Did anyone notice that within the word citizenship there exists the smaller word 'zen'.
This episode sees self-detectivism expands its reach into the realms of universal wellness. Here we share ideas and notions that serve the collective good, not just our own individual needs. Be prepared to be tentatively challenged!!!
Here's some show notes that add to the themes of the episode:
We have a process when it comes to death. We call it grieving. But there's not much going on, ritualistically speaking, when death brushes past us. In this episode we will be staying with these reminders, these close shaves. We have instances from poems, songs and prose. While Simon, your host, will also be sharing his own lived experience cheats, inspired by Maggie O'Farrell's non-fiction book I Am I Am I Am.
How much of our internal world do we understand? Our thinking, feeling, actions? Our senses, hormones, nervous system? Would it be useful to delve into this world for the sake of our wellbeing? If so, listen up.
If the body expresses what the mind represses then we're going to need some somatic knowledge to help us out.
In this episode Louise shares her lived-experience as well as her professional wisdom when it comes to healing, regulating, and generally being at one with our bodies. She's full of ideas, interventions and challenges. Enjoy.
Isn’t just about everything we do based around relationships in some way or other? Aren’t relationships the source of 99.9% of all our happiness and 99.9% of all our distress?
In today's episode we are going to explore themes such as games people play, attachments, love, as well as substitutes of love.
Here are some show notes that follow up on some of these themes...
It's all very well having a cognitive self. But if we want to work out stuff that isn't so easy to pin-point or find answers to, then we'll likely need a wider approach.
Welcome to the world of creativity - as a means of tapping into our unconscious self. Welcome to the idea that when we are actively expressive we are less dominated by our neocortex and more open to accessing more aspects of ourselves.
In this session you'll be invited to undertake 10 relatively simple tasks. With time and space, alongside pens, pencils and 10 sheets of paper, let's have an experience and see where it takes us.
“I use this word ‘I’ and I don't know what it means. I don't know where it begins and ends. I don't even know what it's made of.”
Scarlett Thomas, The End of Mr. Y
This episode of the Wellness Calendar finds us devoting our energies towards understanding our self.
Who are you? What makes you who you are? What are the essential qualities that separate you from others? When you think about yourself, what immediately springs to mind? What defines you as a unique individual? At what point might you stop becoming a ‘self’ – and start becoming something else?
[In case you are wondering why this episode is a little delayed, the short answer is gremlins - of the electronic kind. There is one glitch still to be sorted: March 3rd entry has no content! In the meantime, here is the missing bit.]
In this episode we are seeking ways to engage with music on a wellness-focused level. Rather than treat sounds passively we're looking to utilise all that sonic waves can offer us. We'll be exploring different tempos, rhythms, instruments, genres, lyrics, soundscapes, etc, etc, in order to help regulate and enhance our emotions, our senses, our bodies as a whole.
Have a listen. See what you think. Part two of this show - the lived experience bit - is just waiting to be recorded, once we round up some self detectives willing to share their own personal musical adventures. Could this be you? Link to eventbrite invitation - here.
Feedback, suggestions, links, collaborations always welcome: podcast@selfdetective. net
Here's some more links to more musical resources/websites:
Welcome to another series of bite-sized ideas to get us thinking about ourselves and our wellness. This time we are focusing on coping strategies. Listen in and you'll find notions such as mood wheels, recovery bags and leaky buckets. As ever, take the gems away with you and bin the rest.
Could this episode be useful to you? Could it be used to expand the range of tools you have available for your own self detective purposes? Could shapes be of use? Symmetry? Periodic tables? Playing cards? Spinning plates? Aliens? Have a listen. See what you think. And in the meantime here are some links to stuff from the show...
January Wellness Calendar [Creating Our Own Wellness Landscape]
1st January 2026
In total, across the year, we have 365 bite-sized nuggets for you to consider - on the subject of your very own wellbeing. January's 31 mini-blogs explore the ideas, tools and skills that might be useful to create and develop your own self detective agency, your own wellness landscape.
This episode is an open letter to anyone who is in a dark place. And who is looking for a way out. It contains an alternative method to actual physical suicide. It speaks of a different way to end pain and distress. One that involve leaving your existing psychological life without taking away your very own life force.
If you or someone you know may benefit from the content of this letter, please know that it is also freely available in written form using this link.
We wish you well.
Here are some other links that maybe helpful in times of need:
For more open letters, and links, check out Reasons To Stay website
This episode is a spoken word version of a pamphlet. It's written by a group of counsellors who have had counselling themselves. It's designed to empower clients with knowledge/informed consent before they start the process - rather than having to figure it out on the hoof. We find it crazy to think that people (of all ages) might engage in therapy without really knowing how it works. So here it is. We hope you find it useful. And if you do, please share this episode - or the pdf version - with those who might benefit from it, too.
In this session we are concentrating our efforts on the art of making a start: making a start on ourselves, our wellness, on setting up our own detective agency. Hopefully there will be something within all the shared examples and case studies to get you up and running on your own journey of discovery - whatever that might be. Good luck!
Below are some links to stuff that might be worth exploring further...
Why bother understanding yourself - when no one else can be bothered to do it? Why bother to spend time on your self-care, when you just eat a nice cheese sandwich instead? Why bother with self-sustained wellness when it doesn't make you anymore successful or wealthier? In today's episode we will be taking a historical and critical look at why bothering to know thyself could be one of the best decisions you'll ever make.
How can we enhance our lives so that we get more fulfilment and less hassle? In this episode two counsellors, Linda and Violet, share their thoughts and experiences on the subject of safe and nurturing spaces. We hope you enjoy their company, just as we hope you get some useful take-outs from the conversation.
BTW, here are some links to information that came up in this session...
Can this club become a nurturing haven in its own right? An independent principality of psychological safety and stability? A landless, borderless place where wellness is always - always, always - the number one concern? Where people can do some good work on their own well-being, free from the restrictions and hostilities of their day to day lives; away from the oppressions of their own societal cultures and conditionings?
In the next two episodes we'll be looking to unpick what this term 'nurture' means to us; and see how we can get more of it in our lives. We'll be looking to start the process of creating and maintaining a good, thriving club culture for all the Self Detective people who are invested in this space. Happy days.
Welcome back to the lived experience part of the club. Here we have Anna-Lou and Jillie sharing how they navigate their way around adversarial environments.
Is There Anything More Important Than Wellness? (Part 2)
24th April 2025
Welcome to the lived experience part of the show. Here we get to hear Jillie and Richard talking to your SDC host about what wellness means to them. We trust that listening to them speak so freely and openly will help generate your own thoughts on the subject.
