Trails of Thought podcast

Sometimes, when I listen back over voice notes, I noticed a whiney tone in my voice. It hasn't changed since I was a belligerent teenager. I also notice that when I'm slightly stressed, my voice sounds a bit forced... Idk, there's a subtle shift in tone. Of course, it's not just our tone of voice that can change depending on our emotional state, but we're all probably aware of our own accents and...

OK, just finishing my thoughts regarding my recent conflict with Steve. Why is it playing on my mind so much? Why do I care? How can I get Steve to respect me like I'm Idris Elba & Judy Dench's love child? Obs, all my thoughts & worries about Steve are projections of my own insecurity. When I worry that he - or anyone else - doesn't like or will reject me, it's basically a reflection of my...

I've been doing a lot of rambly voice notes lately, that have ended up in the bin. This voice note is an attempt to summarise them all. I talk about going through a bit of burn out lately, and how I'm planning to recharge and recuperate. And why I'm more than happy to limit my social interactions as we come to the end of the year. I talk about being emotionally sensitive and reactive, and how I've...

Literally just talking about how much I hate cooking. Whether it's for myself or anyone else, I quite simply can't be arsed. If you find it a right bore too, then I've got a couple of hacks for you here. As well as potentially dangerous things to avoid with eggs! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes a good old metaphor can really help you make sense of how you feel. It can even help to try and express it to other people too. I've had a lot of anxiety through out my life and so have had plenty to turn into metaphors. Sometimes it's like an emergency hand brake in my brain. And the rest of me is desperately trying to keep my foot on the accelerator pedal and move forwards. Sometimes i...

Thinking about a few occasions that I was either scammed, or people attempted to scam me, when I travelled. Yes, I know I have been incredibly naive and gullible. And also lucky that no harm's come of it. The premise of these scams all pre-date internet banking and are based on good old fashioned tom foolery. Well, more fool you scammers! Because I am tight and don't go flashing my cash or chuckin...

I finally remembered the name of the 90s talk show host I'd wanted to reference yesterday - Jeremy Springer of course. Which had me thinking about our British spinoffs - Trisha, and most depressingly of all, Jeremy Kyle. I also share about the times I was in the audience in live TV show recordings - basically pensioners, students, super fans and people who don't have day jobs. Lol. Some of this le...

After a pilates class with a particularly touchy instructor, I think of all the scenarios in which I can legitimately and appropriately get touched by strangers. And I love it. The feeling of physical human touch is the most reassuring and comforting thing to me. And if someone just wants to lie on top of me, fully dressed, I'm so up for it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

Just a quickie as I'm running late...for a pilates class, baby! But a blocked nose and ears had me wanting to message you. I'm really confident that my constantly bunged up sinuses is a reaction to stress. So in case you're wondering, here's what I've been doing about it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you find yourself craving sugar, carbs, fat or generally caloricious foods? Yes I know that's totally normal and comfort eating as a well-known thing. But you never hear people dive deeper into it. Well, I haven't anyway. So this is where I rectify that, and talk about specific times I've noticed what feels like a purely physical urge to eat, as a direct response to a slightly stressful situati...

I know what gratitude is supposed to be this amazing thing that improves our health and all that. But sometimes, I'm in that much a funk, writing gratitude lists just makes me feel even worse. Like "great, I'm so broken and ungrateful, that even all these lovely things in my life don't make any difference. What's wrong with me?!" But over the years, I've managed to find - what I reckon - is a good...

It's another day of can't be arsed! Which entails a lot of sitting around in my apartment, looking at my laptop. The only issue is, I have neighbours who can potentially see it all. Is it really so shameful if other people see how inactive I sometimes am. I talk about the lengths I go to to stop people seeing my 'shameful habits' and wonder why it's so important that total strangers don't judge me...

