Parenting is flipping hard work, yes? You’re responsible for, as my friend Jess says, tiny sociopaths. They’re cute, sure, but they have little in the way of empathy, self-control, or social graces. You get no sick leave. You’re operating on so little sleep that serious reading now means clicking ‘see more’ on Facebook. Communities like […]
Do you know someone with PND/PPD? The answer is ‘yes’ Around 10-15% of women who give birth experience postnatal depression, so if you know more than eight women who are mothers, you probably know someone who has been through it – whether she knew that’s what it was or not. Here are two facts you […]
A very warm welcome to first-time guest poster, Lisa Sengelow! I invited Lisa to write this post about the impact of Naomi Wolfâs book on her, expanding on a comment she made in a feminist motherâs Facebook group we are both part of. She wrote such a brilliant piece – this post right here! – that […]
The day my daughter was born was the day I began a journey I never imagined would be mine. Letâs rewind a bit. When Matt and I had been married for three years, we felt âas ready as weâd ever beâ to have a child. We were excited and naĂŻve and ready to face this […]
Hooked by these fabulous, science-based happiness infographics (I’ll pop one at the bottom of the post – too much scrolling otherwise!), Iâve started using Happify, an online service full of activities and prompts to help lift mood and build happiness in your life. A couple of weeks in and Iâm a fan. As you know, Iâm […]
I read some of Sandy’s story on Sunday: I am 57 and was diagnosed in 2004 with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. I was a bank manager and was very active in my community and church. One afternoon, I left work and did not know how to get home. This was the start of a “downhill no return” into the Alzheimer’s world. I am […]
What should a doctor do when a terminally ill patient asks her to âend it allâ with morphine? What are the implications of expectant parents having Downâs Syndrome screening for their unborn babies? How do we cope and make sense of the world when our ageing parents no longer recognise us? I’m filling in […]
I am a locum pastor! My homie Stu is off on a well-deserved holiday with his family, and I’m helping hold the fort at Wellington South Baptist Church in Island Bay. Starting this Sunday, I’m preaching a five-week series on bioethics, humanity and hospitality. It’s called Matters of Life and Death and is based on […]
‘All I ever needed to know I learned in the mental hospital,’ says Glennon Doyle Melton, from the Momastery blog, in her recent TEDx Talk. It’s sort of Glennon 101, an introduction to the big themes of her mission to live in the open, be a shameless truth-teller, and help everyone else to feel ok […]
Thanks to Pippa for these short videos from the United Kingdom’s Time to Change campaign. They’re short and engaging. You may like to pass them on to people you know who have friends or family with mental health problems (ie, almost everyone you know!) The Time to Change campaign website has some great resources and […]