Frank M. Anderson's Writing

Tag: mental-health

  • Big news incoming.

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    Things have been brewing quickly in the mad scientist’s lab of my brain, and the results are almost ready to escape into the world. How soon? Weeks, not months. Here’s what’s going on. Trying to Be Good Trying to Be Good is a small, quiet book.It isn’t a memoir in the traditional sense, and it…

  • On AI, Sloppiness, and Being Honest About the Work

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    When I was a kid, I used to get out of trouble by punishing myself harder than anyone else could. I’d replay mistakes in my head, pick them apart, scold myself privately until whatever authority figure was involved decided I’d clearly “learned my lesson.” In reality, I was just being left alone with my thoughts—and…

  • THE INTERVieW

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    A self-interrogation in two acts.Questions by ChatGPT. Answers by Frank M. Anderson.No softballs. No comfort. No mythmaking. ROUND ONE 1. If The Cancer Diet was written to survive, why publish it? Frank:I’ve always wanted to be a published author, but more than anything, I wanted to leave something for my son. Something he could read…

  • Why I’m a Southern Leftist

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    The more I look at things, the more I realize that communication is our number one problem and our biggest benefit. We’re losing the ability to talk to each other — really talk — across lines of difference. We speak in rehearsed slogans, defend our tribes, and mistake volume for conviction. But if I could…

  • Protecting Everyone: What Marjorie Taylor Greene and James Talarico Showed Me About the Next Stage of Humanity

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    It might sound strange to say that two politicians as different as Marjorie Taylor Greene and James Talarico have both been on my mind. For most of my life, I would’ve counted Greene as an enemy—the “Jewish space-lasers” lady, the caricature of everything I thought was wrong with politics. And yet, lately, I’ve found myself…

  • The Empathy War 2: Charlie Kirk and the Cost of Easy Stories

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    This article is a follow up and expansion of this older article – https://fulcrumandaxis.com/2025/05/22/the-empathy-war-why-stories-are-the-battlegroundby-frank-m-anderson/ I don’t know exactly when empathy became controversial—but I know I felt it. First as a writer. Then as a teacher. And now as a father watching entire shelves of books disappear from schools. Today, that feeling got louder. On September…

  • The Moon in My Mood: How Lunar Cycles Show Up in My Bipolar Blogging

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    I’ve always known that bipolar comes in cycles—bursts of manic energy, followed by the crash of depression. But recently I discovered something I didn’t expect: my moods don’t just swing on their own schedule. They seem to move with the moon. Looking back at my blog stats, I could already see the rhythm: a manic…

  • What I Won’t Do as an Author (and What I Will)

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    Books are asking a lot of people these days. Time, focus, attention — all of it feels scarce in a world full of noise, streaming services, doomscrolling, and endless distractions. Reading is an investment. When someone chooses to spend those hours with me, I take it seriously. That’s why I’ve been thinking not just about…

  • Breaking Through the Bubble: The Strange Mercy of the Algorithm

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    I don’t trust the algorithm.Not really. But I’ll admit this much: it’s doing a better job of feeding me music I love than most of the avenues real life offers right now. Everyone is in their own bubble these days—tuned into their curated feeds, their scene, their streaming loops—and it takes a lot for something…

  • Mania, Productivity, and the Montage of Joy

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    There’s a strange mixture of energy running through me right now. Mania has me up at three in the morning, typing away, words pouring out faster than I can believe. Thirteen chapters in a day. It feels incredible, but it’s also terrifying. Mania is dangerous. It’s not just “being in a good mood.” It’s a…

  • From The Cancer Diet to The Lying Years: Radical Honesty, Flexibility, and the Long Way Around

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    When I finished The Cancer Diet, I thought I knew exactly where I was going next.I packaged the file, sent it off for publication, and felt that strange mixture of relief and anticipation that comes with letting a book go. The last lines were barely dry before I could see the shape of the next…

  • Radical Honesty – On Politics and Fascism

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    I’ve been thinking a lot about honesty lately — not the polite, softened kind, but the real kind. The kind that risks making people uncomfortable. The kind that might cost you friends, but leaves you knowing you said what you actually meant. That’s the thread I’ve been pulling with these Radical Honesty pieces. It’s part…

  • Radical Honesty—Women and Love

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    I am trying to live by applying the concept of radical honesty to my life. Here is the first of those- https://fulcrumandaxis.com/2025/08/13/radical-honesty-porn/ Love has always been hard for me.I’ve always wanted it—especially with a kind, loving woman—but I’ve just as often felt like it was unattainable. Kept at arm’s length. Not meant for me in…

