This week’s episode dives into the theme of self-worth and the futility of comparison. I draw on cosmic statistics—the staggering 1 in 400 trillion odds of being born—to remind us that existence itself is the ultimate miracle. Through reflections on Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ryan Holiday, Sasha Sagan, and my fave poem Desiderata, I reframe success as gratitude, not measurement.

Loved this episode? You can find extra goodies, gentle tools, and printable doses of wonder over in my Ko-fi shop. You can also buy me a coffee to help support me. Every purchase supports this quiet corner of the internet and helps keep the podcast going. Thank you for being here.

References:

A Reminder That You Are Enough by Caitlin McColl https://medium.com/dose-of-wonder/a-reminder-that-you-are-enough-4d7a2e7a3d76

The Odds of You Being Alive Are Incredibly Small https://www.businessinsider.com/infographic-the-odds-of-being-alive-2012-6

The Chances Of You Being Born You Are 1 in 400 Trillion, ACT LIKE IT

https://www.whiskeyriff.com/2016/09/29/the-chances-of-you-being-born-you-are-1-in-400-trillion-act-like-the-miracle-you-are/

In this week’s podcast I talk about my experience as an introvert, emphasizing a preference for solitude and minimal socialization, how the pandemic impacted me and my worry about studies linking lack of friends to a shorter life.

Loved this episode? You can find extra goodies, gentle tools, and printable doses of wonder over in my Ko-fi shop. You can also buy me a coffee to help support me. Every purchase supports this quiet corner of the internet and helps keep the podcast going. Thank you for being here.

References:

https://medium.com/penny-press/living-the-introvert-life-1310aa5c11ad Living the Introvert Life by Caitlin McColl

This week’s podcast I talk about my uncle who died back in June 2021 of a heart attack. I reflect on the fragility and finality of life and death, detailing my emotional reaction after receiving the news from my dad. I share memories of her uncle Don and notes that his death means I’ve now lost the last of her mother’s immediate blood relatives, which is a significant emotional realization. I then get into a broader philosophical discussion about coping with the suddenness and bizarre nature of death, contrasting being alive with being instantly gone. And end with suggestions on how to process grief and loss, emphasizing the need for patience and gentleness in slowly piecing one’s life back together after experiencing tragedy.

Loved this episode? You can find extra goodies, gentle tools, and printable doses of wonder over in my Ko-fi shop. You can also buy me a coffee to help support me. Every purchase supports this quiet corner of the internet and helps keep the podcast going. Thank you for being here.

References:

https://medium.com/dose-of-wonder/lessons-on-life-death-d8258daa8c6 Lessons on Life & Death by Caitlin McColl

In today’s podcast I give a comprehensive overview of the future landscape of mental health, heavily influenced by the aftermath of the Covid-pandemic. Key themes explored include the accelerated integration of technology in care, such as mobile apps and virtual reality platforms, which offer convenience and accessibility despite concerns about regulation and effectiveness. The text also discusses innovative treatments, including the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin and MDMA, and non-invasive methods like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). I also talk about the potential move away from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) toward more personalized and spectrum-based diagnostic models, recognizing the urgent need to address the global shortage of mental health professionals.

Loved this episode? You can find extra goodies, gentle tools, and printable doses of wonder over in my Ko-fi shop. You can also buy me a coffee to help support me. Every purchase supports this quiet corner of the internet and helps keep the podcast going. Thank you for being here. 💛

References:

The Future of Mental Health Lies in Technology by Caitlin McColl https://medium.com/inkslinger-magazine/the-future-of-mental-health-a5c2532fce1d

Technology and the Future of Mental Health Treatment https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/technology-and-the-future-of-mental-health-treatment

What Will the Future of Mental Health Care Bring? https://www.verywellmind.com/future-of-mental-health-care-5199120

The Future of Mental health report 2021 https://campusmentalhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/The-Future-of-Mental-Health-Report-2021.pdf

The Mental Health Frontier https://www.forbes.com/sites/otsuka/2021/09/15/the-mental-health-frontier-3-areas-where-the-future-of-care-is-being-transformed/?sh=15d81f9f41ef

The Future of Mental Health Diagnosis Goes Beyond the Manual https://www.wired.com/story/mental-health-psychiatry-diagnosis-dsm/

New Mental Health Trends and the Future of Psychiatry https://online.maryville.edu/blog/future-psychiatry/

What Does the Future of the Mental Health Pandemic Hold?https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/topics/mood-disorders/depressive-disorder/the-covid-and-mental-health-pandemic-will-lead-to-increased-cases-of-depression-throughout-the-year/

Technology and the future of mental health https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/news/at-first-glance-the-future-of-mental-health-can-seem-disheartening-depression-is-currently-the-most-common-mental-disorder-with-300-million-people-affected-globally-the-world-health-organisation-e/

This week’s podcast I discuss the “3 Gates of Speech,” traditionally attributed to the poet Rumi, which suggests one should ask if their words are true, necessary, and kind before speaking. I question the strict applicability of these three gates in modern communication, particularly in the context of misinformation and social media. Ultimately, I argue that sometimes speaking words that may not pass all three gates is essential for one’s mental health or to provide support, even if it might be perceived as unkind.

