High agency: how to feel more in control in your life and work
Personal agency, or self-agency, describes the experiences we have when we set goals for ourselves and take action to achieve them. People with high agency feel a sense of control over their lives, and they can make decisions about what they want or need and act to meet those needs.
Waking Up with Sam Harris
I tried them all. Headspace, 10 Percent Happier, Calm… If you want to meditate to relax and unwind then they are all great choices. If you really want to go deep when it comes to mindfulness, Waking Up with Sam Harris is not to beat. Right now you can get 30% off the subscription.
Either/or questions are part of psychotherapy’s language games
Either/or questions – binaries, as they are called – are quite often impossible to answer, as life tends to occur in the grey areas rather than the black or white. You might have been confronted with binary yes/no questions in your own life, from a friend, relative or colleague (‘Is mum angry with me – yes or no?’ or ‘Do you think the boss is happy with me – yes or no?’) and wondered how on earth you’re meant to respond in a helpful way; any answer is bound to be met with a ‘Yes but…’ which can then become irksome. I’m a psychoanalyst trained to talk to patients about their thoughts and emotions, but I too find these either/or questions difficult to answer (sometimes to the disappointment of patients). However, reflecting on Debbie’s case has led me to some insights about emotions and the language games we all play, and how the binary question itself is often a sign of underlying anxiety prompting a need for grounding or reassurance.
One productivity system to rule them all
How I consolidated my own productivity system by trial and error.
Is Meat Really that Bad?
Food is arguably the best thing about being alive. No other bodily pleasure is enjoyed multiple times every day and never gets old. It is an expression of culture, our parent's love and a means of celebration or comfort. That’s why it hits a special nerve when we are told we should change what and how we eat to fight rapid climate change. One of the most delicious foods, meat, gets the worst press. It doesn’t help that the topic is really hard to properly research yourself and debates get emotional quickly. But clearly, science can give us an answer! The reality is, well, it’s complicated. Let’s take a look at three climate arguments against meat that are used a lot and see what happens.
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