  • Radical Honesty – Porn

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    Content Warning: This post discusses pornography, sexual themes, and personal relationship struggles, including references to early exposure to sexual content. Reader discretion advised. When I talk about radical honesty, I don’t mean the kind where you blurt out every passing thought and call it “just being real.” I mean the kind that takes your private…

  • Saying the Word -Suicide- (A Braid with Ren)

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    Content Warning: This chapter speaks plainly about suicide, addiction, depression, and male mental health. I won’t describe methods. If you’re in crisis in the U.S., call or text 988. This is a companion piece to On Suicide- https://fulcrumandaxis.com/2025/05/19/on-suicide/ I didn’t find Ren by wandering a record store; he found me through the machine. “Hi Ren”…

  • Where I Am Now

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    Lately, I’ve been combing through my old lyrics while updating my Music Hub — pulling out lines from the Incarrion era and holding them up against where I am now. What started as a simple archival project quickly turned into something else: a mirror. The more I compared the songs to my current writing, the…

  • The Spectrum and the Space Between

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    At the table, I laugh at the right moments. I tell stories that are just risky enough to make me seem open, but never so revealing that they could get me labeled. The conversation turns to dating, to attraction, to “type.” I edit myself in real time — trimming pronouns, rearranging sentences, steering away from…

  • Love in the Vortex: A Response to Zen Prem and the Collapse of Dating Culture

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    Zen Prem’s “Modern Love (Part 4): The Uprising of ‘Rather Be Alone Than in Another Relatingshit’” hit my feed recently, and it landed hard. Some men are angry. Others are brushing it off.I flinched too—at first.But when I sat with it, the uncomfortable truth came into focus: He’s not just right about some men. He’s…

  • Life in the Friend Zone 3: The Ones We Let Hurt Us

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    I met her on Facebook.(It’s becoming a pattern—I know.) She showed up in a comment thread. One of those dark little zingers that hits harder than it should. I don’t remember the post, but I remember the feeling—that flash of, “Oh. She gets it.” Bleak humor. Dry. The kind that cuts right to the bone.…

  • Life in the Friend Zone 2: When It Was Never a Zone, Just a One-Way Street

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    We talk about the “friend zone” like it’s some external place we’re shoved into—like someone else stuck us there because we were too kind, too honest, too whatever. But the more I live, the more I realize that the so-called friend zone isn’t a punishment—it’s a perception. And it’s ours. Because when you truly care…

  • Life in the Friend Zone

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    There’s a specific kind of loneliness that comes with being the “safe guy.”The one women say they trust, admire, open up to, call “kind,” “sweet,” and “safe.”The guy they tell everything to—except that they love him. I’ve lived there. I still do, sometimes.And I won’t lie: it messes with your head. It’s not that I…

  • 🧠 Rewriting the Narrator: Why I Joined the Freedom Program

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    Ten days ago, I was preparing to celebrate my birthday with something I never thought I’d live long enough to receive: the quiet relief of still being here. For those who’ve read The Cancer Diet, you know how close I came to not seeing this year at all. The book was supposed to be a…

  • Creation Over Curation: Why I’m Not Playing the Game

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    I’ve published books.Not viral TikToks.Not perfectly packaged Instagram reels.Not pitch decks or newsletter giveaways. Books. And I want them to find readers. I really do. But I’m realizing that I have limits—and I’m learning to honor them. 📉 The Numbers So Far The Cancer Diet has sold 15 copies.Empire, Nevada sold fewer than half that.…

  • On Politics

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    Why I Still Believe in Ideas I’m not a political scientist. I’m not a pundit or a strategist. I’m a citizen—a father, a writer, a teacher—trying to make sense of the world I’ve inherited and the world I’m handing to the next generation. And here’s what I see: We are drowning in noise and starving…

  • The Fulcrum and the Axis

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    I’ve been using the imprint “Fulcrum & Axis Press” for my books, blog, and projects, but I haven’t taken time to explain what it actually means. A fulcrum is the point on which something pivots—the place where leverage happens.An axis is the quiet center around which everything turns. These words matter to me because I’ve…

  • The Cancer Diet — Chapter 13: A Ghost in My Own City

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    June 18, 2025 The release of The Cancer Diet is less than a month away, and I want to give you a glimpse of what’s inside. Today, I’m sharing Chapter 13: A Ghost in My Own City. I’m offering this one without much context—because I think it speaks for itself. It stands alone. And it…

  • Why I Quit Taking My Meds—and Why I’m Back on Them Now

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    ⚠️ Content Warning:This post discusses mental health, psychiatric medication, and experiences with bipolar disorder, including references to mania and depressive lows. If you’re in a fragile state or easily triggered by these subjects, please take care while reading.___________________________________________________________________ I’m going to start by taking the coward’s way out—because the truth is, I don’t have one…

  • The Life of a Bipolar Writer

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    I don’t talk about my bipolar near as much as I should.Partly out of shame and frustration. Partly out of fear. People have seen the worst examples of bipolar disorder and there’s a deep, quiet terror that creeps in when I imagine them projecting that onto me. The word alone—bipolar—carries a heavy load. It comes…

  • What If We Actually Built the World We Pretend We Live In?

