Realize these three things to create a truly healthy relationship with yourself. — Humans innately are very complex beings. Just consider how many cells our bodies are made of and from all these cells, how many different kinds exist to offer a unique role for our physiological function. Likewise, not only we are complex as pure organisms but we are also within ourselves…

Wisdom-packed gems in the morass of wishy-washy cliches — As a contrarian Atheist, I used to denounce cliches and culture with a passion — and derive orgasmic joy from ridiculing “traditional” folks. But since a string of spiritual experiences, I’ve gained a newfound respect for the wisdom in cliches, religious epics, and proverbs. Cliches are cliches only because they…

There’s a perfect evolutionary storm killing intelligent conversation. It goes something like this… — First things first. Your brain is not your friend. It’s an organ. A fallible squishy mess of neurons wrapped in a calcium shell. You, as you experience it, is more complex than you can imagine. You are not your brain… and at the same time, you absolutely are. You need…

The most natural self-care tool is the one you always carry with you — In a typical 21st-century lifestyle self-care is necessary, not a fad. Most of us don’t live naturally. If you spend a big chunk of your day indoors surrounded by screens and eat food from the supermarket, chances are you’re disconnected from your body’s natural potential to heal and restore itself…

By understanding how our brain makes decisions, we can learn to make better choices and improve our lives — Have you ever made a decision that you later look back on and regret? Or find yourself wondering, “Why on earth did I do that?” This happens when we’re not aware of how we make decisions. And that’s odd because the decisions we make, or in many cases not make…

How to start your day like a Stoic. — The Stoic life was built around practices and habits that had one sole purpose — to continually become better human beings. If we too want to become better every single day, we can follow the Stoic way and implement a morning routine into our lives that will guide us in…

It turns out there’s a right way to second-guess yourself — It happens lightning-fast. Someone on my Twitter feed makes a big announcement about their career — a cool new staff writing job or a book deal—and before I have a chance to think about it, I’m seething with jealousy. Or am I? I love freelancing, I remind myself, and I’ve…

Rewire your brain by outsmarting it — “Brains just love getting out of hard things.” Our brains, according to James Garrett, are habit-agnostic. The grayish blob between our ears doesn’t discriminate between good habits and bad habits. It only cares about how easy, or difficult, it is to kick those habits into action. In other words, our…

‘What truly matters in Jung’s message is the understanding that we are ultimately grounded in something infinite and eternal, and that our lives as finite beings, illusory as they be, serve a divine purpose.’ Bernardo Kastrup In the summer of 1940, despite the tribulations of the time, a meeting took…

Anyone can adopt these strategies into their everyday life and experience more inner peace — I grew up steeped in the idea that silence was sacred. As observant Muslims, my family and I would make time to pray five times a day — five distinct, quiet, contemplative moments. This time would interrupt what was going on in our daily lives, no matter what. These days…

Habitual coffee drinking is reflected in the functional connectivity between different brain networks — Caffeine beans In over 70 countries, a bean is cultivated that, when roasted and ground, gives us a brew that helps many of us face the morning and kickstart our day. Coffee. It’s not a modern thing either. The first solid evidence of coffee drinking comes from Yemenite Sufi shrines in the…

Here’s how it can upgrade your life too. — The mind can be transformed and become unrecognizable. I first learned about the power of neuroplasticity at a conference. I had no idea what it meant. I learned we could completely rewire our brains. That’s exactly what I did over a period of two years. The process continues today. Here’s…

Here’s what you should know about how people ACTUALLY learn. — When I started working in corporate learning and development (L&D), I quickly discovered that people have a lot of opinions about how they learn best, but few of those opinions are grounded in reality. The most common myth is the concept of “learning styles”: everyone learns in a different way…

Grasping the power of human stupidity and how to counteract it. — Human stupidity is a complex, intricate, and controversial topic. Addressing it in the right way is always a grueling task. Not surprisingly, the risk of offending people is high, as well as the possibility of being misunderstood. This is why relying on books and studies that successfully untangle it is…

#2. They don’t tell everyone they’re happy. — Are you happy? It’s a surprisingly complex question because many of us get happiness wrong: We think happiness equals “pleasure” and “excitement,” but those things are fleeting and just leave you wanting more. True happiness, however, is the peace of mind that comes from dropping the desires, cravings, and attachments…

Let them go and happiness will find you — When I worked as a therapist, some people showed up to my office with very specific problems they wanted to fix: chronic insomnia, panic attacks, fear of spiders, stuff like that. But usually people weren’t completely sure why they needed therapy… I’m not depressed, I just don’t feel much joy…

A short rant for the writing community. — I am a bit tired of writing self-help pieces. In fact, I think the world is tired of them too. A self-help piece is a bitch. It tells you what to do. It makes you experience FOMO for not doing it. It puts all the responsibility on you. …