor and the random acts of kindness…
• Driftwood – feeling invisible, not fitting in
• Sundae Girl – feeling shy/embarrassed

7. Being Yourself

Well, who else are you going to be? Hmmm. For some of us, growing up is not about discovering our own unique style, but more about following the crowd, fitting in and trying to be just like everyone else. Why? Because that way, you won’t attract attention or risk being teased, misunderstood or laughed at for being different.

Well, maybe.

We all want to be liked, and we all want to make the best of ourselves, but style and fashion and what you believe in are very personal things. It’s OK to be different. It’s OK to be you!

Who Am I?

Dear Cathy

Ever since I was very small I’ve had this strange idea that I must have been switched at birth, that I’m not actually a part of the family I grew up in. I’m not trying to say I’m a princess or a gypsy or the secret daughter of a tragic movie star… just that I’ve never felt like I belonged!

Deborah, age 13

Growing up is not a picnic. It can be an uncomfortable time, and there are no guarantees your family will understand what you are going through or know how exactly to support you. Sometimes, like Deborah, you may feel like an alien who landed up on Planet Earth completely by accident! I felt this way for quite a while as a teenager.