Yesterday’s email about pensions – specifically the part where I said I don’t have one – caused some upset.
And while I appreciate the concern for my financial situation, the perception I’ve made my choices because I’m young and healthy is wildly incorrect.
For starters, I’m not healthy – if we define health as free from significant and enduring illness.
Don’t worry, I’m not dying or anything. And no, this isn’t going to be one of those “woe is me… my life is so terrible… please buy my products and/or services” emails because I hate them at least as much (and probably a great deal more) than you.
So if I’m not going to use my illness to emotionally manipulate you into purchasing something, why am I mentioning it at all?
Only because my ill health is of the “mental” variety, and I know this is something a lot of men struggle in silence with.
And, as you are almost certainly a man, I wanted to take a moment to say that it’s OK to not be OK.
For some, training is enough of an outlet to manage whatever nasties are swirling around like inky black shadows in their mind. It did the job for me, right up until it didn’t – and at that point, the only remedy was to get help from an appropriately qualified professional.
I opted to see an excellent clinical psychologist (who I’ve been working with for coming up on three years now), but there are plenty of other options out there.
Was seeing someone an easy choice?
No. It was not.
Feelings of failure and shame led me to ignore the emails the good doctor sent me after I enquired about her services. Fortunately, she had the cajones to pick up the phone and call me (remember when people did that as standard?), otherwise, I’d probably still be languishing in a pit of misery and despair.
Ultimately, what I’m saying here is if you’re struggling, there are people out there – good people – with the talents and skills to help ease your burdens.
I am not one of those people.
So, as it would be utterly vile of me to pretend otherwise to line my pockets, how about something free and completely unrelated?
Around September last year, I got banned from LinkedIn for upsetting the Empowered Feminist Brigade.
However, a couple of weeks ago, the good people at LinkedIn decided to let me back on the platform.
So if you fancy watching me cross swords with DEI cultists, powerful victims, and communists, shoot me a connection request.
I also respond to DMs, so if you want to shoot the proverbial, feel free to do so. (But if you ask me any questions about training, diet, or lifestyle, I’ll respond with a link to the sales page for the most appropriate offer).
Here’s my profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipjtyreman/
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman