We need to do better for girls’ and women’s mental health To be relevant in the context of mental health awareness, this discussion requires an accurate depiction of certain events, and can therefore at times get pretty fucking dark, in ways that might not benefit people whose mental state is vulnerable. If this is you, please prioritise self-care. TW: suicide, inappropriate language…

I have a really smart friend who’s the epitome of pragmatism, the type who has well thought out ideas that actually make sense for improving the economy. I honestly envy that type of thinking. I can put the pragmatism hat on for work, because I’m paid to do so and…

Especially when how you feel isn’t helping You know those kids who grow up hearing ‘try again, you can do it!’ rather than ‘you’re lazy and don’t want to do it right and I feel disappointed’ when they make a mistake? Yeah, can’t relate. Don’t get me wrong, my parents are honourable, well-meaning people who did their…

Ageing gracefully isn’t just for rich white women It’s a well-documented fact that women past the age of 40 cease to exist. No longer able to appease the sex-centric (male) gaze with their fertile faces and bodies, they simply phase out of reality, quietly. Rare instances of women continuing to exist past this calamitous age have been documented…

Being okay with that is so freeing — We all want to matter, to be truly remarkable at something — find your purpose, live your best life and all that. Don’t we? So I’ve been told. Yet, do people who live in an off the grid commune in the woods and spend their days farming and contributing to…

I must be so annoying as a writer There are a lot of things that grind my gears when it comes to the daily life of an online reader, but I do have six top-tier grievances. These can be broken down in two main, self-centred categories: A. things that piss me off about people’s writing, haha — and …

Guidelines vs. doctrine and why minorities might want a say in this debate, too I’m aware of how unpopular of an opinion this is going to be. If I was more popular myself, I’d be bracing for impact right now. Seeing as this isn’t the case, I can still afford to say it without much ensuing uproar: I’ve been thinking about the pope weighing…

A loving letter to my fellow punk-rockers over 30 The alternative scene has a problem. By alternative, I don’t just mean Nirvana fans. I mean those who enjoy that music which most other people feel is noise: punk, rock of whichever type that is actually rock and not pop, goth, etc. And by problem, I mean people over 30…

Spoiler alert: they lie. My Mum has this saying that’s pretty popular with her clients in therapy: emotion is not information. Now, at first glance, that might seem flat-out wrong: of course, emotion offers vital information. Why actually, without emotions, humans would have serious trouble with their decision-making. You need to know how you…