Chester Bennington died on the 20th July 2017. He killed himself. He was 41 years old. Most of the responses to the news of his death have been outpourings of grief. Personal and emotional, heartbroken and collective. Grief in the social media age is never alone. Some have pointed the finger in various directions - at … Continue reading Strong on the surface: men & mental health
A fear that teachers or colleagues will realise you have no real grasp on the work. A snake of insecurity that means you can't comprehend how you deserve to be part of a friendship circle. A shiver of apprehension every time you have to present something because of a belief that your ideas or results can’t possibly be enough. Or – as in my case – a cold, constant voice in the back of your head telling you that you are not really a writer, that you’ve been fooling everyone and one day they’ll turn on you because of it. Oh yes, it’s time to talk Impostor Syndrome.
For anyone who has ever struggled with their mental health - or who knows some who has - Walking On Custard is an absolute must-read. In a recent Q&A with the author himself, we discussed this stunning book and what he's up to next.
They say, "You can't regret what you didn't do." But what does that even mean? And is it true? A few thoughts on why we have regrets about inaction and how this is actually, secretly, kind of a good thing.
The way we react and talk about trauma has changed thanks to the rise of social media and 24-hr news cycles. Recently, we saw this following the massacre in Orlando, the murder of MP Jo Cox, the EU Referendum more generally. All very different events. All followed by outpourings of grief, condolence, anger, support that went viral and … Continue reading On Silence & Speaking Up (Or Why Our Voices Matter)
Like so many love stories, this one begins with two strangers meeting on a Saturday night in an overcrowded bar and ending with regrets. Or rather, like so many modern undefined-relationship stories, this one actually begins with two people with mutual Facebook friends meeting IRL and ending via Whatsapp. Oh yes, here we go: the non-relationship.
When most of us think about it - we all have inner voices. Not in a weird, scary way like you might think of certain psychoses. Just in a perfectly normal, everyone-has-them kind of way. However, there can exist a voice in our heads that is simply cruel. One that is critical, defeatist, sneering, vicious. The eternal party pooper of the anxious mind. This blog is about these "inner trolls" and how we can overcome them.
Holidays. Sweet, sunbright holidays. Glorious free time: carved out of the calendar in pink highlighter, counted down to with glee, finally arriving with a sense of smug satisfaction as you set your out-of-office email and flee for the hills or the sea. Here is an excellent video by my brother about where we went and … Continue reading Recline, Refresh, Rethink : 10 thoughts from 10 days on a boat
I’m a little bit fixated on the dynamics between inner and outer worlds at the moment. The concept of duelling of polarities within one entity. The Scots call it 'Caledonian Antisyzygy'. I don't know what you call it when you're from London.
Humans are a musical species. Or so argued the British neurologist, humanist and author, Oliver Sacks, in his book, Musicophilia. Sacks, who passed away in August 2015, liked to explore some of the brains weirdest and most wonderful pathways, using his patients’ case studies as starting points for ‘eloquent meditations on consciousness and the human … Continue reading Writing: Of Music and Minds
