Transcendental Meditation I did try and my skepticism about it was they said they chose a mantra that they knew was right for me. And otherwise the technique which should be free involves repeating a seed bija, a sanskrit word that purportedly resonates at a sound frequency that is healing. There is no breathing technique involved. Repeating the mantra protects the mind from thinking about the past or the future. I love mantra meditation but not that one, I like one more complex but that suits my temperament. Others do better with the focal point being breathing. I recommend the best seller called "Breath" by James Nestor. The appendix on Audible books is great as it leads you through many styles of breathing meditations. The science and tradition of breathing meditations have remarkable evidence of helping our mind/body. Mindfulness is another style of meditation to consider. Sam Harris's app called "Waking Up" is very popular. Mindfulness does not guide the mind away from thoughts and feelings, and practices noticing the distraction and not judging. To learn more about meditation of this sort last week Sam Harris was on Dr Huberman's podcast. It's a four hour talk but will really teach you about what meditation is and isn't. I do not recommend Deepak Chopra's book called "Total Meditation."
I am autistic. I can't clap my hands to anything but my own beat. TM is like explaining flying to a pig.
I've learned to type because I promised a dying Buddhist Monk I would start writing. I was 72. I write more in an hour than I used to write in a month.
I live between my ears. It comes with the the territory.
I was instrumental in arranging my wife helping edit a Master's thesis on mindfulness. I could not understand not understanding mindfulness.
My dog met Obama on Campus in Chicago. He didn't bite him. My dog was brighter than Obama's successor in the White House and told us it was time to leave America.
It was twenty years ago.
My dog was smarter than your congress or your media.
As Twain said feed a dog and he will return your love. Feed a human and you get lots of Trumps biting the hand that feeds him.
I just make sure I have projects. As long as I'm working on something that will come to fruition, I'm good. When I don't have anything I'm working towards that's bigger than what I do everyday, I drift into the arena of the unwell. Currently I'm working on getting papers together for a panel at MLA 2024 on Comedy and Censorship and writing a monograph about surveillance. (Trying to get the tenure track job in academia)
I just reminded myself most of what I rely on daily comes from Max Ehrmann's DESIDERATA. Not surprising, given it was practically a religious document back in the '60s, but that really testifies to its endurance as a way to view life that's constructive given he wrote it in 1927.
Since I suspect a lot of people aren't familiar with it:
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
This was popular at high school graduations back in the day. I remember it being put to spoken word song that I haven't heard in years. It truly is the absolute key to happiness. We all should start the day reciting this to ourselves with as much belief and conviction we can muster.
The song was written by Les Crane—found that when I was researching it because I remembered the chorus. I've been doing it so long I'd forgotten where I got it from. 🙂 This is a lovely presentation of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yNJaKF9sXA
Yes, thank you. I searched and found many versions on youtube. When I was young these words did not have near the meaning as they do now. As they say, with age comes wisdom.
I love you guys but your show is constantly depressing. The viewpoints expressed are totally valid and therein lies the problem. All I do is get angry and sad because you are right. So I hardly listen these days because it’s bad for my mental health. Yoga and meditation is the fix. Thanks for all your hard work in exposing the bad guys
What is depressing is to watch the Sunday cable TV morning shows. That's why I watch the "Monday Mourning" Useful Idiots show instead, so that someone watches the cable TV instead of me "so that I don't have too" (the signature phrase of the show)
Adding to yoga and mediation are therapeutic writing, guided meditation, aka, hypnosis such as Jacob Stephenson on Utube, qi gong, better for those who get pain aggravations from yoga and easy to learn and follow, and exercise, shaking the body, singing, music, prayer, helping others, sending money to support people like the useful idiots (combatting feelings of helplessness) and interactions with nature and animals.
And to expand on my previous reply, that "someone watches the cable TV instead of me,
so that I don't have too", are 2 persons: Aaron Mate and Katie Halper (both of whom I talked
to on Callin).
And it's really depressing (for me) to watch cable TV these days (I used to, all the time)
So, I would like to make the same question mentioned for this article to both Aaron and Katie,
that is :
Aaron and Katie , what do you do for wellness after this constant monitoring of the cable Sunday shows?
