Goes back further than September for me but maybe you’re in the position I reached then now. Maybe you know someone who is in that position or someone affected. Here’s a few things that helped me - hope it can inform in some way.

1) Friends and family who were there in an exceedingly dark time. Their patience, knowing when to push me (namely out the house / in the direction of Craven Cottage) and when to just let me be. And listening, not feeling the need to say the right thing. Just listening.

2) Admitting that therapy was something worth trying and doing it. Fortunate I found the right therapist reasonably quickly but that can be a tiring process. I had always been sceptical but in my case it’s done wonders.

3) Travelling gave me some direction / adrenaline kick + allowed me some much needed space to process. Changing the dynamic from being in an environment of “When you going back to work? / How’s the depression?” helped a lot, even if it meant missing those around me back home.

4) The people I’ve met whilst travelling - having fresh eyes + ears on a situation can be a big help sometimes, particularly when you go into it with no expectations.

5) Understanding for the situation from the people I work for, particularly from my bosses at @FOXSoccer, the @Bundesliga_EN World Feed and at Guardian Football Weekly. People at 5Live, Football Focus and @FulhamSuppTrust also very supportive.

6) To anyone who sent a little message like this. It was read, felt and appreciated.

7) @matthaig1’s books. “Reasons to Stay Alive” + “Notes on a Nervous Planet”. At times, it was like reading a manual for what I was experiencing. For increasing awareness about mental health, this is important.

Many factors play a role in depression. For me, suppressing the time I had at this particular boarding school was the biggest. I wasn’t the only one. Not something that has stopped over the years either as this confirms... https://www.thetimes.co.uk/art...

Sometimes I’ve heard that being bullied can be “character building”? Well, no. I know plenty of people who managed to be decent people without needing to suffer first. I met a lot of them at Uni.

So put it this way: if a tornado sweeps through a town + they rebuild the town, you give credit to the people who rebuild it, not to the tornado.

If you’re being bullied in an environment like that, just know that you don’t have to put up with that shit. My advice to anyone who is / or knows anyone who is: you can get out and start again.

Staying on may be doing you more long term damage rather than staying on in some weird Stockholm Syndrome bubble. And remember, as Twitter proves at times, some people are twats. 😄

Now not to go too Julie Andrews *but* I believe these people are still the minority. Convinced there’s a lot more people on here and out there who are good - my experience since tells me that at least.

Anyway - delighted to say that I’ll be returning to work for Fox Sports, Bundesliga World Feed and Football Weekly in February - here’s to all three of them for their understanding of mental health in this case.

Hoping to do the Euros too in some form but most of all, I’m looking forward to going back home.

If you can afford it, do donate to @MindCharity or another mental health charity of your choice. People need help. They give that help. https://www.mind.org.uk/donate

That’s it. Ta from Colombia where, I’m happy to say, I’m doing a lot better than I was in September.👍#NurDieFortunaKöln

Steadily working my way through your responses to the thread. Bit overwhelmed but this point here has been proven. Thanks once again. 🙏https://x.com/archiert1/status...

@archiert1 @maxrushden What a bloody amazing thread, Archie. Thanks for sharing, biggest love from Brighton and look forward to hearing your stuff again on FW soon.

@NickyBandini The way you opened up and it was so warmly received encouraged me to post all of this, so thank you. See you soon 🙂

@archiert1 Very sorry to hear what you’ve been through mate, but very happy you’re coming back. Hopefully see you soon 👍

@liam_twomey Thanks pal 👍

@archiert1 So good to read from you, Archie. Hope to see you soon at the Bundesliga.

@guek62 Danke. Bis FCA :-)

@archiert1 All the best to you, Archie.

@cc_eckner Danke 👍

@archiert1 Archie, you are a top man and you’ve very much been missed! Glad to hear you are now in a better place. Kudos for sharing, no doubt it will help others to do so, and we can all try & understand these things a little better. Much love.

@stevenwyeth Cheers Steve - see you soon!

@archiert1 Big love Arch, we’ve missed you on all fronts and glad to hear you’re feeling better 🙌

@jackjcollins Thanks pal 👍

@archiert1 Archie, you’re missed because you’re excellent at what you do, and missed by those you work with because you’re a fantastic human being too. Glad to see you smiling. Take care

@adamsummerton Cheers pal. Hope to catch you soon :-)

@archiert1 Great to hear you're doing better mate. I missed you on here and had wondered where you'd gone. DM's always open if you need to chat. Excited to be seeing your content again soon.

@FootballSwissEN Cheers Craig - much appreciated. Enjoy your work. :-)

@archiert1 @JamesHorncastle We miss you Archie !!

@Walid_4 @JamesHorncastle 👍