Gum on My Shoe

TW: Mention of suicide

Foreword /ˈfɔːwəːd/ Noun: a short introduction to a book, typically by a person other than the author. Would you mind writing a foreword for me? I was happy and proud earlier this year when my friend Aimee Wilson invited me to write the foreword for her new book You’re NOT Disordered: The Ultimate Wellbeing Guide for Bloggers . It was a great honour and responsibility, and something I took very seriously. I remember when Fran and I were looking for someone to write the foreword for our book High Tide, Low Tide: The Caring Friend’s Guide to Bipolar Disorder . It was important to find someone we trusted, who also had relevant experience and standing. For Aimee to extend me that degree of trust meant a great deal, not least because I knew how important her writing in general — and this book in particular — was to her. I’d reviewed Aimee’s previous book Everything Disordered: A Practical Guide to Blogging but this was different and I took care to do the very best job I could f...

Be quiet, big boys don’t cry. — Eric Stewart / Graham Gouldman. “I’m Not in Love.” Observed each year on November 19, International Men’s Day (IMD) celebrates the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. It highlights positive role models and raises awareness of men’s well-being, including mental health. It’s also an opportunity to face up to some of the less wholesome aspects of men’s lives and behaviour. For IMD 2022 I explored what being a man means to me . This year, I’m taking a look at toxic masculinity, which affects not only men but also our families, relationships, and wider society. What Is Toxic Masculinity? Let’s start with what toxic masculinity isn’t. It’s not an attack on men, men-shaming, blaming men for all the ills in the world, or denying the rich and varied contributions men make in all walks of life. It doesn’t claim that being male or masculine is toxic or unhealthy. Rather, it highlights some attitudes and behaviours co...

Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live. (Margaret Fuller) A few weeks ago I was listening in to the regular “all colleague call” at work. I was caught totally by surprise when I heard my name called out, to recognise my having completed thirty years of service. The anniversary had completely escaped my notice. In that time, I’ve actually worked for at least five employers, as the agency or company that employed me was outsourced, renamed, bought out, or merged with another entity. For reasons I’ve never quite understood, this all counts as continuous service. Many of my colleagues underwent the same transformation, depending on when they boarded the carousel. There aren’t too many, though, who’ve worked here as long as I have. Almost everyone I started out with has long since retired, left, or otherwise moved on. I follow a few of them on social media, but most were colleagues rather than friends and I’ve not sought to keep the connections alive. In passing, I c...

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. Of Fellings and Feelings: An Exploration of Loss and Renewal The Empathy Factor: Exploring Sympathy, Empathy, and Compassion Our Top Posts of the Month (September 2023) Mental Health Is a Universal Human Right Communicate or Hide? The Creative Dilemma Shhhhhhh! A Friend's Guide to Secrets The Box on the Shelf: A Strategy for Handling Difficult Issues and Situations Write without Fear, Edit without Mercy: Eight Questions for the Honest Blogger How to Educate Yourself about Your Friend's Mental Health Condition I Hope We All Make It Our most visited pages were: Contact Us Resources Our books About Us News and Appearances Testimonials   Photo by Martin Baker.