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Why Moving Your Body Boosts Your Brain and Mood -by Taha Tariq

  Physical movement isn’t just about looking good or staying fit - it actually plays a huge role in how your brain works and how you feel every day. When you move, your body releases chemicals called endorphins that act like natural mood lifters. These chemicals can help reduce stress, ease anxiety, and give you a little boost of happiness. Even a short walk around the block or dancing to your favorite song in your room can clear your mind and make you feel better. The science backs this up. Studies show that regular exercise can lower symptoms of anxiety and depression. According to the Mayo Clinic, just 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days can make a big difference in your mental health (Mayo Clinic Staff). This doesn’t mean you have to run marathons or hit the gym every day. Simple activities like stretching, going for a bike ride, or just walking your dog can help your brain produce serotonin and dopamine - the chemicals that make you feel calm and happy. What’s cool is th...
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Healing Doesn’t Always Look Impressive -by Taha Tariq

  Healing is a weird thing. Some days, you feel like you’re making huge leaps, and other days, you’re just... surviving. And that’s okay. The truth is, real healing is rarely flashy. It doesn’t always come with big milestones, breakthroughs, or loud victories. Most of the time, it looks like showing up for yourself in quiet ways that no one else even notices. We live in a world that glorifies transformation. Before-and-after stories, redemption arcs, glow-ups. Everyone wants to talk about how they bounced back better than ever. But what about the days when healing just means brushing your teeth, answering a text, or getting out of bed? That stuff doesn’t make it into Instagram captions, but it matters just as much. Maybe even more. There’s this pressure to “get better” in a way that feels productive or visible. If you’re not journaling every morning, hitting the gym, meditating, or posting about your mental health wins, it’s easy to feel like you’re not doing enough. But healing is...
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The Myth of Always Being ‘On’ -by Taha Tariq

  There’s this unspoken rule a lot of us carry around in our heads- that we always have to be “on.” Always alert, always grinding, always moving. You wake up, check your phone before you even stretch, swipe through notifications like it’s second nature, and already your mind is on. Maybe it’s school stress, a reminder from your calendar, or a text you don’t feel like answering but will anyway. It’s all small stuff, but it adds up. Everywhere you look, people glorify the hustle. Social media makes it seem like you should be building a business before breakfast, getting straight A’s, being socially available, and posting witty things online while managing your “mental health” on the side. It’s like if you’re not doing ten things at once, you’re not doing enough. But that pressure is brutal. You start living like rest is a weakness and silence is wasted time. And when you finally sit still for a moment, your brain doesn’t. You're replaying awkward convos, stressing over grades, planni...
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You Don’t Always Have to Reinvent Yourself -by Taha Tariq

  Lately it feels like everyone’s relaunching themselves. New persona. New image. Big transformation. And it can make staying the same seem boring- or even lazy. But have you ever considered that reinvention might not be as fulfilling as it’s cracked up to be? Studies show that people who chase constant self‑reinvention often feel less happy. Researchers at the University of Georgia found that Americans who change their identity frequently report lower well‑being compared to those who stay more consistent (Haas). Reinvention can feel like trying on a new mask, but underneath, you might be skipping the hard work of acceptance. Self‑reinvention is often glamorized as brave or bold, but Arianne Cohen writes for Fast Company that it can leave us feeling less happy, not more. She quotes a psychology professor pointing out that culturally, Americans view identity as something we can reconstruct- when in reality, what we often lose is a sense of authenticity and stability (Cohen). Reinve...
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When Motivation Fades and You’re Just Tired -by Taha Tariq

  Some days, you wake up ready to take on the world. You’ve got energy, plans, and that little spark that makes everything feel doable. Other days, it’s a completely different story. You’re not sad exactly, you’re just... drained. Like no matter how much sleep you got or how much coffee you drank, you still feel stuck. That heavy, unmotivated feeling creeps in and suddenly all your goals feel a hundred miles away. It’s frustrating, but it’s also normal. The world tells us to stay driven 24/7. We get hit with quotes, routines, motivational speakers telling us to hustle harder. But here’s the truth: motivation isn’t consistent. It comes and goes. You can’t rely on it to be your fuel every single day. Some days, motivation is nowhere to be found, and that doesn’t mean you’re slacking. It just means you’re tired. Not lazy. Not unambitious. Tired. There’s this constant pressure to keep going no matter what, and a lot of people end up ignoring the signs their mind and body are sending. W...
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The Trap of Constant Self-Improvement -by Taha Tariq

  We live in a world where it feels like everywhere you look, someone’s telling you to level up. Be more productive. Wake up at 5 a.m. Read five books a month. Cut out sugar. Learn ten new skills. Hustle harder. You can't scroll through social media without running into some influencer showing off their perfect routine, morning smoothie, or “grind mindset.” And yeah, it can be inspiring but it can also feel suffocating. Sometimes, it starts with good intentions. You want to better yourself, make a change, be healthier, happier, or more disciplined. And that's valid. But then it snowballs. Suddenly, you feel like every part of your life needs fixing. Your sleep isn’t perfect, so you’re failing. You skipped the gym one day, so you’re lazy. You watched TV instead of reading a self-help book, so you’re wasting your life. This nonstop self-improvement mindset can actually be harmful. According to a study published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Review, chasing perf...
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When You Feel Like Everyone’s Moving Ahead Without You -by Taha Tariq

  You ever scroll through Instagram or Snapchat and suddenly feel like everyone else is speeding through life while you're stuck? People are posting college acceptances, internships, gym transformations, friend hangouts, and smiling selfies - and you're just... there. Same room, same routine, same feeling of “Why am I so behind?” It hits hard, especially when you feel like you're trying. You're doing your best to stay afloat, pushing through stress, showing up to school or work, maybe even forcing a smile when you don’t feel it. But still, it feels like you’re stuck in the slow lane while everyone else is sprinting. The truth is, a lot of people feel like that - they just don’t talk about it out loud. And a big part of it is the illusion that social media creates. Everyone’s highlight reel makes it look like they’ve got it all figured out. But you don’t see their breakdowns, their panic at 1 a.m., or the days when they feel just as lost as you. It’s like we’re all playi...
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