I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion. — Jack Kerouac This photograph of a neon sign was taken by my friend Louise Dawson, who kindly gave me permission to use it as the inspiration for a blog post. I initially took it as an engaging yet anonymous display. A little research, however, reveals the sign is part of (or based on) the 2010 series Will Be by UK based artist and writer Tim Etchells. According to the artist’s website, “the words make an uneasy promise about the nature of the future before us.” I can’t confirm that Etchells originated the phrase, but it clearly has w ..read more

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 ..read more

To mark World Bipolar Day 2024 Fran and I are offering our books for FREE on Kindle for five days between Friday March 29 and Tuesday April 2, inclusive. In High Tide, Low Tide: The Caring Friend’s Guide to Bipolar Disorder we share what we’ve learned about growing a supportive, mutually rewarding friendship between a “well one” and an “ill one.” With no-nonsense advice from the caring friend’s point of view, original approaches and practical tips, illustrated with real-life conversations and examples. Buy it here. Friendship is a beautiful part of life and an important component of long-te ..read more

I am now quite cured of seeking pleasure in society, be it country or town. A sensible man ought to find sufficient company in himself. — Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights A few Fridays ago, I found myself contemplating the weekend ahead of me. Aside from a few chores I was free to spend it any way I chose. I turned options over in my mind. A trip to the coast? Tynemouth, maybe. Whitley Bay. Cullercoats. South Shields. A day in the city? A walk down to the Quayside. Eldon Square. The library. The natural history museum. Caffè Nero. Further afield, perhaps? Durham. Hexham. These were all place ..read more

Who’s your favourite vampire? The one from Sesame Street. He doesn’t count. I assure you, he does. — Source unknown This post was inspired by a recent conversation with Fran. We were discussing items on her to do list, and she mentioned the next five things she planned to get done. I was impressed she could remember them. “I have them in my fingers,” she said. I asked what she meant. She told me she can deal with up to five things at a time, and that she uses her fingers to keep track. I was intrigued. I’ve known Fran almost thirteen years. This was new to me. She said the technique first c ..read more

The digital realm is so rich. I thought it would be fun to share a few creators I’ve been fortunate enough to encounter online. I don’t know any of them personally, but one way or another they mean a lot to me. The ten creators I’ve selected are: Elyse Myers Mentour Pilot 74 Gear Len Pennie Grey St Opticians Abraham Piper Dad Joke Guys Jason Ladanye The Pior Family Tom Scott I love discovering what they’ve shared in the past and look forward to their latest content. I hope you will too. Elyse Myers I don’t remember when or how I first came across Elyse Myers. It may have been one of her fas ..read more

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. Shhhhhhh! A Friend’s Guide to Secrets The Box on the Shelf: A Strategy for Handling Difficult Issues and Situations How Do I Feel? Exploring Alexithymia and Emotional Blindness I Hope We All Make It How Do I Feel Now? Living with Alexithymia Top Ten Misconceptions about Bloggers and Blogging I’m Weak and What’s Wrong With That? Our Top Posts of the Month (January 2024) Listen Very Carefully (But I’ll Say It More than Once) It’s Not Enough / Never Enoug ..read more

TW: Mention of self-harm and self-injury. Observed annually on March 1, Self-Injury Awareness Day (SIAD) is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of self-harm and self-injury. Fran and I haven’t marked SIAD before, but we have shared articles relating to these topics. I thought it would be useful to draw these items together in one place and include a selection of helpful resources. What Is Self-Injury? Is it the Same as Self-Harm? These terms are often used interchangeably but there’s a difference, with self-harm being broader in scope. I find the LifeSIGNS definition of self-i ..read more

Last week in Exploring Alexithymia and Emotional Blindness I described how hard I find it to communicate my emotions, and that there’s a word for that — alexithymia. I’ve looked further into the topic since then and thought it would be useful to share what I’ve learned. If you struggle to express how you feel, this is for you. What Is Alexithymia? Also called emotional blindness, Alexithymia (literally “no words for emotions”) is a personality trait where you have difficulty experiencing, identifying, and expressing how you feel. It’s estimated that one person in ten has alexithymia. The prop ..read more

And sometimes I have kept my feelings to myself, because I could find no language to describe them in. — Jane Austen This post was inspired by a conversation with Fran. She’d shared a piece of writing with me and asked how I felt reading it. Not what I thought about it or whether it could be improved, but how it made me feel. As simple as it sounds, her question brought me up sharp. I didn’t know how to answer. It wasn’t that I hadn’t felt anything. I just had no idea how to convey my feelings to her. I didn’t know where to start. In that moment I realised this is a big deal. Because it was ..read more