I was reminded recently of a glorious piece of mind control from the world of cricket. One that appears, on the face of it, to be daft, superstitious and reliant on a lot of luck. But when you break it down, it is actually a very clever exploitation of how everyone’s mind works.

I had a bad dream last night. One of the reasons that I am so invested in looking after other people’s mindsets is that I was, once, pretty beset by anxiety dreams. One returned last night. I now know what to do; how to deal with the subsequent feelings and thoughts I experience. Within a few moments, it was gone, dwindling like a match to its charred end.