Buy more. Do more. Be more. Consume more. Watch more… This seems to be the mantra of modern society and it is kill us.

We are losing our communities, forgetting our art, and wasting our lives, all in pursuit of an ever diminishing in value dollar and ever rising expectations to keep up with the proverbial Joneses…

It is possible to heal from trauma, neglect and abuse. The process is slow and painful but ultimately rewarding.

I open this episode with the poem Forever Cursed To Sing, using it to highlight to journey I have taken thus far, as well as sharing the lessons learnt…

Big news, I’m now earning enough from my online work to pay the rent. That’s right, my poems are paying the bills baby!

Breaking this milestone came as somewhat of a surprise. Given that I have multiple sources of income, it took until tax time for me to do the math, and realise that I had, after five years, in-fact ‘made it’.

True, I’m not living off my work, I’m not uber wealthy or well known, but the fact remains, the rent is paid, and next year is looking even better.

It’s with this in mind that I wanted to give you a rundown of my approach. What follows are the techniques, strategies, and mindsets that I am currently employing…

Is something missing from your life? Some undefined hole that simply can’t be filled? Perhaps it a bug of our society.

A structural fault caused by the interplay between goals, technology, geography, values and opulence.

If left unchallenged, these influences can produce a feeling of a lacking something of meaning, connection, identity and purpose.

Is it possible to see the world objectively, to understand events as another does, to truly empathise, and to step outside of ourselves?

We are blinded by our bias; our upbringings, religions, parents, education, gender, age and ethnicity.

These things will dictate what we believe, and how we interoperate new information, and thus how we perceive and act upon the world.

Changing medications has highlighted the potential (& extreme) range of my moods. Over the course of a day I went from depressed to hyper-sexual.

In this episode I discuss my challenges with emotional variability as well as the ways I am managing my medication.

The life we have now is distinctly different than the one we were promised.

Job security and income levels are down the drain, education leaves us crippled by debts, people are rioting and the planet is warming. Our leaders seem incompetent and corrupt.

And our lower backs hurt.

Navigating trauma isn’t easy. Not for the person suffering, nor for the people around them.

When triggered, I am faced with an overwhelming gush of emotionality. I feel afraid. I feel like I am reliving the past trauma. This can cause me to act in a way that seems selfish - I will lash out, require comfort or alone time. I can seem angry and ungrateful - Despite this, I need the support of those close to me.

Open and honest communication is key.

In this episode, I read and dissect my poem 'I Over Thought It & Hurt My Own Feelings,’ and discuss how you can help someone who has been triggered.