And remember, we are always available to talk on Callin, if you need to cope with the stress
Disclaimer: this post is semi-serious, an attempt to make some humour on this depressing world. But feel free to respond. (Unfornunately, no emojis on this app, to add some context)
I start every day with about 10 minutes of "morning mobility." Look it up on YouTube. Free. Most everyone has some physical issues and as a guy whose done sports my whole life, that means I have sports injuries. I limber up great with morning mobility (basically a bit o' yoga). I would not want to start a day without it.
About six years ago I was on a business trip and suffered MASSIVE pain that I thought was Sciatica. Turns out it was Piriformis Syndrome and a weak glute medius that was being overworked on that business trip for specific reasons. Man, I wish I knew the VERY simple stretches and exercises while I was on that trip.
I had had pain in the back of my legs getting worse over time. With my morning mobility, I've completely gotten rid of that pain through my stretches. I also do face pulls and through that have rehabilitated my left (dominant) shoulder rather than having surgery as I did on my right shoulder.
Again, I cannot imagine starting my day without a few minutes of morning mobility.
I end each day with guided mediation. We (my wife and I) bought a bunch of mediations from a guy named Glenn Harrold. The app is free, some meditations, too. Each mediation you buy is € 3-5 and you own it. Do not spend money on a monthly service for meditation. Massive waste of money.
Find the meditations that fit your issues and needs. I have several that I use when traveling, one specifically that works great for me for jet lag ("Mindfulness for Deep Sleep"). "Detox" is great if you want to have violent dreams as you work out issues.
I have listened to the guided mediations so often over the years I don't always need them, but meditation and quieting my mind each night helps massively in getting a good nights sleep.
Finally - exercise. It doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you like doing it. The only downside is the risk of injury, but that is massively overstated for things like weight lifting. Base jumping, well, yeah, statistics say you're eventually going to be a smear on the side of a canyon wall.
I'd posit that sedentary people have more health issues than sporty people on average (note the "base jumper caveat"). The improvement in quality of life of being in shape cannot be overstated.
Finally, going vegan about seven years ago made a huge positive difference in my life. Particularly getting dairy out of my system (rather ironic for the son of a dairy farmer!). Even just reducing meat and dairy has great health benefits. In any case, a plant-based diet is vastly more healthy than a standard western diet. My cholesterol dropped by more than 100 points when I went vegan.
I understand that nearly all of the above is based on my VERY privileged life. Morning mobility is free, and the guided mediation nearly so (we haven't bought a new meditation in years). Gym memberships are NOT free. They cost time and money. Veganism is definitely more time consuming than not (and not possible in many instances). Depending on what you eat, veganism can be cheap or expensive. The more time you have, the cheaper you can eat vegan (IMO).
Love Glen Harold too! But for me Jason Stephenson is even better. Free on Utube. So many offerings, some more focused on visual imagery and others more focused on affirmations. The quality of his voice is comforting, steady and caring.
I like to plant bulbs. In the bleak bleak winter, I am thinking of my bulbs and wondering what they're going to look like. This has seriously kept me going through some dark times. And then of course in the spring, before anything else is blooming, I have some precious flowers that I waited for. It's always surprising that they survived at all. Since I started I just can't stop, don't know how I'd survive another winter without my plant-dreams.
You know, it's like "USA" stands for "United States of Anxiety" these days, the amplification of which is apparently Corporate Media's primary purpose, so I try to avoid that "messing-with-your-mindness" as much as possible; or, Don't submit to a psychological operation you didn't sign up for. This is strictly anecdotal, but as an assignment for a Literature class (HS) we went to the local Art Museum, picked out a particular Art Work and wrote about it for a while. One can do this with any "object," a song, a tree, a cloud in the sky, etc. I guess you could call it both a disassociation and free association exercise.
As much as I love reading through all this human chaos, you are right. We all need ways to reduce the conflicts in our lives and find more peace. The trouble is, getting to the systemic root of the malaise can be tricky. We can work all day trying to manipulate the *external* circumstances where the conflict is playing out, but if we do not address our own internal malaise, we will not be able to overcome the chaos, and may be unwittingly contributing to it. Our organization teaches people a revolutionary process to use the details of the conflicted arena as a road map inward. When we teach ourselves our to master our intellect, feel all our emotions and listen to our intuition, we can overcome most everything, and at the very least, find creative solutions to the immediate arenas around us, and certainly within us. Check us out and keep up the excellent work all! Love you!