Loved this episode? You can find extra goodies, gentle tools, and printable doses of wonder over in my Ko-fi shop. You can also buy me a coffee to help support me. Every purchase supports this quiet corner of the internet and helps keep the podcast going. Thank you for being here.

References:

Should You Live Your Life By The 3 Gates? By Caitlin McColl

This week’s podcast is an appreciation for the forced slowdown that occurred during the beginning of the pandemic. I talk about how I was grateful for the opportunity to pare back my busy life and reconnect with what truly mattered, despite the negative aspects of the global health crisis. However, I note that the world has since returned to a hectic, fast-paced state, causing me to feel overwhelmed once more. So I’m searching for ways to reincorporate peace and stillness into my life.

Loved this episode? You can find extra goodies, gentle tools, and printable doses of wonder over in my Ko-fi shop. You can also buy me a coffee to help support me. Every purchase supports this quiet corner of the internet and helps keep the podcast going. Thank you for being here.

References:

* Stop the busy world I want to get off by Caitlin McColl

In this week’s podcast, I give an overview of six different ways an individual might experience grief after a significant loss, clarifying that feeling like one is grieving incorrectly is common and that many types of grief are considered normal. The 6 kinds are ‘normal’, anticipatory grief, complicated, delayed, disenfranchised and absent.

Loved this episode? You can find extra goodies, gentle tools, and printable doses of wonder over in my Ko-fi shop. You can also buy me a coffee to help support me. Every purchase supports this quiet corner of the internet and helps keep the podcast going. Thank you for being here. 💛

REFERENCES:

Small, J. 10 Different Types of Grief and Loss. Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique https://www.qhhtofficial.com/healing/different-types-of-grief-and-loss Accessed July 31, 2021.

Mayo Clinic. (2021, June 19) Complicated Grief. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/complicated-grief/symptoms-causes/syc-20360374

Wikipedia.org. Delayed Grief. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_grief. Accessed July 31, 2021.

Raypole, C. (2020, March 30). Disenfranchised Grief: When No One Seems to Understand Your Loss. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/disenfranchised-grief

Haley, H. (2021, January 21). What’s Your Grief.com Absent Grief: Why Am I not Grieving Like I Expected To? https://whatsyourgrief.com/absent-grief-why-am-i-not-grieving-like-i-expected-to/

Eldridge, L. (2019, Nov 19). How Anticipatory Grief Differs From Grief After Death. VeryWellHealth https://www.verywellhealth.com/understanding-anticipatory-grief-and-symptoms-2248855 . Accessed July 31, 2021.

P.S. Before you dive into the episode...you might want to read Whimsy as Defiance: Why Softness is Our Strongest Survival Strategy. I quietly posted it on New Year’s Day, just directly to my Substack publication as a sort of manifesto for how I’m approaching 2026.

This week’s podcast outlines a series of practical suggestions aimed at enhancing one’s emotional well-being, emphasizing that mental health is now recognized as equally, if not more, important than physical health**. I talk about eight specific, simple actions people can take to improve their mental state, drawing from a video by Psych2Go, a resource known for making psychological topics accessible.

Loved this episode? You can find extra goodies, gentle tools, and printable doses of wonder over in my Ko-fi shop. You can also buy me a coffee to help support me. Every purchase supports this quiet corner of the internet and helps keep the podcast going. Thank you for being here. 💛

References:

8 ways to improve your mental health by Caitlin McColl https://medium.com/mindful-mental-health/8-ways-to-improve-your-mental-health-7cf1df1204b6

This week’s podcast offers practical advice for overcoming a lack of drive and avoiding procrastination. The first tip: making tasks as easy as possible by preparing ahead of time. Other strategies include breaking down large tasks into smaller steps to make them less daunting and giving oneself credit or small rewards for accomplishments. Finally, I advocate for incorporating self-care and short breaks, such as naps or brief walks, to re-energize and prevent burnout, ultimately providing several simple ways to regain lost motivation

Loved this episode? You can find extra goodies, gentle tools, and printable doses of wonder over in my Ko-fi shop. You can also buy me a coffee to help support me. Every purchase supports this quiet corner of the internet and helps keep the podcast going. Thank you for being here. 💛

References:

https://medium.com/dose-of-wonder/6-hacks-to-increase-motivation-ca8112e6ec0d 6 Hacks To Increase Motivation by Caitlin McColl

This week’s podcast talks about the existential dilemma of feeling that all meaningful thoughts and expressions have already been articulated throughout history.. I talk about the common human experience of searching for life’s purpose, often feeling pressured by societal expectations to achieve specific milestones. But I say that life inherently lacks one fixed, overarching purpose. Instead, I encourage people to discover and redefine their personal purpose repeatedly throughout their lives, and that these purposes can be as simple as making coffee or as ambitious as starting a business, and are subject to change. It’s important to live boldly and embrace mistakes and contribute their unique perspectives even if the core ideas aren’t entirely new.

Loved this episode? You can find extra goodies, gentle tools, and printable doses of wonder over in my Ko-fi shop. You can also buy me a coffee to help support me. Every purchase supports this quiet corner of the internet and helps keep the podcast going. Thank you for being here. 💛

Reference:

There Is Nothing Left To Say - but you should say it anyway by Caitlin McColl https://medium.com/dose-of-wonder/there-is-nothing-left-to-say-51f5c58f385f