Gum on My Shoe

Just being willing to go into yourself is brave. Actually making the steps is a hero’s journey. — Fran Houston This post was inspired by a t-shirt I received as a Christmas gift. It’s a white “Redbox” design shirt by American outdoor products company The North Face . I recognised the brand but I’ve never owned anything by TNF before. Neither can I recall owning a white shirt of any kind since the days wearing a collar and tie was de rigueur for anyone working in the civil service. These days, I wear t-shirts pretty much every day of the year no matter the weather and regardless of sartorial convention. I have a burgeoning collection. Until a couple of years ago, most were mental health related in one way or another. As I’ve written previously, wearing t-shirts is not enough , but it can be great conversation starter and I’m proud to support the work of mental health organisations and initiatives including Time to Change, Mind, Bipolar UK, and Stigma Fighters. In 2023 I made ...

We are only asked to love, to offer hope to the many hopeless. — Jamie Tworkowski, “To Write Love on Her Arms” It’s a commonplace that wearing t-shirts is not enough. It takes more than a pithy slogan or eye-catching design to effect real and lasting change in the world. That said, mental health merchandise can prove a conversation starter, and open the door to genuine and open exchange. I’ve acquired quite a collection over the years. Mostly t-shirts but I also have two excellent hoodies from BOYS GET SAD TOO . I wear them all with pride, but I figured I didn’t need any more. But when an ad by mental health non-profit To Write Love On Her Arms crossed my screen recently, I couldn’t resist. I knew very little about the organisation, but I placed my order within minutes. The t-shirt arrived a week or so later. The carefully packed box included a bookmark and a booklet describing what TWLOHA are all about. The shirt itself is undoubtedly eye-catching. As well as the main message ...

What if you were there already and didn’t realise because there was no big red YOU ARE HERE arrow on the map; no neon sign or text alert saying “This is it. You’ve reached that place the others were talking about.” There should be a kiosk selling BEEN THERE T-shirts or badges. Then you’d know. And others would know too. They say if you’ve never experienced something for yourself, you can’t understand what it’s like. I get the point, but it’s not precise enough for me. How similar must my experience be to yours, for me to understand what you’ve been through? Exactly the same? Somewhat similar? Who gets to decide? This is not a trivial question. Depending on the circumstance, it can affect friendships and other relationships. In the health sphere, it can affect access to services, care, and support. Peer support in particular is predicated on the concept of shared experience: Peer support brings together people with shared experiences, and these experiences can vary. For example...

Monday was the start of Mental Health Awareness Week here in the UK. Dressing for my day working from home I picked through my collection of mental health t-shirts. Andy “Electroboy” Behrman’s KEEP TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH tee. Gabe Howard’s iconic :): shirt. One each from Bipolar UK, NAMI, No Stigmas, and Stigma Fighters. I chose the No Stigmas one for the start of the week. I made myself a cup of coffee and turned on my work laptop. My new post for Mental Health Awareness Week would be going up on the work intranet. I’d have emails and calls through the week with the mental health and wellness team. Content and activities to plan. But what was I doing, really? Making a difference? Countering stigma? I suddenly felt deflated. Adrift. A fraud. For a moment I was back thirty-five years or so at a CND rally in Hyde Park in London, taking in the sunshine and the music, eyeing up the women in their rainbow coloured tops and faded blue jeans, affronted by the guy on stage declaring...