Sort Your Head Out: Mental health without all the bollocks

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I have had to train myself not to fear idleness but to embrace it. I have had to discover beauty and fun in the day-to-day. It is all there in front of us. Nora Ephron, the famous Hollywood screenwriter, once said: “Interesting stories happen to people who know how to tell them.” Nowadays, I spend most of my time telling people stories. Sometimes they ask me how come so many interesting things happen to me. They don’t. The same amount of remarkable, funny or stimulating things happen to me as to the next person. It’s just that, these days, I am clear-eyed enough to see them. After discovering that therapy didn’t have to be for ‘hippies and weirdos’, Sam became far more interested in the subject as a whole, reading books and researching the topic properly. He has learnt to ‘not belittle your own problems or pain’ and he feels hopeful that the newest generation of young men feel more able to discuss their feelings and experiences without judgment.

This really spoke to me about addiction, fatherhood, and the amount of unnecessary pressure we put ourselves under trying to become someone else's version of male success rather than our authentic self. Irreverent and accessible discussions about politics, current affairs and various social issues, as well as the inanities of life, mental health and other shit. Each episode we aim to have a subject up for discussion as a starting point, before veering off course and chatting about whatever’s on our minds. Sometimes we bring guests on to facilitate the discussion, to offer a different perspective or to discuss their work.Sam also hosts The Reset, a podcast in which he chats to guests about mental health, addiction, recovery and all that sort of stuff. Rapper Professor Green, football player Declan Rice and comedian Romesh Ranganathan are just some of the ambassadors working with CALM. Between the 1960s and the 1980s some of the most influential men in the country spent most of the day in the pub and got paid more than the Prime Minister. We can all make a change by being more open with our mates: honest conversations show us all we are not alone in our feelings, and we don’t need to feel so ashamed.

The Mirror's newsletter brings you the latest news, exciting showbiz and TV stories, sport updates and essential political information. Keeping it all inside was what nearly dragged Sam under. Then he began to open up and share his story with others. Soon his life started to get better and better. Now, he's written this book to help you do the same. By the time I was in my late 30s I was struggling to cope with the combined pressures of work, family and socialising – and had started to self-medicate with alcohol. Covering his complex upbringing, fast paced career, struggles with addiction and recovery, and detailing lessons he’s learnt along the way, Sort Your Head Outis Sam’s startlingly raw, compassionate and hilarious account of why opening up is the first step to sorting your head out. I loved the overall narrative and message. A multi purpose mental health book, but also much more. Between the words and chapters are some funny, genuinely lovely and relatable stories, even if I am not in the exact same situations, we have all been mostly close enough to make it count. Sam's tone, dedication, sense of humor, honesty and advice are positively inspiring without being at all patronizing. It's touching, funny, sincere and makes you want to attempt to be a better, brighter human.They were responsible for transforming a lifeless advertising industry into something exciting and extravagant. They came up with the idea of selling lifestyles. They changed what we ate, how we dressed and who we voted for and celebrated with fast cars, private jets and champagne. This book tells it like it is in an honest and down to earth way that men who find it hard to talk about mental health will be able to relate to easily. Sam really knows his stuff on this subject and is very frank about his struggles. A great, motivating book that can really help - every bloke should read it— Shaun Ryder But when he reached his thirties, work, relationships and fatherhood started to take their toll. Like so many blokes who seemed to be totally fine, he often felt like a complete failure whose life was out of control; anxiety and depression had secretly plagued him for years. Turning to drink and drugs only made things worse. Sam knew he needed help - the problem was that he thought self-help was for hippies, sobriety was for weirdos and therapy was for neurotics. They’re community spaces for men to connect, converse and create. The activities are often similar to those of garden sheds, but for groups of men to enjoy together. They help reduce loneliness and isolation, but most importantly, they’re fun. Ben wishes Labour would be more bold with fresh policies to capture the public imagination. Also pond update, the actors strike's unseen UK impact and listener correspondence.

What happened when a rag-tag band of scruffs and smart-arses invaded Westminster, sprinkling creative fairy dust over earnest politicians? How much did snappy slogans and simplistic soundbites influence election results and even government policies?

Men and their mental health: Five free resources

Thankfully, more positive role models are emerging who are showing you can be successful AND vulnerable. I’m 47 now, and I grew up in social housing as the youngest of four brothers in a single parent family. I told myself that football was my hobby. But going to football was always as much about getting twatted as it was watching the game. Similarly, playing Monday-night five-a-side was only a ritual we endured prior to the post-match beers. We went to comprehensive schools, and I was the first in the family to go to university. The world I grew up in was one of beer, banter and football. A network of anonymous, non-clinical groups for blokes to connect, talk and listen on a regular basis. Every Monday at 6.30pm for men in the UK and online globally.