Everybody is online, yet nobody replies anymore. Unread emails, ghosted messages, dating apps turning people into disposable notifications. Somewhere along the way, basic communication quietly collapsed and we all just accepted it.
My latest Substack piece is a slightly grumpy Gen X rant about ghosting, modern communication, emotional labour, and why chasing people has become exhausting. Because honestly, when did “Thanks, received” become so difficult?
Link in bio and here:
/pub/matteberlein/p/we-need-to-talk-about-the-death-of?
#substack #genx #ghosting #datingapps #communication #modernlife #gayculture #burnout #digitalculture
Right on my doorstep… and still stops me
Exploring Raby Castle with the boys
Wide open space, deer roaming, time slowing down
Made me realise you don’t always need to go far
Sometimes the best places are already in front of you
Take a moment. Step outside. Look again
#LondonBoys #RabyCastle #SlowDown #WeekendVibes #countrysidelife
Sun’s out and summer’s on its way ☀️ I’m sitting by the window, letting the light in and slowing things down. I used to fill every moment, now I leave space for days like this. Get outside, feel the sun, and give yourself an hour today 🌿
#summer #sunshine #slowliving #soberlife #mentalwellbeing
I signed a workplace handbook today. It talked about equality, yet I felt left out. It covered maternity and paternity, but none of it reflected my life. As a single gay man, I realised there are benefits I will never access. Then bereavement hit me. What about the family we choose? You can lose someone who means everything and still be expected to show up. That’s not equality.
I broke this down in my latest piece. Link in bio and here:
/pub/matteberlein/p/equality-on-paper-isnt-enough?
#lgbtq #gaymen #queerlife #equality #inclusion #chosenfamily #grief #modernwork
Sunday morning ☀️ no rush, just light, space, and a different kind of energy 🌿 you don’t need to prove anything today. This is where it starts, slowing down and resetting your energy ✨ what would change if you protected this more often?
#SundayReset #EnergyMatters #BePresent #mindsetshift #soberliving
Here come the first photos from the 7th OFN Edition. V01. Shot by members of our team. More to come.
Next posts will group images by each photographer and creator.
You can see the full gallery via the link in bio or at onefluidnight.com
#onefluidnight #ofnfilmfestival
I recently got diagnosed with ADHD, and for the first time in a long time, my life actually makes sense. But what’s been frustrating is how people respond when you share something like that. You open up and hear things like “don’t we all have that?” or “I think I have it too.” It might come from a good place, but it completely misses the point.
I don’t want pity. I don’t need fixing. I just want to be understood and actually listened to.
In a recent coaching session, we explored this through a metaphor from The Little Prince. A sheep inside a box. You can’t see it. You have to imagine it. You have to listen carefully to understand what’s really there. That’s exactly what this feels like. Trying to explain something invisible that shapes how you experience the world every single day.
So next time someone opens up to you, pause before you respond. Ask them what it means for them. Give them the space to explain. And then just listen.
Read the full article here:
/pub/matteberlein/p/let-me-finish-my-sentence?
#ADHD #MentalHealth #ListenMore #Understanding #Neurodiversity #RealTalk
My new article live. I thought I was going to a film festival, but I didn’t expect to walk out carrying something this heavy. One story stayed with me. Fifteen minutes. A phone call. A night out that didn’t end safely.
And the truth is, this isn’t just a film. This is still happening. Across Europe. In the US. Closer than we think. Maybe this is the story more people need to see. Because silence is easy. Looking away is easy.
I can’t shake it. And maybe that’s the point.
Read the full piece:
/pub/matteberlein/p/what-happened-after-the-credits?
#lgbtq #queerstories #gayrights #queercinema #socialjustice #homophobia #transphobia #filmfestival
What if the thing you’re chasing… isn’t actually what you want?
📖 New article just dropped.
What if I told you I stopped dating and nothing fell apart?
I was tired. Swiping. Small talk. Feeling like a number. So I stepped out of it. And instead of loneliness, I felt relief.
No more chasing. Just space. And in that space, I started to question everything I thought I wanted.
Because what if it actually works out? Sharing a bed with someone who snores. Fighting over blankets. No quiet mornings. It sounds small, but it’s constant.
Right now, I like my life. My space. No pressure. Just me.
I wrote something raw about this.
About gay dating, burnout, and the unexpected joy of being single.
Read it here:
/p/the-quiet-power-of-being-single
#gaydating #singlelife #moderndating #datingapps #gaymen #queerlife #beingalone #selfworth #mentalhealth #personalgrowth #datingburnout #gayculture
You won’t party forever. At some point, your body slows down, the nights get shorter, and the hangovers last longer. The distractions stop working. And that’s when the real questions show up. Who’s actually in your life? What are you building? Where is this all going?
No one talks about this part of being a gay man. We celebrate youth, freedom, and the highs, but not what comes after. I wrote something raw about ageing, fear, and the life we don’t plan for. If this hits, go read it.
/pub/matteberlein/p/the-life-we-dont-plan-for?
#gaymen #gaylife #lgbtq #aging #gaycommunity #mentalhealth #selfreflection
7th OFN LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, London, 7–11 April
Official trailer for this year’s programme.
117 stories. 31 countries. 5 days across three London cinemas.
From quiet personal moments to louder, unexpected turns, the programme moves through desire, identity, friendship, conflict, and change. Feature films, shorts, documentaries, animation, experimental work, all sitting side by side.
A space where different voices meet, where queer cinema finds its audience, and where the experience goes beyond the screen.
Tickets and full programme: onefluidnight.com/e07
#OneFluidNight #OFNFilmFestival #QueerCinema #LGBTQFilm #LondonFilmFestival
