Thank you for sharing this—it’s such a powerful reminder that health isn’t just about numbers. It’s about listening to our bodies, taking care of them, and not letting the obsession with 'optimisation' steal our peace. We all need that space where we can just move—without judgement, without tracking, and without the need for validation from a device or an app. I’ve been working on finding that balance, and it feels so liberating.
Hi Dana, thank you for leaving your thoughts here. It's disappointing to see that optimisation has taken over as the motive even for the basic functions, such as eating and moving our bodies, as can be seen on the 'biohacks' or 'biohackers' online discussion forums (I cringed when typing the 'hack' part). A thing I think I've missed emphasising in this essay is these hacking ideas hand over our trust in our bodies to external wisdom. I just remembered the missing point as I read your comment about the validation seeking from a device or an app. Probably in the next post, then.
I'm glad you've been on a journey yourself to listen to your body more. Although I'm not at a place I can feel the liberating feeling yet—still struggling with the dysmorphia—reading you and others experiencing that gives me hope.
I hear you completely, Sekar. It’s frustrating how even the most basic things—eating, resting, moving—have been turned into something to hack instead of trust. We’re constantly nudged to rely on apps, trackers, and external ‘expertise’ rather than simply listening to our own bodies.
Your comment got me thinking—maybe this isn’t new, just recycled in a different form. Looking back to the ‘90s, before biohacking and apps, the pressure was still there, just packaged differently. Dieting, calorie counting, and cardio obsession were everywhere. As a teenager, I remember how many of us just starved ourselves because that’s what we were told was ‘healthy.’ Now, instead of magazines pushing weight-loss fads, we have fasting apps and optimization trends. The message hasn’t changed—it’s still about control over trust. That said, I’m grateful I grew up before tech really took off. As an adult, I’ve stayed away from it because, as you say, the reality of it all can feel pretty sinister.
I really appreciate you sharing where you are with this. Struggling with dysmorphia makes it so hard to feel at home in your body—having been there myself. But hope is real, and even if that sense of freedom feels far off, just questioning these messages is part of the process. I’m really glad my words could be part of that shift for you too.
Thank you for sharing this—it’s such a powerful reminder that health isn’t just about numbers. It’s about listening to our bodies, taking care of them, and not letting the obsession with 'optimisation' steal our peace. We all need that space where we can just move—without judgement, without tracking, and without the need for validation from a device or an app. I’ve been working on finding that balance, and it feels so liberating.
Hi Dana, thank you for leaving your thoughts here. It's disappointing to see that optimisation has taken over as the motive even for the basic functions, such as eating and moving our bodies, as can be seen on the 'biohacks' or 'biohackers' online discussion forums (I cringed when typing the 'hack' part). A thing I think I've missed emphasising in this essay is these hacking ideas hand over our trust in our bodies to external wisdom. I just remembered the missing point as I read your comment about the validation seeking from a device or an app. Probably in the next post, then.
I'm glad you've been on a journey yourself to listen to your body more. Although I'm not at a place I can feel the liberating feeling yet—still struggling with the dysmorphia—reading you and others experiencing that gives me hope.
I hear you completely, Sekar. It’s frustrating how even the most basic things—eating, resting, moving—have been turned into something to hack instead of trust. We’re constantly nudged to rely on apps, trackers, and external ‘expertise’ rather than simply listening to our own bodies.
Your comment got me thinking—maybe this isn’t new, just recycled in a different form. Looking back to the ‘90s, before biohacking and apps, the pressure was still there, just packaged differently. Dieting, calorie counting, and cardio obsession were everywhere. As a teenager, I remember how many of us just starved ourselves because that’s what we were told was ‘healthy.’ Now, instead of magazines pushing weight-loss fads, we have fasting apps and optimization trends. The message hasn’t changed—it’s still about control over trust. That said, I’m grateful I grew up before tech really took off. As an adult, I’ve stayed away from it because, as you say, the reality of it all can feel pretty sinister.
I really appreciate you sharing where you are with this. Struggling with dysmorphia makes it so hard to feel at home in your body—having been there myself. But hope is real, and even if that sense of freedom feels far off, just questioning these messages is part of the process. I’m really glad my words could be part of that shift for you too.
Looking forward to your next post.