Times are tough, and wobbles are common across the age span.Words like ‘unprecedented’ and ‘catastrophic’ are known to ramp up anxiety levels even if we are not fully informed of the facts. Let alone the now-daily chore of wading through a turgid rising tide of fear-tormenting “Alt-Facts”.

Personal issues, of which I may discuss at a later date, lead me to listening to this terrific podcast by the Irish wise-bag-on-the-head Blindboy Boatclub. Blindboy, one half of the duo The Rubberbandits, expanded into the podcast world as performing and other actives ground to a halt due to COVID. There’s a ton of vids online of the humorous musical and TV sketches executed by The Rubberbandits. Alongside this are Blindboy's contemporary informed and thought provoking conversations about social situations such as housing, gentrification and aspects of mental health care. Check them out.

In the specific episode I reference Blindboy speaks about his own own self-care strategies, based on up-to-date cognitive theories, that he has utilised to maintain his own practice of self-care in difficult times.

It made sense to me. And the phrase “You are not a Fire” is a direct quote from within the talk. An articulate and clearly reframing of those moody thoughts and feelings that bug us but are not grounded in actual reality [much of the time].

This song has used a direct Blindboy soundbite in the middle to nail the point home. The rest of the text is about those persistent and irritating Fire Alarms warning signs of something other than real.

open.spotify.com/episode/3sluOoPY0Y7xRbcUwXtNsG
www.patreon.com/theblindboypodcast/posts