Why listening to birds is good for your health
“Shag me, shag me, shag me.” After weeks of hearing a Great Tit scream this from the tree outside my bedroom, I was ready to sign him up to bird…
There’s no such thing as silence
For the last year, I’ve been searching for silence, often with less than perfect outcomes. I’ve become increasingly anxious with all the manmade sounds that surround me and felt a need…
Four sounds I’m not looking forward to as we return to normal
On this, the first anniversary of the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK (23 March 2020), I remember how shockingly quiet the world became when we all stopped going out.…
Why Rest Needs to Become Socially Acceptable
“Where’s Karen?”“Oh, she’s in bed, again!” Familiar words, often uttered by my family, and normally with a tone of disapproval. Well, I’m here to tell you why my approach to…
Why we need to listen more
Five years ago, my tinnitus started. Silence was a thing of the past. Then over the last few years, I become more and more sensitive to and annoyed by noise.…
Why being alone doesn’t have to mean being lonely
We all need some alone time, but it doesn’t mean we’re lonely. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin went on their moon jolly, Michael Collins remained in the command module…
Stop chewing so loudly – Living with Misophonia
“Crunch, crunch, munch.”Deep breathe in. It’s not their fault they’re eating like a monkey that hasn’t been fed for a week.“Crunch, crunch, MUNCH.”Oh, for fuck’s sake will you just shut…
Finding joy in solitude
Growing up in a small house with a big family, there was always someone trying to claim a right to a chunk of space to call their own. As the…
Hush! 