The Nice-ish Ramblings Podcast

It’s the start of Men’s Health Month and Men’s Health Week (10-16 June). In this episode, I briefly cover the origins and rationale for the week's development, and within that context, I offer a review of “Maybe I Don’t Belong Here” by David Harewood (OBE), a book about racism, mental illness, and recovery.You can read the full transcript, which includes references, here.

If you are like most human beings, you will likely have made a fair few New Year's resolutions in your life... and like everyone else, you may not have been able to stick to them as much as you would have liked. Personally, I am not one for resolutions or the whole "new year, new me" idea. But if you are, here are some reasons why you may not have stuck to your resolutions in the past. And (more importantly) how to make sure you can keep them... and just in time for New Year's Eve. It's like I planned this or something. Sources·      The top 3 reasons New Year's resolutions fail and how yours can succeed (Caprino, 2019);·      A psychotherapist says there are 3 common reasons so many people's New Year's resolutions end in failure (Abadi, 2019);·      10 Reasons Why New Year's Resolutions Fail (Wallen, 2020);·      The Transtheoretical Model of Change Prochaska & DiClemente (1983)

SourcesThe Sun: “Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg fight updates”Sportsmanor: “Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg – Height and Weight Differences Between the Two Rivals”Journal Article: “Precarious Manhood and Its Links to Action and Aggression”Pubity: “Zuckerberg Withdraws from Fight with Musk”Music* Opening: “Chilled Ambient Minimal”* Closing: “Unexpected" - David BullaThank you for subscribing. Share this episode.

Last weekend some text messages were released by Sarah Brady, a surfer, model, and the former girlfriend of Jonah Hill. The messages were released on Brady’s Instagram stories. They quickly went viral, most notably for highlighting what Brady inferred to be controlling and demands requests made by Hill, which he described as his “boundaries” for their relationship. The release of these messages sparked some heated debate across social media with some polarizing views.In this discussion, Dr Bekah Shallcross joins me in a rambling conversation that covers the nuances of what boundaries are, what they are not, how boundaries are upheld and agreed to between men and women In a patriarchal society, and what can be done to change this.As always, please get in touch to let me or Dr Shallcross know your thoughts. And if you think anyone would benefit from hearing this episode, please do share it with them. Also, if you could leave a rating or a comment to let others know this show isn’t a bag of shite, that would be wonderful too.All the best,Nice-ish.Music* Opening: “Chilled Ambient Minimal”* Closing: “Seven” - Tobu Thank you for subscribing. Share this episode.

I have the utmost pleasure of being joined once more by Dr Martha - a clinical psychologist who specialises in working with young people - in a fascinating and winding discussion about shame. Shame has received a lot of attention on social media, for good reason. But, as with anything, I was keen to take a closer look at this particularly aversive and unpleasant emotion. And who better to talk to than another psychologist, and one that specialises in how shame might serve a purpose?Dr Martha and I discuss the prevalence of shame discussion on social media, the purposes of shame, how it helps to shape social connections and behaviours, and how it can potentially be a force for good for social change.As always, it was a thoroughly enjoyable and through-provoking discussion and hopefully, it is for you too. If you enjoyed the episode, please do share it widely on social media (tag me in it if you do), or with someone close to you who you think might enjoy it (or benefit from it).And if you can, please leave a rating or comment. It all goes towards letting others know how good (or totally shit) this podcast is.Thanks as always,Nice-ish.Resources* Why Shame Is Good* Why Shame and Guilt Are Functional For Mental Health* The Positive Side of Shame* Is Shame Necessary?: New Uses for an Old ToolMusic* Opening: “Chilled Ambient Minimal”* Closing: “Unexpected" - David BullaThank you for subscribing. Share this episode.

In today’s episode, I am joined by Pierre Azzam, a psychiatrist-turned-men’s coach, in which we discuss an aspect of men’s mental health that is often not thought about or considered all that much. It was an engaging and fascinating chat, which I am glad I got to have with Pierre again (we had previously recorded this episode, but the recording software malfunctioned). Hopefully, you find similar value in what Pierre shared with me.As always, if you liked this episode and think that someone else may benefit from hearing it, please do share. And if you have the time, please leave a rating and a comment (if you can). It does go a long way to let others know if the show is helpful or a bag of shit.All the best,Nice-ish.Music* Opening: “Chilled Ambient Minimal”* Closing: “Unexpected" - David BullaThank you for subscribing. Share this episode.