I consider myself thick-skinned but, coming after what has been a pretty crap week/month/year, the onslaught of people telling me I’m a shit journalist — on New Years Eve, and during my first bit of proper leave of 2020 — was quite overwhelming. A couple of things to say, though.

1. Stories are collaborative and the person whose name is on an article is very often not the person who writes the headline.

2. This is far from the only article the BBC has ever published on Brexit, nor is this the only article I personally have ever written on Brexit — this wasn’t meant as a politics report, of which there are many, but a small sidebar about one specific neglected human aspect.

3. Some of the criticism of the actual content was based on people believing relationships and relationship counselling are inherently frivolous topics. This just isn’t true. The relationships we maintain with other people and the way we interact with those around us — partners,

friends, family, colleagues, whoever — is one of the most important things about being human and can colour our entire experience of life.

4. One person said it was inappropriate to write this article as people are “mourning”. The whole basis of the piece was to acknowledge that for many people, our exit from the EU will trigger an emotional process akin to grieving, and to help provide some advice and insight into

how individuals can manage those feelings so that they don’t become overwhelming or destructive. This is not instead of activism — one of the counsellors I was fortunate enough to speak to made the point that channeling anger into activism can be productive and helpful.

5. I can’t remember who it was but someone on here once said of online pile-ons that if you taste blood in the water, the target is already dead. Even if you think a journalist has done a shit job of something, think about what impact hundreds of people relentlessly

tweeting at them, emailing them and commenting on their acquaintances’ Instagram posts will have on that person.

Anyway, with that said, HNY everyone — unlocking my account now but one of my resolutions is to spend a lot less time on here anyway