Rebellation
By Shirley Billson
This alternately amusing and enlightening 'thinking out loud' podcast by Shirley Billson is dedicated to women experiencing menopause anxiety and midlife meltdown - and anyone else questioning themselves or life itself. "If I jump in deep enough, I don't have time to be scared."
RebellationOct 23, 2020
Farewell to coaching
That's it. It's over. The future begins here (and similar cliche bollocks). Time for Return to Self to really begin. (That's the bit I forgot about 15 minutes in!). Goodbye coaching and hypnotherapy. Hello permaculture.
Has anyone seen my self esteem?
Wandering through the corridors of my mind, we examine the evidence of low self esteem.
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The mind is a slippery sucker
One moment you're on a roll, everything is sweet. The next you're caught in a maelstrom of inadequacy, feeling low and worthless, questioning the meaning of life or the point of anything. Is it wrong? Is it normal? Do other people ever feel this way too?
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Photo by Engin Akyurt: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-standing-in-front-of-brown-wood-plank-1458826/
Diversity, inclusion and power
If diversity and inclusion matter to you - and if you've ever felt excluded or discriminated in any way, it should - then this episode is for you. Based on a trip to get a car serviced, what (and who) were visible gave an insight to the kind of company I was doing business with - and whether I choose to continue to doing so.
Photo by Dinielle De Veyra: https://www.pexels.com/photo/elegant-young-bearded-businessman-in-suit-and-tie-in-downtown-4195342/
The Queen
I couldn't let this week go by without saying a few inadequate words about the Queen in the week after her death.
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay
Passion, purpose and a little vulnerability
Hogwash, codswallop or real meaning? Let's talk passion, purpose and vulnerability. (I so wish I'd actually said hogwash and codswallop in the episode. Such great words. Very Miranda, if you know what I mean.)
For those wondering about permaculture, which gets mentioned in the episode, here's the link. https://www.permaculture.org.uk
Photo by Akil Mazumder: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-a-green-plant-1072824/
Disillusioned & angry about work, status & hidden rules
This is one of those rant episodes...I get cross about glass ceilings, the corporate world, the continued power of male hierarchy and marvel at how suffragettes achieved so much when we now seem to lack the collaborative courage to challenge the status quo in any meaningful way.
Overthinking - that old chestnut!
You've done it, I've done it, we've all done it. Overthinking. Doesn't it drive you crazy?
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-black-top-thinking-4584450/
Forgetfulness could become your super power
Too many menopausal women leave powerful positions in work because they become convinced they are no longer competent or capable. It just isn't true. Forgetfulness is a key symptom that takes you on that slippery slope of faulty thinking. Here's one way you can convert it to a super power.
Photo by Teona Swift: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-pensive-woman-with-smartphone-on-couch-at-home-6874044/
Vaginal dryness
Straying from my normal topics and safe conversation around the way the mind works, I venture into a personal (too personal, probably) story about vaginal dryness. Eek!
She's back in the room!
After a break of many months, the Rebellation podcast is back with random musings, pithy observations, rants and more besides. Shirley Billson remains your host. Join us. It's light, it's frothy, but sometimes serious points get made - and occasionally there are tears (but not today).
Permission to be low
An episode prompted by The Final Curtain. Sad is acceptable. Instead of making it an outcast, compared badly to it's happy counterpart, I'm doing my best to provide a welcome and saving it a safe seat at my table.
It's not just about you
This is the audio recording of an IGTV video I recorded off the cuff recently. It's about the hidden but very real impact of menopause upon younger people and society in general. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and wider society to make a change when it comes to 'The Change.'
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Find out more about Shirley's work at https://menopauseanxiety.uk/
Wondering if your experience is menopause related? Take the assessment.
Mind, Body, Spirit Show, Cheltenham, 4th July 2021
This bonus episode is a recording of a talk I gave at a Mind, Body, Spirit event. To break through the crisis of midlife mayhem and menopause madness, learn how to embrace your Author, your Architect, your Spirit and your Time Traveller.
To find out more about my work and access other resources, click here:
https://linktr.ee/MenopauseAnxiety
Final curtain call
After much deliberation, this episode is the last. It's undecided whether it's the last ever, the last for now, or the last on this platform, but it's time for a break. Thank you to all my loyal listeners over the past 300 odd episodes. Much love to all.
Please reach out if you've anything you'd like to share about the Rebellation podcast and the future. See connection details below.
Connect with the menopause conversation over on Facebook to access free stuff and other goodies and treats, including additional free training and discounted access to programmes for members of the group.
We're also on YouTube and Instagram. Stop by, follow or subscribe and say hello.
To message Shirley directly, email shirley@thementalwealthfactory.co.uk
Hiding
Sometimes you just want to hide, or isolate, and disengage. Me too.
Connect with the menopause conversation over on Facebook to access free stuff and other goodies and treats, including additional free training and discounted access to programmes for members of the group.
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Something else about nothing
How do you feel about doing something, or nothing?
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Deactivating social media...gulp!
As part of reclaiming my day and my time, I took the step to deactivate a social media platform today. A weight just lifted from my shoulders. Phew!
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Photo by Ravi Sharma on Unsplash
Forget the big dreams and goals
So many of us focus on the big changes we'd like to make in our lives, that we forget about how we'd like our ordinary day or week to look and how we'd really like to spend our time each day, given the choice.
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Stepping up to the plate
Sometimes we just have to step up, be seen, and be heard. I've had enough of being an invisible woman. What about you?
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International Women's Week revisited
Events of the past week in the UK, and a radio interview this morning, have prompted me to revisit this topic. Soap box time.
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Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
Overwhelm and the role of tech
Tech is messing with your head. What can you do about it? This episode was first broadcast as a training video.
