Quite apart from the question of whether human beings in a deterministic world can be said to be free — and what that means for moral responsibility — the idea remains that we all have it within us to be more than just a slave to our fears and desires.

Do you have a sense of persistent unease, causing you to compulsively check Facebook and gaze blankly into the fridge instead of doing what you really want to do? You aren’t alone, and Buddha diagnosed the problem 5,000 years ago…

It’s wrong to lump drug use and drug abuse together, say the authors of a forthcoming paper. On the contrary, most people who take psychoactive drugs will never be addicts, and for them, drug taking may be an adaptive and rational decision.

How do we express outwardly to the world our inner sense of identity, and how do we feed the body, mind and spirit that makes us rounded and healthy human beings? The Roman poet Juvenal recommended “a healthy mind in a healthy body” as the only blessing worth praying for, but how easy is that to achieve in the wake of the festive season?

As Christmas fast approaches, it seems like a good time to explore another of our five senses, and possibly the one most closely associated with the sensory experience of the Christmas season — the sense of taste.

Pressured from all sides, from the Government to the pupils, teachers are increasingly suffering burnout. The problems may seem insurmountable, but the most important point in protecting yourself from burnout turns out to be a very simple one: treat yourself as if you were actually very important.

Some of us need to feel the fear before doing anything at all. Maybe some peace can be gained by just accepting that we function this way…