By Brian R Basham There is a phrase men pass around the way soldiers pass around a canteen: “happy wife, happy life.” It comes out with a rueful grin, usually after someone has surrendered a preference, an opinion, or an entire weekend. Everyone nods. Nobody argues. That, as it happens, is precisely the problem. On […]
Happy Wife Does Not Equal Happy Life Read More »
Telling three common experiences apart The words stress, anxiety, and depression are often used as if they mean the same thing. They are related, they frequently overlap, and one can lead into another. They are also genuinely different, and telling them apart matters, because each responds best to a slightly different kind of support. This
STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION Read More »
As a counsellor, I am often met by clients at the first appointment with them telling me their anxiety is out of control. I then guide the conversation to define what anxiety is and to try to parse out what is causing them to be anxious. To provide some ideas for them and others, I
Anxiety: a personal case study Read More »
By Brian R Basham — July 2026 NOTE: Claude AI was used to assist in the development of this post In 1988, J. G. Ballard published Running Wild, a slim novella about an atrocity in a gated English estate: every adult at Pangbourne Village murdered in twenty minutes, every child vanished. The police psychiatrist who
Running Wild in Victoria: What a 1988 Novella Saw Coming Read More »
A while ago, I posted a reminder that your employees are not computers (see here). However, recent events over the past week or so have me sitting behind the keyboard to remind you again. If you reduce the number of employees to reduce costs to demonstrate to shareholders that you are managing the assets responsibly,
Brian R Basham A reading of “Brave New World,” the Artilleryman’s song from Jeff Wayne’s 1978 musical version of The War of the Worlds (lyrics by Gary Osborne): a thrilling vision of rebuilding from the ruins, undercut moments later by the ten-foot tunnel its dreamer had actually dug. Of all the set-pieces on Jeff Wayne’s
We Still Need a Brave New World Read More »
Brian R Basham · GWM Counselling Services There is a particular kind of tiredness that comes from not saying what you think. Most of us know it. You are in the meeting, or at the family lunch, or halfway through typing a reply, and you have a view, and you quietly fold it away because
The Quiet Cost of Biting Your Tongue Read More »
Brian R Basham · GWM Counselling Services We have become very good at deciding who is allowed to finish a sentence. Someone holds the wrong view, backs the wrong person, or phrases something badly, and the response is no longer “I disagree” but “you should not be heard.” It feels like strength. Most of the
The Right to Be Wrong Out Loud Read More »
Categories: Habits, Self-Improvement, Wellbeing Most people have a mental list of changes they keep meaning to make. Move a bit more. Sleep better. Drink more water. Spend less time on the phone. Get back to the thing they used to love. The list is rarely the problem. The problem is that change, attempted the usual
Small Changes That Actually Stick Read More »
Categories: Relationships, Connection, Wellbeing Friendship is easy when you are young. You are thrown together by proximity, you have time to spare, and closeness happens almost by accident. Then life gets busy. Careers, relationships, children, and the sheer logistics of adulthood quietly crowd it out, and one day you look up and realise you have
Why Adult Friendships Are Worth the Effort Read More »
