Some of my songs are about people who are struggling, either because of the situation they’re in or because of the chemistry in their heads. It’s a subject close to my heart because I struggle too, and some days are considerably harder than others.
Our song A Moment of Clarity is about that. It clearly resonates with people: almost every time I’ve played it live, whether with the band or solo at an open mic or live-streamed video, I’ve had people tell me that it has connected with them in a really powerful way. Everybody has their struggles.
On the worst days, three words have been really helpful to me: wait until tomorrow.
Wait until tomorrow is a deal you make with yourself. You’re not going to try and persuade yourself that what you’re feeling isn’t real, or try to convince yourself that things aren’t as bad as they seem to be right now. All you’re going to do is wait until tomorrow.
And if you still feel the same tomorrow?
We’ll deal with that tomorrow.
I’ve found that some of the very worst days are like a severe storm. In real-world storms, ordinary things turn on us. The wind damages property, fells trees, turns ordinary objects into projectiles; the rain makes land slip and roads flood. Mental storms do much the same, and in some cases do the mental equivalent of a hurricane throwing a cow through the front of your house.
But all storms, even the very worst ones, pass.
And when you wait until tomorrow, you’ll often find that your one does too.
And if it doesn’t?
We can deal with that tomorrow.
If you’re struggling with mental health, help is available: I’ve listed a lot of helplines, including LGBT+ specific ones, at the very bottom of the page. If you need to speak to somebody right now, here are some other places that can help:
Call Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
Text SHOUT to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line (text YM if you’re under 19)
The Campaign Against Living Miserably, online or 0800 58 58 58.