Engage in the moment to combat unhappiness Have you ever been told that you’re not really here. That you’re not being present in the moment? Hearing somebody speak but not listening to what they’re saying? Finding it difficult to engage with the people that you love and care about while you’re lost in your own thoughts while the world goes on around you? A sense of not feeling present in the moment? What you’re feeling is the desire for mental dissociation – a major symptom of unhappiness. It is a coping mechanism where the mind goes into survival mode to escape pressure, stre ..read more

Money is an enabler of happiness but not the cause of it Or so said Francis Bacon, English Philosopher and Statesman and the father of empiricism… But for many men, money, or the accumulation of it, can define who we are – the foundation on which we build our identity. Much of this comes from how men are taught to frame success. To work hard at school to give us the best possible chance to get a good education and a good job. To dedicate ourselves to work. To compete with others and earn promotions to get more money. To accumulate more things in our lives to radiate the s ..read more

Willpower – the power to overcome pessimism Pessimism. That voice inside your head that amplifies your doubt. Your fear of failure. Your sense that you’re not quite as good as the next man. Or not quite the man you once were. Pessimism is the spectre of self-doubt. An apparition of a lack of self confidence. Appearing and gaining strength through the growth of unhappiness. It drains your ability to move forward, sapping your resistance and breaking down your capacity to bounce back from the setbacks that we all inevitably face in life. Pessimism is also the enemy of willpower ..read more

Knowing the signs of unhappiness is key to solving them The signs of unhappiness for many men doesn’t come as an instant revelation. They are often gradual and take time to develop. Like most things in life we all have different tolerances for putting up with things that aren’t ideal. You know you should at least look at that dripping tap that your partner has been complaining about, but surely it can wait until next week! Some are driven to try to fix problems the instant they appear, while other will put things off until avoiding the problem outweighs the hassle of solving it ..read more

A good night’s sleep is something we all desire by A good night’s sleep is an essential part of good mental health for any man. Sleep allows us to restore our mental function and recharges our mind for the next day. We lay down new memories in the brain while physically our body rests and recuperates. A good night’s sleep is something that we all desire, but for many men suffering with unhappiness, stress or anxiety the night can be a difficult time. Time spent struggling with yourself. Trying to relax and drift off while battling the need to play things out in your mind over again ..read more

Sharing how you feel with the one you love can be a challenge for men Many men feel an obligation to be the source of emotional strength in the home. Our sense of what it is to be a man is often defined by our ability to be emotionally consistent. To be unshakable in the face of problems. The source of strength when things go wrong armed always with the insights to see the way forward when things go wrong. To falter from this course is to be ‘weak’, ‘unmanly’, or letting down those who depend on you.   This presentation of the picture of how a man should be is a dangerous ..read more

Do you define yourself by your work? Since the dawn of time men have been guilty of incorporating what they do for a living into their own self identity. Indeed, in the middle ages work occupations were often incorporated into surnames, a mark of the value that men placed on the work they did to feed their families. The Smith toiling at the forge. The Taylor mending the clothes of his customers. The Cartwright fixing the carriages that took people from place to place. Occupations that branded men in a very literal way. Yet, in modern times, while men are no longer literally taki ..read more