So you’ve accepted that life has no inherent meaning. No predetermined purpose. No god-given mission. Now what?

If you’ve ever read a text of existentialist philosophy, you’ve been confronted with the central theme that “nothing really matters” — in a good way. Existentialist philosophers assert that this is the case and, depending on your own philosophical beliefs, you might tend to agree.

I certainly do. However, even though I concur with this assertion, I still often wonder: “Ok, but…now what?”

How can one simply return to the absurd and senseless routines of life, knowing that it’s all for nothing? What…

Splitting, also known as black-and-white-thinking, is a common defense mechanism employed by those who want to get a handle on a difficult situation or relationship.

People who split tend to see things as entirely good or entirely evil. There’s no room for grey area. But the perception of if something is good or evil can alternate, making it quite an ineffective coping strategy.

Though less drastic, many of us default to splitting when it comes to social media. On good days we see its value to connect people and ideas. …

Up until recently I was floating aimlessly in the dreaded grayzone of a non-relationship.

You know the place. It feels nice at first, maybe you’re happy to be there because it’s better than nowhere.

But inevitably, it begins to feel empty. Small. Vague. Uncertain. Stuck. You try to get out, try to reach the safety of something concrete. But you’re told that’s not possible at the moment.

So you reluctantly stay put, you forget about your needs, your wishes. You push down all the things you want to say until you eventually explode (metaphorically of course).

Sound familiar?

This is…

The other day I was on the phone with a friend. We did the usual catching up, how we’ve been, how’s the pandemic going, what are your holiday plans, etc.

It was a pleasant and casual conversation. However one thing my friend said really stood out to me — and I’ve been churning it around in my head ever since. He said: “I wish I would just do what I feel like doing.”

He was talking about small things like not going to the office when he felt like working from home. Or making himself a cocktail on a weekday…

Much like horoscopes, dream analysis is considered a ridiculous undertaking that we only enjoy when the message is in our favour. We hate listening to other people’s dreams (unless we’re in them), and it’s usually a good indicator that a party is over when people start drunkenly talking about this weird dream they had when they were nine.

But lately I have noticed a significant uptick in journalism dedicated to dreams and dream interpretation.

This year, The New York Times has dedicated more coverage to dreams than what might appear “normal”. Among other stories, they looked into why it is…

Everyone likes to think they know people. That they really ‘get’ what another person is all about.

Especially writers like to brand themselves as keen observers of human character. But it is in fact the readers that understand other people the best.

How so?

Reading fiction strengthens our ability to understand and process human emotions. When we read, we become connected with others in an instant. We share intimate thoughts and feelings with characters we have never met before.

Why do you think the syllabus in literature class is so varied? Why do you think you read both The Great…

Enough has been said about early birds and night owls.

Some thrive at the crack of dawn, others don’t feel like themselves until the moon comes out. Although I enjoy the occasional all-nighter, preferably at a table with friends and many bottles of wine, I would much rather make the case for the morning hours.

Specifically, the hour early in the morning set aside for a walk.

It’s the perfect remedy when everything in life seems a bit stuck or frustrating or just plain ‘meh’.

Walking boosts creativity and happiness

Walking as creativity booster is nothing new. Read Mason Currey’s Daily Rituals, and you’ll see…

Emotional eating. Binge eating. Bulimia. Obesity. Orthorexia. Anorexia. It’s easy to simplify these conditions. “He’s depressed, that’s why he eats so much” or “she just wants to be model-skinny so she starves herself.” No one wants to go below the surface. They want to judge people by their fat or skinny cover and feel smug.

I suffered through anorexia for four long years and I can tell you I didn’t do it to be skinny. What many people don’t understand about eating disorders like this is that it’s a real mental health condition that takes over the entire brain.

When…