JCIP #159 - Ben Sixsmith

In episode 159 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with writer Ben Sixsmith. Ben currently works as the contributing editor at The Critic Magazine. He is also founder of his Substack 'The Zone'. In this episode we discuss how he got into fell into writing through writing for outlets like Quillette and Areo Magazines respectively before he got work with outlets like The American Conservative and The Spectator. We explore some of the articles he’s written on topics including male stoicism, the pros and cons of meaning and its absence in the current mental health conversation and the work he has done writing about men with eating disorders. We also discuss Ben’s own experience with both Anorexia and Bulimia during his university degree which forced him to drop out altogether, how he managed to turn his life around and how moving to Poland was a big part of that. We finish by discussing the internet’s role in the mental health conversation and the very bizarre ways it can influence the human consciousness. As always, #itsokaytovent You can read all of Ben's articles we discussed in this episode in full below: Year of the Cold: https://medium.com/arc-digital/year-of-the-cold-29c18f732c73 Beer and Recovery: https://bensixsmith.substack.com/p/beer-and-recovery In Defence of Male Stoicism: https://quillette.com/2018/12/21/in-defense-of-male-stoicism/amp/ You can subscribe to Ben's Substack here: https://bensixsmith.substack.com/ You can follow Ben on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BDSixsmith Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp…ir-mental-health Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk TRIGGER WARNING: This podcast contains a brief discussion about suicide and suicidality, which some listeners may find distressing or upsetting, so please listen with caution.