Interfering Neurotic

When big feelings arise, it’s natural to want to shrink and shirk them - but these instincts can lead us into dangerous territory, ballooning into habits and compulsions that can dominate and destroy our lives.  In this episode, we welcome Mark Freeman, author of You Are Not A Rock. Together, we discuss: Building mental health skills like we develop physical fitness Approaching a ‘Values-Led’ life...

Big feelings can pull us here and there, but often in the direction of pleasure and away from discomfort. Dopamine has a part to play, but what exactly does it do for us and how can we be wise and mindful when following its pull?   In this episode, we welcome our first ever guest, Dr Anastasia Hronis, author of The Dopamine Brain. Together, we discuss: The horrible inevitability of sitting with di...

Plot twist are an exciting feature of our favourite stories but can be the most harrowing experiences of our actual lives. In this episode, we reveal: The major plot twists of our lives and how we survived them The painful exercise in pushing through when life shoves us into the unknown How to exist in the story before growth, closure or resolution And why resilience looks much messier, sloppier a...

Existing as a flawed human creature is a messy, unpredictable and imperfect art, so how are people setting themselves up as experts on the matter?   In this episode, we: Call bullshit on self-proclaimed experts in the wellbeing   scene We tackle Imposter syndrome when you’re a mental health professional whose life is falling apart And we celebrate the power and skill of truly witnessing someone (w...

It’s a jungle out there for functional neurotics looking for love. Dating demands you bring your best self to the table, but what truths do we disguise in our effort to make ourselves more appealing and palatable to others? Coming up, we explore: What it means to be passionate and intense when men want laid back and easy going Going with your gut when a dynamic doesn’t feel  right Why it feels ris...

Do you routinely cut yourself off from feeling? Do you bristle at the act of having to perform a “work-friendly” version of yourself? There are many ways we compartmentalise ourselves and our emotions. Coming up, we explore: The themes of Severance, and what they mean for authenticity and emotional truth Taking a break from the “performance of identity” Emotional pain avoidance and why its not a w...

Are you an expert at the sulk and serving up the silent treatment? It can be hard enough managing our own big feelings but what about when we need to let our loved ones in on our emotional chaos in a way that won’t leave them running for the hills?   In this ep, we chat about: Pre-gaming emotional tiffs before they blow out Growing out of the allure of the soulmate and having grown-up conversation...

We finish off our two-parter on overthinking and take a deep dive into the emotions we’re ignoring when we retreat into rumination.   We explore: Whether complex emotions are the culprits luring us into overthinking Why “why” is a fraught question to ask ourselves when we’re feeling vulnerable How to get out of our heads and into our bodies with mindfulness-based inquiry And the challenge smart pe...

Overthinking is the plight of many of us big feelers - but if it leaves us feeling worse, why do we do it at all? and what might we do instead?   Coming up, we chat about: Greys Anatomy as a tool of emotional catharsis Whether rumination is the same as a compulsive behaviour The itchiness of emotionally-charged 2am thoughts How we can mindfully intervene when we’re lured by the siren song of overt...

When big feelings are a huge feature of your life, how do you understand the people in your life who experience their emotions in different ways? And how might we communicate better so they can understand the weird emotional ways we operate?   We chat about: Needing responsible role models of people who feel big feelings Questions to ask the non-neurotics in your life when you’re tearing your hair...

Being emotional is often synonymous with instability, drama and difficulty. How might we create a new narrative for emotionality that doesn't leave us branded as walking disasters? Coming up, we dive into: Ash’s mindfulness spa experiment and how marathon training is like a meditation retreat People’s discomfort with your discomfort and the agony of being reminded “You Got This” Becoming emotional...

We're often encouraged to "feel our feelings" as a route to healing and greater self-awareness, but what does it even mean? And exactly how does one go about it? This episode explores: The difference between feelings and emotions How to tease apart physical vs emotional sensations Why sense-making gets in the way of us feeling feelings in our bodies Ash's dating life, and how it feels - literally...

Why are we drawn to sharing our inner worlds, and is it more urgent and more complicated when you're neurotic? This episode explores: The urge to take our private journaling public The personality types that have an easier time keeping it real The benefits of spilling your guts online If living mindfully is incongruent with doing it “for the plot”? Performance anxiety - but the role is ‘acting hum...

This is Interfering Neurotic with me, Dr Ash King, and mindfulness coach, Daron Larson - where we navigate a life lived with the curses and blessings of big feelings. Coming up, we explore:  The reality show that is US politics and how we feel about it The Big 5 Personality Test and what ingredients make for a neurotic individual Art and creativity as a safe space for the emotional experience The...

Welcome to our first ep of Interfering Neurotic with Dr Ash King, and Daron Larson - where we navigate a life lived with the curses and blessings of big feelings. Together, we explore why we think, feel and act the ways we do (sometimes against our better judgement) and the deranged pursuits we embark upon to find ourselves, fix ourselves and keep fooling ourselves.    In Episode 1, we tackle: Wha...