Life
How to find hope in a fearful world
From climate change and Brexit to the fear of being seen in public without makeup, there is much to be fearful about in the world today. Even the vast improvements in almost every area of global health, wealth and education do little to make us more hopeful. Is there anything that can help?
You do you: finding yourself in the random events of life
Growing up I didn't have a clue what I wanted to be. I still don't now. I don't think I'm alone. Yet people still love to say 'you do you'.
Why entitlement is making you unhappy
Why is it so deeply frustrating when we don't get something we feel we deserve, and less so when we get a good thing that we certainly don't? Is the idea that we could have it all hindering our hope of happiness?
Skin hunger: the West’s new health crisis
It is only when we live without touch that we realise how fundamental it is to our existence. In a culture with endless rules governing our physical interactions, how can we reclaim the innocence of touch again?
Why is everyone so angry?
Our national political dialogue has become increasingly toxic. And our social media feeds are full of online abuse. On last week’s Question Time, Rory Stewart recently argued we need more love in politics. Is this just political cliché, or is this the hope for our divided nation?
I’m a workaholic and an Olympic rat race gold medallist
I’m Ben and I’m a workaholic. Work was my obsession, my first love, and my daily adrenaline fix. Now I’ve realised there is something so much better.
Three ways to reduce stress permanently
Life is stressful for all of us, sometimes it is very stressful. Essential oils and good long bath might help for a day, but how can we reduce stress, not just temporarily but forever?
People hate me for what I do: how do I disagree well?
I knew working in a controversial field was going to force me to encounter regular confrontation, but being catapulted into the heart of the vitriolic tribalism of our age hit me like a ton of bricks. So why is it so difficult to disagree well with other people these days?
If it’s not on Strava, did you even run?
Having downloaded Strava, I felt compelled to always try to run as fast and far as I could. Simply because it was measured. But I soon found that – in life, not just in running – what I measured controlled me...