Gum on My Shoe

Most of the posts Fran and I share here at Gum on My Shoe are about mental health, which is one of the core themes of our blog. The other theme is mutually supportive friendship. Being able to talk with your friend about their mental health and yours is foundational, but it’s just as important to spend time together that isn’t focused on whatever you might be going through at the time. Sharing quality time reinforces your friendship, builds memories, and reminds you both that you value each other’s company in fine weather as well as in stormy times. Plus, of course, it’s just really good fun! Here in no particular order are ten ways I enjoy spending time with Fran and other friends. 1. Read to Each Other We don’t do it as much as we used to, but Fran and I love reading together . More accurately, we love me reading aloud to Fran on our video calls. Our reading list has included fiction and non-fiction titles, including the McCabe and Savage series of thrillers by Maine author ...

Whether you’re an experienced blogger or starting out on your blogging journey, one thing I can guarantee is that you’ll sometimes struggle to find a new or engaging topic to write about. In this post I’m sharing a number of topics from my personal ideas cache, with a focus on supporting friends or loved ones who live with mental health conditions. I’ve used some previously — see examples below — but most I’ve yet to write about. For convenience I’ve grouped them into themes: Blogging, Support, Healthy Friendships and Relationships, About You, Ideas and Inspiration, and Mental Health. I’ve also included links to a few other lists of mental health topics. Blogging 1. My aims and aspirations for my blog. 2. How did you choose the name for your blog? Example: Ever Wonder Why Our Blog Is Called Gum on My Shoe? 3. Five things I will never blog about and why. 4. How I write my blog posts. Example: Secrets of a Successful Blogging Workflow 5. The best and worse things about...

This is the story of how our first book High Tide, Low Tide: The Caring Friend’s Guide to Bipolar Disorder came to be written, taken from the book’s Preface. It’s available from all good booksellers; check our book page for details. Preface Writing has always been an important part of my life. I remember the teacher who encouraged me by providing a notebook for my extracurricular stories. I remember being snubbed by my classmates for asking if I could submit a poem in place of the expected essay: our teacher thought it such a good idea he set poetry for the entire class. I remember volunteering as assistant editor on the school magazine because I had a crush on the teacher. I remember the yellowing copy of Ezra Pound’s poetry I borrowed from the library and neglected to return. I wrote poetry through sixth form (my final two years at school) and university; later essays, articles, and short stories. I have kept a personal diary for over forty years. A keen science...

If you follow me on social media you’ll have seen that I’m currently on a fortnight’s holiday from work. I rented a car for the first week and took little excursions and day trips here and there in the northeast of England. Alnwick. Bamburgh. Belsay. Otterburn. It was good to be behind the wheel after more than two years, and to revisit places I’ve not seen since the start of the pandemic. My modest adventuring stalled, however, when I developed a cough late last week. I took a lateral flow test on Saturday which confirmed I’d picked up a coronavirus infection from somewhere. It was bound to happen at some point. I’ve had all my jabs but that was never a guarantee I wouldn’t catch it. I can’t say where, when, or from whom I contracted it. I imagine it was one of the restaurants or coffee shops I visited last weekend or at the start of the week. I’m not mad at whoever passed it on to me. Maybe they were asymptomatic and had no idea they were contagious. Maybe they thought it w...

Check out our top posts for the past month. Posts are listed by the number of page views they attracted during the month, most popular first. Exploring Bipolar Disorder and the Sister Diagnosis of Schizoaffective Disorder. Is My Friend or Sibling Underdiagnosed? Fond Remembrances and Sudden Hurt: Thoughts Inspired by Listening to Music on an Evening Walk Free Books for World Bipolar Day Our Top Posts of the Month (February 2022) Nine Ways I Distract Myself When I'm Feeling Down Shhhhhhh! A Friend's Guide to Secrets No Pedestals How to Write the Best Acknowledgement Page for Your Book Supportive Disengagement: How to Be There for Your Friend When They Need Space An Open Letter to My Bipolar Best Friend Our most visited pages were: Contact Us About Us News and Appearances Resources Our books Testimonials