I’ve started my Christmas shopping. In the past this has been tricky because my tics can’t keep secrets. This year I’m taking two new approaches, both of which should make buying presents less stressful.

The first is shopping online. This means I can get stuff whenever I like, so I don’t have to rope someone into going with me and I can avoid crowded, inaccessible shops.

The second is more unusual: I’m buying a selection of gifts, but wherever possible I’m not deciding yet who gets what. This means I reduce the chance of my tics telling people what I’m giving them because I won’t know myself!

I’m basically planning to take myself by surprise and trick my tics. I’ll let you know if this strategy works.