- figuring it out.
- Posts
- september ALREADY?
it’s quite crazy to see how quickly time floats away
gems of the week
list of things ive discovered and wanted to share
incredible mini-documentary on the opening of NYC’s hottest restaurant.
non-sleep deep rest protocol if you ever feel unrested, but can’t just go and take a nap
a podcast on happiness, silence, hedonic adaptation, and more from Kevin Rose and Dr. Laurie Santos
armaan’s thoughts
i spent 8 dollars on a coffee this week and it was totally worth it. great coffee is the price of a glass of shitty wine and gives you infinitely more joy.
in line with coffee, i also now love oatmilk in my coffee
i can’t rationally explain my aversion to taking political stances on current issues.
for example, when i meet someone wearing pro-palestine or pro-israel jewelry(common here in LA), im not sure how to respond to it. for some reason seeing someone’s political attitude on their sleeve makes me freeze and i cant explain why i feel an aversion to them.
1 reflection
choosing new values.
for most of my conscious life, ive been battling my body. whether it be being too fat and wanting to be skinny, then being too skinny and wanting to be muscular, then being muscular but not muscular enough, to being muscular enough to too fat, rinse and repeat the cycle.
ive been antagonistic against my body. fighting its natural urges for so long. when dessert comes around, my default is to pass. when i walk by a restaurant and smell the food, my immediate reaction is to put my head down, walk faster, and shut up my mind.
ive been fighting my own bodily urges for so long. especially related to hunger/food.
but at some point, it’s counterproductive. the texture of my mind recently has felt shame at me listening to my body and eating accordingly. the “hitler” of my mind has been speaking down, shaming my body in feeling hungry or wanting more food despite “sticking to the macros”.
but at somepoint i realized im letting abstract numbers control my life instead of me. enslaved to data and models instead of actually living like a fucking human.(a whole can of worms opens from this sooooo let’s address that another time).
so instead of tracking my macros religiously and being so bloody anal about every morsel of food - ive calmed down. taken a step back. listened to my body. and its been better.
i don’t gorge on every tiny bit of food that crosses my vision.
nor do i starve myself or abstain from other foods.
it’s a happy medium.
and life’s a lot better.
i realized these old values of restriction and thinness no matter the sacrifice was no longer serving me. it separated me from enjoyable experiences that i now value more.
overall, i think this conversation is just one part of a bigger question: pleasure.
what role does pleasure play in our lives? how do we abstain vs engage with pleasure? how aware are you of the pleasures you take part in? what is the opportunity cost of pleasing yourself?
pleasure will remain a core topic of mine i return to constantly, but in the meantime, ask yourself, my friend:
what pleasure are you afraid of?
thanks for stopping by. love you. share this with a friend if you enjoyed it.
just send them this link.
appreciation
sunsets are gorgeous.
thanks, universe.