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    By Frank M. Anderson Reimagining the Civic Contract in an Age of Collapse Something remarkable is happening when you look at the voices breaking through the noise of modern politics. Dean Withers, a Gen Z debate phenom, and Pete Buttigieg, a calm, incisive explainer of public service, couldn’t be more different in style—but they both…

  • The Empathy War: Why Stories Are the Battleground

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    I don’t know exactly when empathy became controversial—but I know I felt it. First as a writer. Then as a teacher. And now as a father watching entire shelves of books disappear from schools. It’s strange to have grown up with stories that taught me to love the outsider—mutants, rebels, misfits, prophets—and now see those…

  • Radical Honesty at 2 A.M.: The Sensitive Asshole Theory of Writing

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    This is not the sort of thing people talk about.But I promised myself this space would be real. So here it is. I inherited some quirks from my birth mother. She has Crohn’s disease—I don’t, thankfully—but I did inherit a few little joys of my own.And one of them is… a particularly high-maintenance digestive situation.…

  • Kevin Bacon, Cancel Culture, and the Death of Slow Art.

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    There was a time—not that long ago—when culture felt shared. When MTV didn’t just show music videos; it shaped the moment. We all tuned in. We all talked about it the next day. It didn’t matter if it was weird, slick, political, or raw—it meant something because we experienced it together. Now we scroll past…

  • Frank and AI Fix the Universe (Sort Of)

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    An experiment in honesty, outrage, and the quiet human need underneath it all. This started as a game. Just something light. I asked the AI to throw me a few of the world’s big problems and I’d tell it how I’d fix them. It would tell me if I was crazy. That was the bit.…

  • I’ve Got a Complicated Seat at This Table

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    By a Former Teacher, Present Writer, and Longtime Observer of a Fractured System I’ve willingly embraced AI in my creative work. Some might call that selling out—but for me, it was a choice built on trust, collaboration, and survival. This technology doesn’t replace my voice; it helps me refine it. I’ve never been more productive,…

  • The Mask, the Mirror, and the Funnel

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the shape of culture, and how we make space for art in a world where the noise never stops. There’s a piece by The Honest Broker that asks, “Are We Living in a Time of Cultural Stagnation?” The author argues that we’re stuck in a loop—a moment where…

  • On Suicide

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    Some truths need to be said out loud. ⚠️ Content Warning:This post contains open and unfiltered discussion of suicide, depression, emotional isolation, and male mental health. It is not a cry for help. It is a lived truth.If you are in immediate danger or crisis, please reach out. In the U.S., you can contact the…

  • May 18: For Ian, For Chris, For the Ones Still Here

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    On this day—May 18—both Ian Curtis and Chris Cornell took their own lives. Two musicians, generations apart, whose voices changed everything for people like me. Ian made anguish poetic. Chris made screaming sound like a form of prayer. They were different, but they understood the same darkness. They gave shape to it. They made it…

  • Not a Brand. Just a Person.

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in

    Let’s just say it plainly. I’m a washed-up ex-teacher working part-time at Starbucks to barely make ends meet. I sit in my apartment for hours at a time, trying to do something that feels like it matters. I make art. I write stories. I build books that might only ever be read by a few…

  • Bipolar Is My Superpower (And Sometimes My Curse)

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in , , , , , , ,

    I live with bipolar disorder. Not in the abstract. Not as a label. Not as a quirky footnote in a conversation. I live with it. Every day. It has cost me jobs, tested relationships, and taken me to the edge more times than I care to count. But it’s also shaped the way I feel…

  • Postscript – The Final Mirror

    —

    by

    Videosta
    in ,

    On finishing Unto a Golden Dawn (with help from AI)By Frank M. Anderson This book started as a spark. Just an idea: What if Aleister Crowley and Edgar Allan Poe went to school together? What if they grew up in a world that bent toward the mystical, the historical, the personal? What if the monsters…