My dad gave me some advice to overcome adversity. He told me the important thing was keeping the same routines, no matter how tough it got. Dad had broken up with my mum, but he still did things as per usual. To be honest, it was as if it didn’t faze him, which sounds harsh, and I’m probably wrong, but that’s what it looked like. Either way, I think he was right in his advice.

When the Tsunami hit the east coast of Tohoku more than 8 years ago, we constantly watched the news and checked the Internet for updates, until finally it got too much. We were just bombarded with information, all of it sad, that didn’t do anything to help the cause at all. So, we turned off the TVs, promised not to check our phones, and went outside for a walk. Looking back, that was probably the best decision, albeit it took us a while to come to it.

We were not turning our backs on adversity, by no means. I think we understood that the best way to get through it would be to carry on as per usual. What else can you do really? Spending the whole time worrying would get us nowhere, as we had already worked out.

So that’s what we did. We continued as normal as possible, helping those in need whenever possible, but trying to keep a state of normalcy. And I think that’s what needs to be done when in a state of adversity, after all as Buddha states; ‘Keep calm, nothing’s under control.’