Wilderness Pioneer and starred in Channel 4’s ‘Surviving the Stone Age’ Documentary
M A N S E
A H M A D
Tell me a little bit about you…
I’m 53 years old from an Asian background. I currently run a business teaching wilderness and primitive skills and have been doing so for ten year, from the point when I gave up teaching in secondary schools.
I love being outdoors and also love teaching people about what an amazing place it is.
I can be very driven, stubborn and extremely silly! I love being with people as long as they don’t talk too much, and talk for the sake of it. I love learning, particularly about nature, and get to spend lots of time outdoors.
Do you consider yourself to have any mental health issues?
I’m sure I do somewhere along the line, but never been officially identified!
How do you think getting outside improves mental health?
Getting outdoors keeps me calm and things in perspective, and saves me from ending up with a criminal record by punching someone!
I was first introduced to the outdoors whilst at school by my geography teacher when I was going off the rails.I was very aggressive at that point in my life, mainly due to cultural confusions between the East and West.
The outdoors helped me centre myself and gave me space to figure things out.
I think that by removing ourselves from the hectic, demanding lives that we live, and going into the outdoors, it gives us the opportunity to slow down, and think more clearly. It allows to remove ourselves from the distractions of modern life, if we allow ourselves to do so.
Nature is a great leveller, who treats everyone the same and has no favourites!
Do you have a favourite place to go when you need some downtime, if so where?
I always end up going into a densely wooded area, where I will always find a tree to lean up against and brew up a cup of tea, sit back and just clear my mind and breathe.
What two items would you take with you if you shipwrecked on a deserted island where all your food and water needs were taken care of?
A knife and a very good BIG book!
