Gum on My Shoe

Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further. — Thomas Carlyle A few weeks ago I wrote about my appointment at Grey St. Opticians . I had a brilliant time, was treated fabulously, and left feeling excited about the new glasses I’d chosen. I promised a “frames reveal” post once I’d been back to collect them, so here we go! Clothes might not seem very relevant but I put a lot of thought into what I wore for my first appointment. I settled on a bold LIFE IS SHORT BLOG MORE t-shirt. It gave me the confidence to be myself, discuss my needs and preferences, and — with expert guidance — choose frames that would suit my character and personality as much as my look. As I wrote in advance, “my new glasses will be a statement of who-I-am-now that I’ll be living with for the next few years.” It was a little less important for my return visit but I still wanted to present well! I chose my beloved Scottish tweed jacket and a new AnnenMayKantereit t-shirt. AMK ...

This photograph by James Orr caught my attention in 2020 when I was looking for the perfect image to accompany one of my blog posts. It wasn’t what I was looking for at the time but I included it in my collection of 21 image prompts for the mental health blogger . Three years on, I’m ready take up the challenge and explore what JUST DON’T means to me. It stands in contrast to the more famous JUST DO IT imperative, which has featured in the promotional campaigns of American athletic footwear and apparel corporation Nike since 1988. The message of motivation and achievement is healthy enough in the right context, but like positivity of any kind it becomes toxic when applied without considering a person’s situation and needs. There’s an large dose of ableism in the “you can do anything if you want it enough” subtext. What if you want to do it but can’t? What if you don’t want to do it at all? There are many kinds of achievement, as I explored a couple of years ago in an article tit...

Mental health campaigns stress the importance of talking about how we’re feeling, especially if we’re struggling or mentally unwell. Whether it’s a trusted friend or family member, medical professional, counsellor, therapist, or crisis line, the message is clear: talk to someone. Fran and I believe in the value of genuine, honest, and open communication. It’s the foundation of our friendship and the central message of our book, our blog, and everything we do in the mental health arena. But it’s not always easy, or even appropriate, to be completely open with everyone all the time. All of us fib about how we are sometimes . Even me and Fran, even with each other. In this post I want to look at why our friends and loved ones aren’t always completely open with us about their mental health. Understanding why this happens can help us to be more compassionate towards those we care about, and ourselves. As well as my own experiences, I’ll draw on contributions submitted in res...

Our key to transforming anything lies in our ability to reframe it. — Marianne Williamson Friday I’ve worn glasses since I was eleven years old — that’s fifty-one years for anyone counting! I’ve had my current pair for a dozen years or more. They’re still fine for distance, but over the past twelve months I’ve found it increasingly difficult to work on my laptop, phone, or tablet without headaches and eye strain. After some research and asking friends and colleagues for recommendations, I made an appointment with Grey St. Opticians in the centre of Newcastle. As I write this, my appointment is one day away. The crucial thing is to see clearly again. That’s largely the optician’s responsibility, to perform the eye test and prescribe the correct lenses. I’ve had issues in the past where I’ve been prescribed glasses that were so wrong they were unusable. That’s partly why I’ve kept my current pair as long as I have. But choosing new frames is also important. That bit’s d...

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. 21 Image Prompts for the Mental Health Blogger Our Top Posts of the Month (November 2022) 40 Mental Health Blog Topics From the Caring Friend’s Perspective All The Currency I See in Martin Through Our Friendship The Currency of Friendship How to Use a Spreadsheet for Wellness and Self-Care How to Write the Best Acknowledgement Page for Your Book 21 Things You Didn’t Know About Marty It’s Not Enough / Never Enough *UPDATED* Secrets of a Successful Blogging Workflow Our most visited pages were: Contact Us Resources Our books About Us News and Appearances Testimonials   Photo of Hope Park Keswick by Martin Baker.  

It’s been a couple of years since I shared my secrets of a successful blogging workflow . The essentials haven’t changed but I’ve streamlined and improved the process since then. I thought it would be useful to provide an update. What’s Changed? I’ve moved away from needing to use my desktop computer. Instead of phone plus PC, I now complete the entire workflow on my Android phone and tablet (Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy A8, respectively). I still have my Maplin N87EN Bluetooth keyboard, but now work primarily on a Logitech K380. Its hot key function allows me to swap between my phone and tablet at the press of a button. I continue to use Microsoft Word as a formatting tool, but now use the cloud-based Word app rather than Office Professional on my PC. The most significant change is the introduction of Quick Edit Text Editor Pro . This allows me to easily add HTML tags, links, and perform live link testing before I move the article into Blogger for publication. Here’s my ...

By his blogging bestie, Aimee Wilson As soon as Martin told me he was writing a blog post about what a person can “bring” to a friendship; I thought it might be nice to talk about all the reasons why he’s one of my best-friends, my inspiration in so many ways, and genuinely the kindest and most supportive man I know! Immediately after I first recognised that I was making real progress in my mental health recovery, I felt the need to think about who and what had helped or made it happen. This meant that I’ve grown to really believe in the importance and significance of showing gratitude and appreciation for the people and the things that have really shaped your life in so many different ways. It is that which has encouraged me to tell you all that Martin is actually as lovely in real life as he is on Gum On My Shoe! The part of my life he is probably the most important for is in everything to do with blogging — and I don’t want that to sound superficial or insignificant — my...