After yesterday's rant about a work acquaintance, Steve, I read an email that made me realise I'd been hasty in my wrath. Sorry Steve! This makes me reflect on how sensitive I've been lately. An innocuous text message from a friend can have me fuming. A bit of (unasked for) advice from my dad had me crying in frustration and mentally deciding that our relationship was done for! Thankfully, I've be...

I basically have a big offload about a guy (who I call Steve...until I don't), and miscommunication at work. I know I constantly go on about ADD. But honestly, I was only diagnosed about 2.5 years ago. So I'm still figuring it all out and observing how much it affects so many aspects of my daily life. And f*cking hell, it affects a lot! Not everything is down to that though. It's also down to bein...

You don't have to be neurodivergent to benefit from boundary setting. Perhaps you're a chronic people pleaser or generally prone to anxiety and depression. Or perhaps you find that you seem to keep ending up in annoying relationships, exhausting social interactions, or just fed-up of all the people! Good news, while locking yourself away and becoming a hermit is one solution, it's not the only one...

Keeping things literal today. If you're into feet, this is the voice note for you baby! Do you have bunions? Do you think they're just down to genetics? Or that there's nothing to be done about them? Wrong. Find out why you actually have bunions. Although men suffer from them too (just check out my dad's feet if you're brave enough),you'll find misogyny has a lot to do with it. While I'm not a doc...

Sorry for leaving things a while. As I share with you in this voice note, I've had a lot of anxiety recently and my nervous system has felt out of whack. Which has made it really hard to talk coherently. I chat to you about how much more there is to think about in modern life, compared to 'back in the day', y'know when we were hunter gatherers and didn't have to deal with an overload of news, deci...

The ick is a concept that's become pretty mainstream over the past few years. I was thinking about why and when people get icks in relationships - where they come from, and what your subconscious is trying to convey to you when you have one. I chat about a friend who often gets the ick after a few weeks of dating. In one of these relationships, the young guy she was dating sometimes spoke about wa...

I've stopped thinking about Kieran from the latest series of MAFS UK, and have turned my attention to Luke. What was going on with that guy? Why could he seem genuinely decent, and then genuinely creepy? How could he show self-reflection and empathy, but then be so immature and thoughtless? His fixation on sex talk, as a way to bond or whatever makes me question whether he's just grown up watching...

Just having a rant about people who set up their mobile phones in yoga classes. Ew, why? And if my camel toe is accidentally captured in the background..then, well I guess you're welcome. Gym selfies, recorded exercise routines....I don't get it. You're already working out, who has the extra headspace to record themselves on their phone too? I get that some people are influencers and their livelih...

Probably recorded this after watching the final commitment ceremony and episode of MAFSUK this year. After hearing a bit more about Kieran and Kristina's relationship and his decision not to stay with her, I have more empathy for him. I still find his hair cut annoying though. Will I be watching the New Zealand and Australian series? Absolutely not! I've spent far too much time pondering about the...

Again, I can't remember exactly what I said now. Something else to do with Kieran. Am I just secretly obsessed with him or something?! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I recorded this last week, so I actually can't remember what I said. But it's probably something to do with relationships, boundaries, decisions and honesty. I have found fault with some of Keiran's behaviour and personality traits (including my bafflement at people saying he's "funny"). But one thing I admire is his lack of toxic masculinity - at least compared to some of the other people on MAFS...

Upon reading a sex therapist's tip for all women to use mirrors to 'get to know' their vaginas, I reflect on why even experts shy away from saying vulva. Because most of the time, when we say vagina, we're actually referring to the vulva. So, I'm on a mission to get everyone using the proper word and stop being so weird about it! Expanding upon this, I reveal that I'm still a bit ignorant about al...

Got MAFS UK Kieran on my mind. His indecision in his relationship to Kristina led me to think about our agency in relationships. When he keeps going on about being stuck and not knowing what to do, he's acting as though the situation is 'static'. That if he continues his relationship with her, he'll be going down one specific, carved out path, with no point of return. He acts as if he's no role to...