This week’s episode is a little different — no deep dive, no wrap-up, just a short, sweet dose of real life from the slightly foggy, slightly festive edge of midlife.

You know that feeling when your brain’s juggling twelve tabs at once and every ping, reminder, and WhatsApp message sends you over the edge? Same. In The Hat Trick, I talk about that creeping mental overload that comes with this time of year (and maybe with being this age), before revisiting a piece of writing from 2014 — back when life felt like one big game of “how many roles can you play before you combust?”

It’s about the hats we wear — parent, partner, worker, dreamer — and how to stop them from slipping down over your eyes. So, take ten minutes, take a breath, and take it easy on yourself. You’re doing f*cking brilliantly.