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In Our Nature
Why do we feel so overwhelmed, anxious, disconnected and lost...and what does that have to do with what's happening on our planet?
This show explores the hidden connections and deeper patterns that are forming our inner struggles and the wider crises unfolding around us. From mental health to ecological collapse, productivity culture to planetary grief, from burnout to reconnection, join me to poke around in the stories, systems and patterns shaping this extraordinary time...
...and then let's riff on what becomes possible when we stop pretending it’s fine and feel the feels.
Your host is me: Siobhán Friel. I'm a mental health practitioner, a Work That Reconnects facilitator and I was probably a lavender plant in a past life.
This podcast offers a way to make sense of your inner and outer world, especially if you were shaped by capitalism (like me) and not by a lineage of ecological literacy, love and wisdom.
You haven't missed the boat. There are many boats and this is one. Get in.
In Our Nature
How to Explain Your Terrible Sense of Fear & Dread to Someone Who Really Doesn’t Seem to Care
My normal pod workflow is still interrupted by the demands of …well…being an earthling in these times trying to serve people outside of the normative economic rules while also staying rested and fed?
As such, in today’s episode I’m drawing from one of the resources I use in my classes, and you can read a version on my website too
This one is for the people waking up to the severity of our entangled systemic breakdown, who feel profound fear and dread for the world, but struggles to connect with others who don't seem to get it.
Join me as I explore:
Why your fear and dread is a completely rational and appropriate response to an extraordinary time of unravelling.
The other feelings swirling with dread: grief, powerlessness, isolation, and doubt.
The challenges of trying to share these feelings with someone who doesn't seem to care… and what might actually be going on for them
Common reactions you might encounter and what they might really mean.
What you might actually need from these conversations that you may not realise
A non-exhaustive list of what might help when you're carrying this heavy load, from screaming into the wind to connecting with collapse-aware communities.
Why your dread is a sign of your sensitivity, sanity, and fierce love for this astonishing world.
You are not alone in this, my dear friend. Stay here with us.
Mentioned or relevant:
The phenomenon where the sane people feel like the mad ones: check out this podcast episode: Why You Might Be Feeling a Bit Crazy: The Maddening Paradoxes of our Time
Check out this resource (compiled by other caring humans, not me) for help and support with these themes.
Get support or guidance from me here
If you wanna come along to a gathering of some kind where these topics are welcomed, head to this page for more info…I have workshops in Aotearoa or online coming up in the next few months
Optional things to read: a couple of my diary pieces from my earliest days of collapse-awareness (which weren’t that long ago) if it helps you to see that feeling isolated is a real thing
Dear Diary: I Can No Longer Pretend That Practically Everything Is Not, Indeed, Unravelling
Everything I do is by donation or gift. You can donate to support my work here if you want (thank you, amazing person)
Gosh what a stupendous amount of links.
Thank you so much for being with me today. You are the frothy tip of the wide blue ocean 🌊