NAGA MUNCHETTY

My 16-year-old self was insecure and worried a lot. She was happy and confident at times, and very hard working, but the insecurity came from loads of places. It is hard being a teenager, never wanting to fit in but always thinking others fitted in better, or worrying about exams, worrying about not being good enough. All those typical teenager insecurities. Teenagers spend such a lot of time worrying – and often worrying about things they can do nothing about. I spent so much time worrying about whether people liked me, which was such a waste of time. It felt so important.

When I think about my younger self, I get quite angry that I didn’t know what I know now. I didn’t know that it was OK to be confident. It was always “be smaller”, “don’t be so loud”, “know your place”