I EMPATHISE with the burgled mum Kelly Field (featured in last week's Star) who was left "psychologically damaged".

Having been burgled myself on several occasions and attacked and hospitalised twice, I understand what it’s like to live under a siege mentality.

At the height of my paranoia, I wore a bulletproof vest on a daily basis for stab protection.

Home Security by Heather Alston and Calvin Beckford has excellent advice for protecting your property; I picked up a copy from Amazon for a couple of pence.

Adversity makes you stronger. I realised I couldn’t continue living my life in fear on a daily basis so I bought Fear — the Friend of Exceptional People by Geoff Thompson and that inspired me to overcome my fears. Once you understand the mechanics of fear and the physiological side effects, it becomes a lot easier to deal with and the only way you can overcome your fears is to confront them in what psychiatrists term exposure therapy.

Yours faithfully

Michael Egan, The Shires,