![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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Wear It Purple Day
I remember the first time I read the email from Ben* (who is in the video below) whom I first met when I was guest lecturing. I cringed, my eye brows frowned and my jaws clinched. Growing up in a middle-class and loving family, Ben had a rather easy life. It wasn't until he came out to his parents that he experienced rejection from his family for the first time. Desperate for love and acceptance, Ben became involved in a relationship with a guy who was psychologically and physically abusive. He was introduced to drugs and after years in the relationship, which involved several unfortunate incidences, he finally tried to take his own life. Thankfully, he survived. ...
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What Stops Blokes
Seeing it as a Failure “Pull up your socks” “Get on with it” “Don’t be a girl” “Suck it up” “Don’t get all emotional” “Be a man about it” the list could go on forever. Whether you’re aware of it or not living in Australia these messages are taken in and often become rules or beliefs that we don’t stop to question. Australian men are born into a culture where we’re expected to successfully cope with our difficulties by ourselves. If we can’t we’ve failed.
More often than not the younger blokes who come to my counselling practice are at breaking point, they’ve tried everything they can and come to see me as a last resort. Things have gotten out of hand. Rather than waiting until you get to the point ...It’s a hard thing to do
I never felt that it was OK to share how I was feeling. I think that's why I spent so long, so utterly miserable.
I developed severe depression in my early twenties. My brain chemistry, always a little askew was thrown into a severe imbalance by a combination of night shift in a high-pressure pathology lab, full-time study and a devotion to illicit substances that'd raise Keith Richard's eyebrows. Initially manifesting as panic attacks that would literally have me on the ground, gasping for breath, my mood sunk to the point where I was unable to get out of bed for days on end. I lost my girlfriend, I had to withdraw from my studies, I felt like a thin smear of crap. Hell, I'd feel like a thin smear of crap for ...Chat with founder of Soften the fck up
One month celebration… Get the chance to ask the creators any burning questions you have LIVE. How did the idea come about? Who made the videos? Who are the guys in the videos? What's the progress so far? What's next? On the 15th of August, log on to www.softenthefckup.com.au/chat and join in the conversation. The creators and some of the people working behind the scene will go on camera, livestreamed on our website to tell you the history and the progress of the campaign as well as to answer any questions that you might have. Video forum with @ehon for #softentfu in partnership with #ruralmh to celebrate our one month anniversary ...
When I think of my childhood
When I think of my childhood, specifically the days spent at pre-school and kindergarten I’m greeted with only a smattering of memories. It’s amazing that a place I spent so much time in, a place that included finger painting and my first crush, Gabrielle, has been almost wiped clean from my consciousness. All that’s left is a few bits of caked on memory: like the dried detritus you find clinging to the middle of your plate after spaghetti night. Pirate day. That was fun. I had a plastic sword, a striped shirt and an eye patch that, while awesome, meant I quickly learnt the pain of a lack of depth perception. Clowns. I’m actually a little afraid of clowns, all told. They kind of freak me out. One of my most distinct ...
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