Money is emotional. Find a fiver in an old coat and you’re elated. Realise payday is after the bank holiday and there’s that all-too-familiar sinking feeling. I can’t count the number of times I’ve written (and spoken) about how money is emotional and why that’s the case. Hell, so many people have written that sentence, … Continue reading Why we need a money positivity movement
Tag: mental health
I’m an impostor & everyone is about to find out
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.
Ch-ch-ch-changes & a quarter-life breakthrough
It's that time of the year again. Everything tastes of change - the air, the breeze, the extra shot of espresso in the morning. There's something about the shift through autumn into winter that puts the year in perspective. And as the year moves to its close, I figure it's time to look back at everything that's happened. Prepare for some oversharing. And some cheese. And some gifs. As per.
Walking On Custard: An Interview With Neil Hughes
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.
Literacy is a superpower
Matilda is one of my favourite literary heroines - strong-minded, smart, sassy, an enthusiast in life. And Roald Dahl's novel, other than being the rebellious nerd's handbook to growing up good, has a very special message I don't think any other makes quite so brilliantly: books are magic (uniquely, portably so) and they give us power - super powers - that we barely notice. Here are my musings upon that, with some ideas for how we can become Real Life Superheroes.
Regret & why we find trauma in ‘almosts’
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.
No Taboo, No Problem: Writing about Controversial Topics
Tuesday, 7.30pm, logging on to twitter. I’m leaving work, passing elegant Georgian houses-turned-offices, cutting through leafy squares full of exhausted suits, smiling when I run into someone with a friendly dog that doesn’t care that it’s London and talking to strangers just isn’t the done thing. There’s something about that time of the day: the shackles … Continue reading No Taboo, No Problem: Writing about Controversial Topics
You Suck: The Thing About Negative Inner Voices
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.
Crazy = Genius: Why is creativity associated with madness?
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.
That Monster Called Anxiety
Anxiety. It’s a funny word but a far less funny existence. It's also commonly associated with millennials. But why? Is there really a reason for this?