We seek constant optimization. Morning routines. Afternoons. Time. Schedule. Productivity. The time we spend moving our bodies. We optimize everything because it promises us success, well-being, and happiness. Except we’re killing ourselves in the process. Killing our spontaneity. Our excitement. The same thing that made us smile and feel full of energy when we were 7.

Don’t get me wrong. Improvement is positive. If not, we’d still be cavemen and cavewomen. But I think there’s an in-between to be found. It’s too exhausting this way.

We crave control

We try to control our days, destiny, career, body, appearance in society, and what others…

My brother always knew he wanted to work in the cheese business (we’re French, you know). Me, I had no vocation. At one point, I wanted to fly firefighters. Then I thought about working in advertising, but I realized that it was not in line with my values.

All this time, I ignored the obvious. Ever since I was a kid, I was always good at writing. It’s been my thing. I had no problem expressing ideas silently and stringing words together to form sentences that made sense and were quite enjoyable to read.

That’s why one day, I decided…

At first glance, I was enthusiastic about the title. I, too, am looking for meaning in my life. Without it, I feel like I’m sinking into the void of existence, and that drains me of all my energy and motivation. But when I read the summary and realized that it was mostly about the Holocaust, I held back. My mental state wasn’t the strongest at the time. I put it aside for later.

Last night I finished Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. From the time I downloaded it to my Kindle to the time I read the last…

I’m not going to get into whether or not you should eat breakfast. Through radically challenging my habits over the past couple of years, I have tried many different patterns: eating breakfast right after waking up, eating breakfast later, fasting until 11 am, not eating breakfast at all…

Some studies have proven that breakfast is the most important meal of the day in terms of fitness and health, others have concluded that it doesn’t matter. So I agree with Alexandra Johnstone, professor of appetite research at the University of Aberdeen, when she tells the BBC this:

“Breakfast is most important…

At 8 this morning, I was outside in the sunlight, heading to the running track a few blocks from my house. Running is medicine for my soul. It was therefore the perfect time for it since I woke up feeling as empty as yesterday.

The walk to the stadium takes about 15 minutes. This means my mind had ample time to alternate between ruminating and trying to find solutions, over and over again, to the discomfort I’m experiencing at the moment. At some point, I realized what I was doing, and turned my brain off.

Except that at some point…

I can now recognize when I am full. I no longer try to convince myself otherwise to keep eating. But sometimes the main course makes its way to my gut, I feel full, but can’t help but feel dissatisfied. I crave dessert…

I distinguish between two types of hunger: in the belly or in the mouth. I need both to be satisfied to leave the table in peace.

Today, I wasn’t hungry anymore but I wanted to eat something sweet. Except… well… I was obviously full.

So I did what I do every time this happens. …

You’ve managed the size of your pasta carbonara portion well: you finish your plate because the amount left matches your satiety level. When you put down the fork, you’re satisfied. But you feel like you could still eat a little more. What if you get hungry when you’ll be out this afternoon?

You are no longer hungry, but you add an apple or a piece of cake to your meal. Just “in case.”

I don’t know about you, but that’s exactly what I used to do. But not anymore.

I’ve been working on my relationship with hunger and satiety for…

I have 6.5 tattoos. Each of them has a meaning, which I am sometimes asked about by curious and somewhat indelicate people. Here’s a tip: most tattooed people don’t like to have to explain the genesis of their skin ornaments.

Why? Because tattoos are often the visual embodiment of deep thoughts. Life lessons. Memories.

Mine embody the lessons I’ve learned. They are like reminders. And they have a strange, crazy power: I’ve realized that once etched on my skin, they somehow reinforce the thing they’re about.

Today, I feel like sharing their meaning. …