This post is going to provide a quick overview of three of the main ways I’ve tested out about how to be a good person. The kyriarchy You probably know what the patriarchy is: the system built into our society that perpetuates sexism. Well, the kyriarchy is the same, except it refers to all the different types of oppressive societal systems, such as racism, sexism, heterosexist (homophobia), ableism, ageism, classism, and so on. Any way that a person can be divergent from an agreed norm leads to the chance for some people to be privileged and some to be oppressed, and of course, all these diff ..read more

Forest app Forest app screenshot The Forest app has a very simple premise: it helps you to stop using your phone (or tablet, or particular websites on your desktop) for a particular period of time. How? While the Forest app is running, it’s growing a tree. If you exit the Forest app while the tree is growing, it’ll die, and you’ll end up with a withered tree in your forest. It’s a pretty amazing way to give yourself a break from your device addictions and a good reason to put your phone down for a bit. If you pay for it, you can also narrow it down so that you are still allowed to visit a few ..read more

BACP logo. When considering how to live a good life, any self-help resource that doesn’t mention mental health is not considering the full picture. To that end, I wanted to mention how to get an accredited counsellor in the UK. If you are able to pay for sessions (which can be anywhere between about £30 to £60 a session usually, although if you have limited income a lot of counsellors have a few discounted slots in their schedules), then all you need to do is to go to the BACP website. BACP stands for British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, which is the main accreditation body f ..read more

Anki logo Anki screenshot Anki is an app/website for memorising flash cards. Just like with any flash cards, you have a question or prompt on one side and an answer on the other. A common use for flashcards is having a word in one language on one side and the translation on the other. What makes Anki different from just using physical flash cards is the system built in for when to re-test you on each card. If you found it easy, you will be tested on that card later; if it was hard, it will come sooner. Over time, this becomes a sophisticated sorting system that matches and reinforces your long ..read more

Mapping steps of a task as I go One of the problems with doing any task (although particularly something technical like coding) is simply how to hold the steps of a task in mind, and remembering what you intend to do next. As we learned when looking at executive functions, having a good ‘working memory’ for what you’re currently doing is a separate process from coming up with these steps in the first place (and both are directly impaired by ADHD). It can be incredibly frustrating to come up with ideas about how to solve a problem and then not be able to remember all the threads at once, and th ..read more

WhatsMock logo An unusual app that I use to help myself cope with life is called WhatsMock. (This app looks like a similar one for iPhones.) WhatsMock is used to create fake WhatsApp conversations, which you can then screenshot and share as memes or pranks. However, I use it as a journaling tool. I act as if I’m messaging a friend, writing down everything that is on my mind, and then I take a moment to read back what I’ve said, trying to act as if I really am an external friend figure, and message back what I would say to them. Even just sympathy or open ‘listening’ can help, although sometime ..read more

Headspace Balance logo You don’t need any technology or tools to practise mindfulness (although the meditation apps Headspace or Balance are good places to start learning about it). When I was trying to think of things besides Home Scrum which have helped me to tackle life, I know that my mental health and my whole perspective on the world would be much worse without having done periods of meditation practice in the past. I know of no better way to work on fully separating yourself from your own addictions and beliefs in order to access the world as it truly is. The only time I have actually b ..read more