Podcasts

In a recent job interview I spoke almost exclusively about podcasts. The interview was not for a job that had anything to do with podcasts. And strangely enough, they did offer me the job.

It seems the podcast is having a real moment. Actually, this moment has lasted a fair while. In an age where virtual reality games are being developed and there's the option to watch films and TV on the go, we still go back to audible stories - it's one of the oldest mediums and, I think, one of the best. Plus, you can listen to them whilst doing whatever it is you're needing to get on with. Bored on a treadmill? There's a podcast for that....Unrelenting commute? Why not listen to this....Too easily distracted by TV but hate silence? Stick this on in the background...

Plus, they're free. At least all of the podcasts featured in this post are, so there'll be no complaints from me.

First up, we have something that I'm borderline obsessed with. Stuff You Should Know podcast is really, really good. It's interesting, the hosts are friendly and relaxed, it's structured enough to actually be informative (go on, ask me anything about nuclear winters or sarcopenia, I've got that locked down) but not too formal, so you don't feel like it's a lecture. It's really just a chat about stuff you should know. Seriously, I have a lot of love for this podcast. Bonus: there's such a huge back catalogue you can listen to them all the time and not have to wait for the next episode. Although I am rapidly making my way through so should maybe slow down....

Well known in podcast land, it's Dear Sugar Radio, and it's a classic. Responding to listeners letters, this agony-aunt style podcast is helpful, calming, and super interesting. I love that the hosts (Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond) incorporate their own experiences when giving advice and aren't afraid to say what they really think - even if that's an initial judgemental reaction or an unpopular opinion. Plus, their voices are just so soothing.

This was a recommendation from the person who interviewed me, and I'm glad they recommended it. It shows that everyone has a story. Featuring true stories, retold by those who experienced them - such a simple premise but it works so well. A great one for variety, there's bound to be several stories that will have you thinking about them for days, and it feels really personal - which I love. 

Just the one series? Seriously? Well okay, I guess I'll make do with re-listening to the five episodes until I can mouth along to them (and honestly, I'm not that far off.) This is just so good. I love Lena anyway, and I love the people she features (there's a great interview with her mum, Zadie Smith pops in for a chat, and so many other inspirational women). The episodes cover topics - love & sex, friendship, the big picture - and lengthy chats are followed by sketches, quick fire interviews, or monologues. It's like this podcast knows me, which is probably a very weird thing to write, but you know when you think 'oh my god I think about that all the time I had no idea other people did too' - yeah, that'll happen a lot with this one. Now just to wait for the next series....(please).

I read the book. I loved the book. I downloaded the podcast. Similar to dear sugar, Elizabeth Gilbert responds to listeners creative fears or problems and then gets a friend to offer their opinion as well. If you don't like metaphors, magic, and phrases like 'creative bonding with another soul' then steer clear, but if you do then this is right up your street. It's cathartic to know people struggle creatively in the same way you do, and it's nice to hear reassurance. One thing I really love about this is how fun Elizabeth makes creative pursuits - she has a wonderful 'just do it, maybe it's rubbish, maybe it will never make you a living, maybe it's pointless, but just do it...be creative' kind of attitude that I'm definitely trying to channel. 

There you go, five recommendations to get you started - lovely series' filled with lovely people and highly useful when blocking out the sounds and annoyances of an 8:15 London commute. 

Today I swam 800 meters

Today I swam 800 meters. I didn’t do it particularly fast, or particularly well. It’s not an exceptional feat, but it was something that I did today. And it was my body that allowed me to do it. My body that I’ve spent years hating and wanting to change. The body that I’ve looked at and wished I could just grab fat and it would dissolve, the body that makes me change my mind at the last minute because the dress I wanted to wear is just a bit too tight and I don’t quite have the figure.

What else did my body do today? It allowed me to walk to where I needed to go. It allowed me to laugh, to store and recall memories. It balanced hormones, digested food, absorbed nutrients….a whole host of functions that just happen. I mean, that’s pretty great.

Now, I know I’m no exception when it comes to opinions regarding body image – there’s a whole wealth of literature out there that describes hundreds of thousands of people who experience less than favourable relationships with their bodies. Similarly, there’s a wide variety of theories about why this is, which most of us will be able to recognize and understand, the media, the pressure to reach perfection, social media…. It’s not something I talk to about friends very often, apart from the occasional ‘I need to go on a diet’ or ‘lets start yoga before our holiday’, but I do remember one evening at university surrounded by some of my closest friends in a sort of sofa den we had made (yes, we made a den, yes, we were 21 years old, and it was great). We each said one thing about our bodies that we really did not like. Now, I’m not going to list what these wonderful people take issue with on their own person, but I sat there listening to all of these insecurities I had never considered they had. I was surrounded by friends whose bodies I envied – they were so strong, they inhabited themselves so well and so fully, they were so lean, or flexible, their bodies taken them to so many places - withstanding heartbreak, grief, and stress.

I take issue with the ‘love your body’ rhetoric. It’s too forceful. I don’t need to love my body thank you very much, in fact, you’re probably the same industry that thrives on me wanting to change my body and causing this confusion so I’m not sure I should take your advice. Of course, if you do love your body then that’s great. Similarly, if you don’t like it, no worries – you don’t have to. You do not need to love your body to love yourself and to love others. Having said that, hating your body is fruitless. Look at what it does! Since when did bodies become more than something to transport and lift and hug with? They are primarily there for function, not aesthetic, and certainly not one, narrow aesthetic presented as the ideal. Naturally, there are varying levels of body image issues and I would never devalue the incredible pain and difficulty that such problems can cause. I just don’t think you have to love your body. I think a good starting point is to acknowledge your body – in all its gloriousness, in all its complex biological wonder, and yes – maybe your love of pastries shows, and maybe you’re struggling to put on weight, or maybe you’re arms aren’t as strong as you like, or your nose too long – but you have a nose, you had the amazing experience of eating those pastries, and these perceived ‘problems’ are just one part of such a huge and wonderful whole. They might not disappear and you might struggle to look at them with love, so just acknowledge them. Acknowledge your body, take pride in it’s abilities – however sparse you may think they are, see your body as part of you – not some casing that you want to escape from. The idea that you exercise or eat well in order to change your body comes from a place of hate; surely it would be better to do these things in order to feed and care for your body, coming from a place of gratitude?

I know it’s easy to write this and harder to practice it, often we have convinced ourselves into our failings over years and years so it’s probably not going to change quickly or easily.  Nevertheless, I’ve decided that it is okay that I don’t love my body, and maybe I never will, I would like very much to be stronger and leaner (admittedly for aesthetic as well as health reasons), and I am doing things to achieve this, but this is made so much easier by not waking up and thinking ‘oh god look at my thighs, I can’t wear that skirt it’s too short, I shouldn’t be allowed to wear jeans, look how much they spread when I sit down!’ Instead, I’m trying to think ‘okay, so there’s my thighs, not a huge fan of them, but there they are, and they get me from A to B, and they let me swim…”