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Not International Women's Day
I ignored it yesterday for a reason. Here's my take on why we shouldn't have an International Women's Day.
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Photo by Kiana Bosman on Unsplash
The power of single tasking
Multi-tasking is a myth that serves no one. A shift to single tasking will allow you to be more productive, calmer, and more in control. Drink out of one straw.
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You will survive (without your phone)
There's a thing we used to call daydreaming, which has been window-dressed as mindfulness. Here's how you might like to try it. Brace yourself. It requires you to put your phone down.
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Photo by Erriko Boccia on Unsplash
Whose pressure is it?
It's so easy to blame the outside world, but what part do we play in building pressure for ourselves?
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Photo by Josiah Lewis on Unsplash
Celebrating World Book Day
On World Book Day, I thought I'd share a couple of my favourite books - and also how books can help you on your journey out of menopause anxiety (though not necessarily the self-help ones!)
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Photo by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič on Unsplash
What do you do differently?
In this episode, I share some serious insights. What small steps can you take to pull yourself out of the mire of menopause anxiety or midlife drama?
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Announcing...the 300 episode celebratory offer
Drum roll. I've given it some thought and come up with an offer in honour of the 300th episode of this podcast. It may not be creative but who doesn't love money off?
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The list will get you
Just when I thought it was safe, the 'little' things on my list caused the day to unravel. Another lesson on overwhelm, boundaries (and a bit of tech, what else?).
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Photo by Balázs Kétyi on Unsplash
And relax...
It's very nearly done....just a few final edits and the book is finished. Phew! Time to put my feet up and breathe before launching into the next project.
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Taking time off and supermarket tedium
Time off is important, but when it becomes a tedious trip to a not very nice supermarket, it's not what I have in mind.
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Photo by Aleks Marinkovic on Unsplash
300th episode
A reflection on 300 episodes...what was the plan, what's been learned on the journey, where are we going? Sounds like life, right?
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Photo by Pineapple Supply Co. on Unsplash
Sleepy cheesecake afternoon
It's not a variation of an old Kinks track. It's that mid-afternoon slump, exacerbated by cheesecake. You have been warned.
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Tech again (yawn) and relieving the pressure
Instagram, Facebook, microphone and sound issues, book. It could all add up. But there's ways to lessen the pressure we put ourselves under.
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Photo by Crystal Kwok on Unsplash
All about poo?
WARNING: contains repeated references to poo. After yesterday's rant episode, things take a different turn. What happens when you hit 60?
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Photo by Harry Grout on Unsplash
What are you really worth?
Why does there seem to be some kind of epidemic of memes or slogans on how we are worthy, or that we are putting ourselves first, when, for the most part, we aren't? The question is, what's the real value you place upon yourself?
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Photo by Eric Saunders on Unsplash
Springtime?
Today may not be the official first day of Spring, but in my world, Spring arrived today with the sound of newly arrived curlews who arrive from goodness knows where to nest and raise young in the meadow near where I live (that's a curlew in the picture, in case you were wondering). Does this have anything to do with midlife or menopause? Well, yes, in a new beginnings, hopeful kind of way.
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Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash
Book deadlines & managing time
Don't worry, I won't be lapsing into business BS and lecturing on time management (well, not in any traditional sense). Just another normal weekend wander through the day and thoughts on life. If ever there were a podcast to make you feel okay about fallibility, it's this one!
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Cognitive dissonance
Do you ever have that sense of 'not-rightness'? It's probably cognitive dissonance. Your actions start butting up against your beliefs and they don't feel comfortable.
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Is anyone watching?
Have you ever watched - or done - a FB live video, or an Instagram live, or even a podcast of your own? No? Is it for the same reason you doubt your worth in other parts of your life? For what it's worth, here's my experience.
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To choose or not to choose
A simple solution would be so cool...but sadly, or gladly, we are unique and so is our experience of menopause, so we have to make choices, which contribute to the very overwhelm we might have been trying to resolve. Aaaargh!
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Photo by Brandon Lopez on Unsplash
Foot in mouth
Warning: this episode has nothing to do with menopause or mid-life other than the ramblings of my own mind, addled by the cabin fever of completing a book. To give you an idea, Trump gets mentioned, Google gets mentioned, Al Gore gets mentioned. Definitely foot in mouth, fake news territory.
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My gut feeling on chronic stress
In this episode, I share an insight (gut feeling) into chronic stress (the kind that high performing, imposter syndrome, multi-tasking menopausally anxious women experience without knowing) and gut health.
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Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
A conversational ramble
From gut news to Valentine's day and book projects, a real mixed bag (Jamboree...remember those?) of topics. Talking to myself and happy for anyone who shows up for a listen. Enjoy your day.
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Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
Going with your gut?
The gut - and the gut-brain axis - is becoming really big news in relation to immunity, general health and mental well-being - and, now, some companies are implying that their 'gut-health-promoting' products might be the panacea for a whole host of menopausal symptoms too. I am totally sold on the exciting findings that relate to the magic of our gut... but, what does any of this mean for you?
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Is it too late?
Do your 'goals relate to what you really want from life? And do you wonder if it's too late to achieve the things you do want for yourself, even if you could figure out what the hell they are?
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Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash
Seeking approval
I woke up in the night with a mini-rant playing out in my mind - about approval and legitimacy...and share it here. Lucky you!
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Photo by Wonderlane on Unsplash
Revisiting emotional navigation & overload
This turned into two separate strands of thought. The first half is revisiting emotional navigation. The second is revisiting mental overload.
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Photo by Karen Penroz on Unsplash
Shall I, shan't I? The painful straddle.
You know those moments when you can't quite decide? Having one of those today.
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