![I remember the call like it was yesterday. It was just after dinner one night when my mate called to ask me how I was going. But not the usual ‘how are you going?’ He asked me how I was really going, he digged a little deeper to really get it out of me. From [...]](http://softenthefckup.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/HDYHATC-252x109.jpg "How do you have a tough conversation?")
I remember the call like it was yesterday. It was just after dinner one night when my mate called to ask me how I was going. But not ...
![“I did not come out until the age of 23 and even then it was a very slow, nervous and calculated process. I was worried what the world would think – would I be turned into a second class citizen, does it make me less legitimate and credible and does it make me less of [...]](http://softenthefckup.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Ourchildrenarelistening-252x109.jpg "Our children are listening")
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How do you have a tough conversation?
I remember the call like it was yesterday. It was just after dinner one night when my mate called to ask me how I was going. But not the usual 'how are you going?' He asked me how I was really going, he digged a little deeper to really get it out of me. From a distance I probably come across as a pretty ordinary Australian bloke who's had it pretty good. Finished uni, has a good job, a good set of mates, plays sport, I think you get my point. But the one thing that I have in common with every other Australian male out there is that at some stage in our lives we will all go through a tough time. I was going through a stage in my life where a combination of family issues, relationship pressures and the fact that some ...
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Our children are listening
"I did not come out until the age of 23 and even then it was a very slow, nervous and calculated process. I was worried what the world would think – would I be turned into a second class citizen, does it make me less legitimate and credible and does it make me less of a person the moment the world knows that I am gay? I struggled for a while with my own sexuality not so much because there is anything wrong with it but because I have been indoctrinated to believe that something is wrong with it. After all, we're the ones who aren't supposed to be married, not supposed to hold hands in public or show any kinds of affection or risk getting bashed. What changed was visiting San Francisco. Sitting in a café on a ...
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We hear ya!
At the end of last year, we invited you to let us know how we're doing with our first Soften the Fck Up survey. The results of the survey drove our strategy session with the team in mid-January and I would love to share with you some of the findings from the survey. The majority of the survey respondents were 20-34 years old although participants ranged from 14-19 years old to 35+ . We asked you what are some of the issues currently on the website that you have been affected by. The top three issues were:
- Stress
- Feeling crap
- Body Image
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Rathbone talks openly
Former Australian Wallaby and Rugby Union Winger Clyde Rathbone, has written an extremely honest and open account about his battle with depression and how he nearly lost everything. This is a must read article for all Australian men and we encourage you to pass it on. What we like about this article is that Clyde got to the stage where he thought he had no options left but he asked for help and started to talk about it and get his life back on track. All men will go through a tough time at some stage, but talking about it will make it easier. ...
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Drugs
Recently a friend of mine commented that one of the biggest misunderstandings other people held about her mental illness was the idea that “you can function without medication if you try hard enough.” This comment really resonated with me, and not just because some people around me have shared that same misconception. For a long time I too held onto a strong (but misguided) desire that one day I would be off the meds. I thought that if I just worked hard and got my shit together then I would be “better” and I wouldn’t have to rely on the crutch of medication to keep my depression and anxiety at bay. I thought as long as I was taking pills there was something wrong with me and I was being somehow weak. I’m not certain ...