If you’ve ever had an underlying desire to break free or if you struggle with aspects of everyday life that others appear to breeze through, it could be you need to allow yourself to unfurl your wings

Picture a free spirit. This is a person unencumbered by the usual norms of society, light of foot and fleet of heart. Someone who, perhaps, lives in a van, celebrates ancient festivals and forages for food. Maybe they work as a massage therapist or reiki healer. They might go by moon cycles or use mandalas. They operate one step removed from the conventional world.

How do you feel when you picture this sort of life? Perhaps that’s partly how you live. If so, you’re an overt free spirit, and you celebrate your true self. But perhaps your feelings are more complex than that. Maybe you’re rolling your eyes at what appears to be a responsibility-light, commitment-phobic existence. You might think it’s all very well for people without a dozen responsibilities, but there’s no way you could live like that. You might shudder at the idea of it. Or maybe there’s a touch of wistfulness, tempered with the thought that nobody’s life is ever entirely unbound.

If any of those scenarios strike a chord, you might be a secret free spirit. Yes, you might appear pretty similar to those around you and you might have responsibilities and commitments. But all the same there’s something inside you that refuses to lie down and be quiet, no matter the messages telling you otherwise (see panel, page 54).