psychology Archives - The ClearOut

The Humble Art of Reading the Room, or It’s Not All About You! – Episode 181

In this episode, Dara shares final thoughts on the US presidential election and speculates that the Democrats still haven’t shaken the patronising habit of belittling those who disagree with them. He argues that if you take this attitude in the world of martial arts, you are setting yourself up to fail – the assumption of superiority is a dangerous flex of ego that can result in complacency and abdicated diligence.

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You Have It So Easy! Resentment, Ease, and Reaching for the Good – Episode 176

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In this episode, Dara considers the elements that contribute to our resentment buckets and shoulder chips. He believes time and the ease of others are two key ingredients in the mix. He confesses to giving voice to some very uncharitable resentfulness around the time he became a father. He also speaks carefully around a significant source of resentment in his marriage.

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How Does That Sound? – Testing Opposing Belief Systems – Episode 174

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In this episode, Dara reflects on a weekend spent with an old friend and his resultant fatigue, both psychological and intellectual. It prompts an interrogation of his belief and value systems and whether they are more or less valid than those of his friend’s. He argues that it is healthy, and perhaps even necessary, to have someone you regard challenge you with love.

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What Do You Do If You See a Space, Man? – Episode 173

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This episode is all about the presence of absence. How are your comfort levels with empty space and dead air? Do you struggle when the void isn’t filled with something to stimulate? And more importantly, with what do you fill empty spaces and awkward silences?

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Assembling the Broke Existentialist Army, or Who I Am is Who my Child Is! – Episode 170

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In this episode, prompted by his cat and dog, Dara is considering the idea of essentialism. He talks about core dispositions and the perennial pitching of nature against nurture. He argues that there is very little that is not in the mix when it comes to how our identities emerge. He shares his thoughts about his daughter on this stage of her journey and wonders about her essential leaning.

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Set Down Your Honourable Load – Finding the Clear Path Ahead – Episode 167

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In this episode, Dara is reflecting on the good fortune of finding a new place to live, but he is wondering how to refer to The ClearOut’s new home. His daughter has rejected his suggestions so far as being ‘too cringe’. Hashtag Blessed is no more! What to call the new abode…?

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The Existential Toolkit to Approaching the Unknown – Episode 164

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In this episode, Dara is wondering about what comes next. We can never truly know what lies in the future so how do we cope with that uncertainty? Are we willing to step into the unknown without the security of a plan? Do we trust we have the resources to deal with what we find?

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Intentionality, Clarity, Self-Care, and The Belief in Positive Change – Episode 151

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In this episode, Dara is doing what he thinks he should have done last week; namely, reflect on the throughline of one hundred and fifty episodes of the podcast. His mission statement from the original blog iteration of The ClearOut in 2013 remains just as relevant over 10 years later – Decluttering. Clarifying. Connecting. Those three imperatives continue to assert themselves on the weekly attempt to offer something of use to the listener. They, attached to an eye-rolling scepticism about toxic positivity, are at the heart of the podcast’s subheading – Wellness with Attitude.

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Is That What You Believe? The Thoughts That Shape Our Reality – Episode 149

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In this episode, Dara once again finds himself considering his mental health battles. Emerging from a very recent depression, he examines the difference in his thinking when he is embattled versus when he is well. Why would he choose to believe one reality and not the other? Why, in spite of very persuasive negative thoughts, does his ‘better’ self prevail? And why does he compare these differing states and beliefs to acting reviews?

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Was That Absolutely Necessary? or, Keeping Calm in an Age of Chaos! – Episode 145

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In this episode, Dara is rolling over some recent themes. He is convinced that cultivated internal calmness is a key part of responding healthily to the chaos of the world. When he talks about the importance of a ‘proportional response’ to whatever afflicts us, he acknowledges the connection of that idea to the philosophy of traditional martial arts practice. The implication of control is central to that idea and it is why Dara doesn’t have a lot of love for UFC competition, where that restraint is often disregarded.

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psychology

The Humble Art of Reading the Room, or It’s Not All About You! – Episode 181

You Have It So Easy! Resentment, Ease, and Reaching for the Good – Episode 176

How Does That Sound? – Testing Opposing Belief Systems – Episode 174

What Do You Do If You See a Space, Man? – Episode 173

Assembling the Broke Existentialist Army, or Who I Am is Who my Child Is! – Episode 170

Set Down Your Honourable Load – Finding the Clear Path Ahead – Episode 167

The Existential Toolkit to Approaching the Unknown – Episode 164

Intentionality, Clarity, Self-Care, and The Belief in Positive Change – Episode 151

Is That What You Believe? The Thoughts That Shape Our Reality – Episode 149

Was That Absolutely Necessary? or, Keeping Calm in an Age of Chaos! – Episode 145

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