A Study of Shame by Lucie Kavanagh   “Guilt, of course, is feeling bad about one’s actions, but shame is feeling bad about oneself.” ― Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion   Recently I told a friend who hadn’t known me at the time, about my mental health difficulties...Read More

  The Hardest Conversation by Daniela Ferro   You haven’t been sleeping very well lately, have you?   It’s just that the tiniest of noises wakes me up immediately.   I noticed that you are not wearing any make-up anymore.   I just want to give my skin a break.   You seem to be eating more chocolate than...Read More

    Having the hard conversations by Lucie Kavanagh “Such she often felt herself—struggling against terrific odds to maintain her courage; to say: “But this is what I see; this is what I see,” and so to clasp some miserable remnant of her vision to her breast, which a thousand forces did their best to...Read More

B is for Brodie and Bisexual by Brodie Thompson PRIDE, what a beautiful time of the year. But all year should be just as beautiful, we can celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community all year and it doesn’t have to just be when we don our rainbows. It’s great to see a celebration of...Read More

Being a Father by Johnny Hunt   See Change Ambassador, Johnny Hunt, shares his experiences of fatherhood as a person who also experiences a mental health difficulty.   If you are having a tough time at the moment and need to reach out for support, please contact any of the following Shine: phil@shine.ie Samaritans: 116123...Read More

    Men’s Health Week  by Adrian Yeates As a man in his fifties, I sometimes find myself rather confused about who I really am. It’s not my age per se that is at issue, but rather the shifting sands of what it is to be a man in modern society.   During my upbringing in...Read More

72% of people say they would not want to live with someone with a severe and enduring mental illness Almost three quarters (72%) of people say they would not want to live with someone with a severe and enduring mental illness, despite the majority (75%) saying they don’t know what a severe and enduring mental...Read More

There has been a large spike in the stigmatising language being used by the Irish media in the last month. That’s according to Headline, our sister project at Shine, and Ireland’s national programme for responsible reporting and representation of mental health.  Headline found that 44% of stigmatising language use since 24th February is related to...Read More

Shame, the constant companion  by Lucie Kavanagh One day last week, I was struggling with anxiety to the extent that I didn’t pick up the phone and organise my monthly prescription. I hadn’t run out yet and I told myself it could wait. Unfortunately, by the time I got around to it, my GP was...Read More

 Food By Lucie Kavanagh “Listen to the people who love you. Believe that they are worth living for even when you don’t believe it. Seek out the memories depression takes away and project them into the future. Be brave; be strong; take your pills. Exercise because it’s good for you even if every step weighs...Read More