I've been noticing something in the women I work with, and honestly, in myself too. There's so much fear sitting in and around our bodies. Fear that spirals into anxiety, confusion, late-night Google rabbit holes.
In this episode I'm talking about where that fear actually comes from, what to do when it shows up, and how to transform it into something far more useful: self-understanding. Through self-understanding, you have access to the everlasting antidote to body-fear, healthy anxiety & hypochondriac thoughts: self-trust.
The antidote isn't more information — it's body literacy. Learning the language your body is speaking so that a symptom becomes a signal rather than a spiral.
If you've ever felt like your body is a stranger to you, or like every new symptom sends you into a panic, this one's for you.
TIMESTAMPS
00:23 — Welcome + what we're covering today
02:00 — Cycle check-in: day 27 luteal, flying interstate, buying pads for the first time in 7 years
05:41 — Cycle Tracking Guide + how tracking builds self-understanding
07:01 — The pattern: health anxiety and fear in the women I work with
08:14 — How fear makes symptoms worse (stress is stress, real or imagined)
09:44 — Examples: what health fear actually sounds like
12:06 — Where did this fear come from? Exploring the roots
14:07 — The common denominator
15:56 — Body literacy as the foundation
26:08 — When fear comes from a history of being dismissed
28:11 — Fear as an alert signal
29:18 — The fearful lens vs neutral lens
31:00 — DBT-inspired exercise: stating only the facts
34:09 — Taking your symptoms less personally
35:07 — What the fear often actually wants you to know
36:23 — Giving fear a seat at the table rather than suppressing it
38:21 — What does your fear want to know?
40:09 — The antidote: self-understanding (and why no one's coming to save you)
42:53 — Ways to build self-understanding
44:00 — Body scan practice I use in sessions
46:20 — Moving from fear to self-understanding to self-trust
48:05 — Self-trust and boundary-holding are inseparable
50:01 — Self-trust as the antidote to health fear and wellness noise
54:28 — Where my work meets you
56:49 — Body Story Call
FREE RESOURCES
📖 Download the free Cycle Tracking Guide to get you started on understanding your cycle & learning to read your own body
🎧 Listen to Oh My Menses on Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Website
💌 JOIN KARINDA'S CORNER
Join the community for weekly emails with exclusive blogs, hormone insights, personal stories and cycle-inspired rants.
WORK WITH KARINDA
⚡ Cycle Power Bundle — 22+ resources on cycle phases, hormones & cyclical living. Just $27.
💬 Book a free Body Story Call to decode the story that your body is sharing, and explore personalised hormone & health support.
📲 FIND ME
Instagram @karinda.wholistix
Email: [email protected]
🌿 SHOP & DISCOUNTS
🫖 Cycle Teas — organic herbal blends for every phase of your cycle (collab with Lewin Naturopathy)
🌡️ Tempdrop — the BBT thermometer I use for reliable ovulation tracking. Use my link for 5% off.
🩸 Modibodi — my favourite reusable period undies.
💦 Splash Blanket — my go-to for free bleeding.
💡 Block Blue Light — protect your circadian rhythm and hormone health from artificial light.
🎙️ Descript — the podcast recording & editing software I use. Use my referral link for 50% off 2 months of the Creator Plan.
Some links above are affiliate links — I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them. I only share products I genuinely use and love.
🎙️ Also listen to: The Nuanced Naturopaths — my podcast with naturopath colleague Julie Forrester, deep-diving into holistic health topics.