Welcome to the Black Dog Café!

Hello my friend, I'm so glad you're here.

If you’ve been guided to this corner of the internet, it’s probably because your “one wild and precious life” is being clouded by depression, low moods, or deep sadness and you're searching for ways to feel better, cos nothing you've tried so far seems to work for you. 

You aren't alone anymore. This community is here to help you to ditch the black dog of depression and find your path to creating a life you're excited to wake up for every morning.

Take a few minutes to have a look around. The format of the café is similar to other community groups, so hopefully you'll feel right at home.

I wish I could make you a mug of hot chocolate and offer you a cake, but you have to bring your own drinks and snacks.

What I can offer you is a safe space to come and speak honestly about how the black dog of depression is affecting you and your life.

There's no judgement here. Only support and compassion.

Anyone who is not supportive and compassionate is removed to maintain the safety and comfort of everyone else in the space.

The usual rules apply here - be a decent human being, think before you type, don't spam and don't offer unsolicited advice. This is an inclusive space with room for everyone. There is zero tolerance for the 'isms' and 'phobias' that are causing so much pain in the world.

Now I've got that out of the way, let me show you around a little.

If you feel able, please use the #Introductions channel to let us know who you are, where you're from and what your biggest challenge is right now. Bonus gold stars if you tell us about your pets!

If you have any #Questionsplease ask away. This channel is designed for questions about depression, not tech questions. If you have problems with tech, please email my tech guy at [email protected]

If you have a question that you'd like to ask privately, please feel free to use the chat button. It's in the top right hand corner of this page if you're on desktop. If you're using a mobile phone, it's a little speech bubble icon at the top of the page next to the search icon and notification bell.

The #Chat channel is for general chat about anything you want to get off your chest really. Feel free to vent about what's bothering you - anger is better than apathy when it comes to ditching the black dog so rant away. It's safer to do it in this space that it is out in the world. Tell us about your pets, your garden, your kids. This channel is for you to make connections, share stories about your life, tell us what you're up to today, what you're reading etc.

The #Bulletin Board is where I'll be posting upcoming events, talking about new challenges and more, so please make sure to check that out regularly.

#Latest Blog Posts and #Latest Podcast Episodes are exactly that. They'll take you to my latest musings and content.

#The Vault is where I keep my free resources. Some come over and help yourself.

#Thought for the Day will be a mixture of motivational and inspirational posts. It could be a quote or an oracle card, whatever feels right in the moment. I hope you'll find them helpful.

This is a free space and so I may not be here all the time. I have to earn a living so I can feed my kids. (They eat a lot.) So if you'd like more resources and support with depression, please consider joining my paid offer - the Ditch the Black Dog Virtual Retreat.

I'll share more about that as we go along so you can see what's inside and decide if it's for you.

That's it for now. I'm so glad you're here and I look forward to being able to help you ditch the black dog of depression and create a life worth waking up again for,

With love and magick always,

Maria xx