James Ballantyne

depression

  • Hello darkness……friend….not monster.

    Hello darkness, my old friend.  I wrote in the first line of my journal this morning, as if I was channelling the ghost of Simon and Garfunkel and trying desperately not to rewrite the song as the outpouring of what… Continue reading

    Hello darkness……friend….not monster.

  • Breaking the Silence: Men’s Mental Health Matters

    As men, we’ve been conditioned for generations to believe that strength means suppressing our emotions. We’re told that being tough, stoic, and unshakable is the ideal. We’re encouraged to “man up,” to push through pain, to avoid vulnerability, and to… Continue reading

  • Hello again Despair; meet love.

    What happened, when the voice of despair made an uninvited appearance. Continue reading

    Hello again Despair; meet love.

  • Loving discomfort

    I used to suppress everything, so I didn’t feel anything Get through it Survive it Bounce Close off my heart, live a shrouded life. Any discomfort was barely even felt Or felt in silence, private and… then pushed through, and… Continue reading

  • Careful, the universe might give you what you wish for.

    Dangerously there were two words that I started 2023 with. It was as if, they were the words that were about to shape my life, weirdly. One of the words I wrote about, a little bit. The other I didnt.… Continue reading

  • The Power of Jet:Lag (the game)

    There was a time in July/August of last year when I was going through a pretty significant mental spiralling, down down and down. I was plagued by the bleak thoughts of self criticism, self sabotage, blame and self loathing, all… Continue reading