![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")
-
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 ...
-
ANXIETY
We all need to feel anxious sometimes. Anxiety is our body’s way of telling us we need to be on the alert. That’s why the heart starts pumping faster, the adrenaline starts flowing and we start breathing a bit more quickly. All people feel anxious from time to time - first dates, public speaking, blah blah blah. However, for some people it happens so often and so strongly it affects the way they live their life. This is when it becomes a disorder.Anxiety disorder is not uncommon (1 in 25 young Australians 13-17 experience an anxiety disorder), and it can be really stressful to have an anxiety disorder. Speaking of which, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between ... -
Opening up was only the first step
I have tried to take my life twice. These suicide attempts, not surprisingly, were the lowest points in my 26-year life. They were not cries for help and they were not attention seeking. I was seriously ill and I genuinely wanted to die to end my pain and what I thought was the pain of my friends and family. If I had not been found, I might not be here to write this story. Twice in my life I almost made the worst mistake I could have possibly made. It was the powerful, seductive and poisonous voice of depression that drove me to that point. It is a damaging illness. Soften The Fck Up is one of the best things I have been involved in. I wish I had found something like it a lot earlier in my life. Maybe it would have helped ...
-
Thinking about Death…
Saturday the 10th September 2011 is World Suicide Prevention Day. It's an important day to think about looking after one another and pausing to have a conversation with a mate who might be going through a tough time and needs to Soften the Fck Up....
-
The extended Story
This video goes for 7.23 and give a good understanding on why we started this campaign.