For a long time, I lived with a victim mentality. I believed I was alone because the world was against me. Everyone else was to blame for my pain. The world had hurt me, and no one understood. I manipulated pity from those closest to me by implying that I had been hurt. To me, […]

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD is a psychological condition which has been caused by a frightening event. Although my trauma occurred mostly when I was very young, I still suffer with the memories which are triggered by everyday events in my life now. PTSD is not easy to overcome. Much of my adult life has […]

The Australian Human Rights Commission website states: “Bullying is when people repeatedly and intentionally use words or actions against someone or a group of people to cause distress and risk to their wellbeing. These actions are usually done by people who have more influence or power over someone else, or who want to make someone […]

An old workmate contacted me to say she was arranging a get together of colleagues. Was I interested? The memories were not all fond, but I thought it would be nice to catch up to see what had transpired in each of our lives over the 30 years. We met at a local restaurant for […]

Last weekend I took part in a retreat where I spoke. It was a great weekend reconnecting with others from my hometown. Old feelings reared their head which got me going over the past. Inadequacy was one of my strongest feelings in the early years, mostly because I was so much bigger than anyone I […]

I am often asked how I have lost over 100kg of weight. This is difficult for me answer, as there were many factors which led to my weight gain. Despite the evidence provided by recent studies, society generally thinks that weight gain is associated with the volume of food we eat alone. So, the expectation […]

Sometimes I feel like a simmering kettle. It’s as if my body is hyped up and ready to leap at the slightest threat. Just increase the heat slightly and I’ll boil over. To the outside world this will go unnoticed. I guess it seems that I’m more excited than usual. But within myself I am […]

Over the weekend I walked with my greyhound, Dreamy in The Leg of Mutton. It’s a small walk with a steep roadway down into the dried lake. This is just one of the volcanic lakes in the area in which I live. It was once a nursery for introduced species of trees and still has […]

We’ve all heard the saying, “I am in competition with no-one.” But what does this mean? As soon as we step out our door we are confronted with the neighbour’s shiny new car, or exquisite garden. Turn on the television and we are reminded that we should be slimmer, younger, intelligent, fit, and healthy. At […]