The Adventures of Dysfunctional Dan

In which I discuss by ongoing self-confidence struggles... Self-confidence. Confidence comes from the Latin  fidere  which means 'to trust' so self-confidence is to trust yourself. Some people seem to find this really easy but it's not something that comes easily to me.  I was getting ready for a party recently when I had a complete crisis in body image. For a moment I looked at the person in the mirror and thought that there was no way I could make it presentable and considered whether I should just give up and stay home.  Fortunately I managed to force myself past this moment but it's occurred to me since then that barely a day goes by where I don't despair at some aspect of my appearance. Body image in women is a subject that is rightly discussed quite a lot but it's not something that is discussed anywhere near as much for men. Research by the Mental Health Foundation found that 28% of men over the age of 18 have felt anxious because of body image issues. I ...

Previously on The Adventures of Dysfunctional Dan : I began taking part in The Wildlife Trusts 30 Days Wild event, doing one wild thing every day for the month of June. (See  Part I ) Before I reflect on my wild month, here's what I got up to in the second half of June.  Day 16: I needed to pop to the local shop and decided to sit for a while in the churchyard along the way. My local churchyard is a really spot, full of flowers in the spring and home to several sizeable oak trees which provide a home for so much wildlife.  Day 17: I happened to look about of my kitchen window to see a squirrel running along the back fence. Whilst I have seen the occasional squirrel on my street despite the lack of any trees of note, I've never seen one at the back and I hope my attempts to make my yard more wildlife friendly as well as the growth of some plants along the row of gardens is beginning to attract more wildlife.  Day 18: A lovely walk along the River Stour today. It'...