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Start with what is happening now When you have already felt dismissed, another conversation about mental health can feel daunting. You might worry that you will forget your words, become upset or leave without getting help. You do not need a perfect explanation. A short account of what is happening, how it affects you and what you need is a useful starting point. Being prepared can help you communicate. It does not make you responsible for the quality of care you receive. Wri

The Record Attempt Ended. The Reason he Started Didn’t. On Friday 2 October 2026, VÕS HELP founder James Priestley began one of the toughest physical challenges of his life: an attempt to break two Guinness World Records on a Concept2 indoor rowing machine. The plan was simple to explain, but brutal to attempt. Row for 12 hours. Push beyond the existing records. Raise as much money as possible to provide free mental health support for serving members of the British Armed Forc

For men in England, suicide is not a marginal issue. It remains one of the biggest causes of death in men under the age of 50. And for younger men, the figures are particularly stark. According to the UK Government’s Men’s Health Strategy, using Office for National Statistics data, in 2024: • For males aged 20 to 34, intentional self harm and events of undetermined intent were the leading cause of death. • For males aged 35 to 49, accidental poisoning, such as drug overdose,

When opening up feels disappointing You rehearse what to say. You wonder whether your problems are serious enough. You finally tell someone you are struggling, hoping they will understand. Then comes a response like, “Everyone gets stressed,” or, “You seem fine to me.” It can leave you feeling embarrassed, frustrated or even more alone. Asking for mental health support takes courage, especially when you have spent weeks or months keeping things to yourself. When that courage

There is something about September that can make normal life suddenly feel very real again. Summer plans slow down. Holidays finish. Schools reopen. College starts. Work gets busier. Diaries begin filling up and the darker evenings slowly creep closer. One minute you are thinking about summer plans and the next you are looking at deadlines, responsibilities and everything you told yourself you would deal with “after summer”. For some people, September feels exciting. For othe

Leeds Founder Takes on Guinness World Record to Support British Armed Forces Mental Health On 3 October 2026, VÕS HELP founder and SAS: Who Dares Wins winner James Priestley will attempt to row more than 153,000 metres in just 12 hours. But this is not simply an attempt to break a Guinness World Record. The challenge has one purpose: to raise enough money to provide 1,000 free mental health support calls for members of the British Armed Forces community, including serving per

September has a strange way of feeling like a second January. Summer ends, schools and colleges return, workplaces become busier and suddenly social media is filled with new routines, productivity challenges, career goals, gym plans and people promising to “get their life together”. For some people, that fresh-start feeling can be motivating. For others, it creates an enormous amount of pressure. If September has arrived and you don’t feel refreshed, motivated or ready for a

Have you ever looked around and thought: “How is everyone doing better than me?” Someone your age is earning more money. Someone has moved out. Somebody has the career you want. Someone has built a successful business. Another person seems completely confident about where their life is going. Meanwhile, you might still be trying to work out your next move. That gap between where you are and where you think you should be can feel enormous. But success is rarely as simple as it

You open Instagram and someone has bought their first home. Someone else has landed their dream job. A friend has been promoted. Another person has started a business, got engaged, graduated or seems to have completely figured out what they want from life. You are happy for them but at the same time, you feel that horrible sinking feeling. Why am I not there yet? Hearing other people’s success stories can be inspiring, but when you are already questioning your own direction,

Starting work with a knot in your stomach, replaying conversations after every shift or panicking whenever your manager asks to speak with you should not be dismissed as “just part of having a job.” Work can involve pressure, deadlines and difficult days. However, when worry becomes constant and begins affecting sleep, confidence, concentration or attendance, it may be workplace anxiety. What Workplace Anxiety Can Look Like Workplace anxiety is not always visible to colleague

Anxiety is not always obvious. It can appear as constant overthinking, irritability, poor sleep, avoiding certain situations or feeling physically tense without understanding why. Although everyone experiences worry sometimes, ongoing anxiety can begin to affect relationships, work and everyday decisions. Government guidance on mental health and wellbeing recognises that emotional health is influenced by many parts of life, including physical health, financial security, relat

VÕS HELP founder James Priestley’s upcoming 12 hour indoor rowing world record attempt has received media coverage in Mallorca, helping shine a spotlight on the reason behind the challenge, providing free mental health support to members of the British Armed Forces community. The challenge will take place on 3 October 2026 at Port d’Andratx Gym in Mallorca, where James will attempt to row 153,000 metres in 12 hours on a Concept2 indoor rower. The Mallorca Bulletin has feature

A midlife crisis is often treated as a joke, but the distress behind it can be real. Employees may reach their thirties, forties or fifties and suddenly question their career, relationships, finances and identity. They may feel that they should have achieved more by now, particularly when colleagues appear to be earning more, receiving promotions or reaching milestones faster. For employers, dismissing this as a personal problem is a mistake. Career dissatisfaction can influe

Reaching the middle of your working life can bring questions that were easier to ignore before. Am I successful enough? Have I chosen the wrong career? Is it too late to start again? These thoughts are common, but they can become overwhelming. What people call a midlife crisis is often a period of uncertainty caused by changing priorities, financial pressure, ageing, family responsibilities and the feeling that time is running out. When this becomes mixed with career stress,

Why redundancy feels so personal Redundancy is a word we are hearing more and more in workplaces across the UK. Businesses restructure, costs increase, technology changes and roles that once felt secure can suddenly disappear. But behind every redundancy announcement is a person. For someone who has spent years building a career, forming friendships at work and relying on a regular income, being told their role is no longer needed can affect far more than their finances. It c

When job security suddenly disappears For many people, having a job creates a sense of security. You know when you are being paid. You know what your routine looks like. You make plans around your income and begin imagining where your career might take you. Then you hear the word “redundancy” Suddenly, everything feels uncertain. Redundancy has become a major workplace conversation as organisations restructure, change how they operate, relocate or reduce particular roles. The

Back to school advice usually focuses on the child, but parents can feel the strain just as strongly. You may be worrying about whether your child will settle, whether bullying will return, whether they will cope academically, whether the school will listen or how you will manage work, uniforms, lunches, transport and rising costs. That pressure is real. Pretending that you are completely fine does not make you a stronger parent. It can leave you exhausted, overwhelmed and mo

The uniform may be ready and the new shoes may still be in their box, but for some children, returning to school brings more fear than excitement. A new teacher, an unfamiliar classroom, friendship worries, harder schoolwork, bullying or simply losing the freedom of the holidays can make the start of a new term feel overwhelming. Back to school anxiety does not always sound like, “I feel anxious.” According to the NHS guidance on anxiety in children, it can appear through irr

They arrive on time. They answer emails. They smile at colleagues. They hit their targets. And nobody in the office knows that getting through an ordinary working day sometimes requires an extraordinary amount of effort. Trauma does not disappear when someone clocks in. For employers and HR professionals, understanding that simple fact can completely change the way employee behaviour is interpreted. Because sometimes the employee who appears "difficult", "quiet", "over-sensit

Trauma does not always look the way people expect it to. It is not always flashbacks, nightmares or visibly falling apart. Sometimes trauma looks like cancelling plans at the last minute. Sometimes it is becoming overwhelmed by a harmless comment. It can look like struggling to trust people who have given you no reason not to trust them, constantly preparing for something to go wrong or feeling exhausted without understanding why. For some people, the event is over. But their