Ok just want to add, happy Martin Luther King Day and with all sincerity, Dr. King's writings have many times over pulled me out of the depths of self-pity, helplessness, hopelessness, but also filled me with courage and creativity necessary for contributing to positive change in the world. For anyone who has not taken a deep dive, I highly recommend. Particularly Stride Towards Freedom.
Well timed. Nice to remember how much I like this quote from him:
I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
For 12 months now my showers (90% all in the morning) are all cold showers.
No hot first, then cold. All showers are cold.
This has been a life changer for me and the benefits have been: no colds or flu during this period; increased energy and positivity in a major way; focus and better follow-through during work; and of course weight loss and a new relationship with cold temperatures outside during walks.
It is not easy and it’s a serious mind game, even today, 12 months later. But I know if I skipped one day, or cheated with warm water, I would feel like such a wimp.
PS, I am also “religious” about walking a minimum of 10,000 steps daily, 95% of my diet has no sugar or processed carbs, I now eat meat daily, more than vegetables, and I only had alcohol maybe 5 or 6 times in 2022. That was tough....
This all took place in 2022 and continues in 2023.
If you take care of yourself, and take this as your number one objective, all the fuckery and insanity that you see and hear daily, can be dealt with much better, and you will then have more time, energy and willingness to be a true Useful Idiot. 😎
You can do it Matt. During two - three minutes of cold shower you can manage the soap down, hair wet and rinse. Later on you can drag it out to four or five minutes -- if you are so inclined. After one week it no longer feels like purgatory or gitmo. After seven days it’s just the first two seconds that suck. You can do it Matt!
I have no wellness tricks. Without a well mind, I can't have a well body. I have a boring job that I'm 100% stuck in and my only hope is that I live long enough to have some time alive after I'm done working and enough money to not worry that I'll expire before it's gone. Things are dismal.
Starting with last first, I am hanging in to the best of my ability!
Meeting with my therapist helps, though that's not accessible for everyone. I am obsessed with comedy and listening to or watching it has been my coping mechanism for years. The other thing I do to experience relief and joy is bird watch! I love birds. 😊❤
I adore Maria Bamford, she's one of the GOAT for me. I also love Bo Burnham, Hari Kondabolu, Aparna Nancherla, Beth Stelling, Demetri Martin, and Marina Franklin—I could go on too long naming favorites, and I of course am a fan of Katie's humor and appreciate all of her work; it sure isn't easy to make corporate media and our state of affairs seem funny.
As for birds, that could become a long list too! I love the Corvid family and regularly feed the local crows, but I am happy every time I get to see or hear adorable chickadees, too. I live in an area called the Skagit Valley in Washington and I'm so lucky there is an abundance of birds to see, which I hope to do more of this spring and summer (fingers crossed summer won't be the fire and smoke season again this year).
Has anyone tried transcendental meditation? The people on David Lynch’s channel all call it life changing. I don’t really understand what it is
Damn it Matt I've been transcendental for almost 75 years. They call it autism.
I've learned to set type with the middle finger of my right hand.
In Quebec we call it the driving finger. :)
Instead of Chuck Todd check out the Marxist Brothers in Duck Soup and Horse Feathers.
"Clothes make the man. Naked people have no influence." Mark Twain
Hail Hail Freedonia
Land of the "Free?" and home of the "Brave?"
No, but I do another meditation type called Sahaja Yoga. You could look into that.
Transcendental Meditation I did try and my skepticism about it was they said they chose a mantra that they knew was right for me. And otherwise the technique which should be free involves repeating a seed bija, a sanskrit word that purportedly resonates at a sound frequency that is healing. There is no breathing technique involved. Repeating the mantra protects the mind from thinking about the past or the future. I love mantra meditation but not that one, I like one more complex but that suits my temperament. Others do better with the focal point being breathing. I recommend the best seller called "Breath" by James Nestor. The appendix on Audible books is great as it leads you through many styles of breathing meditations. The science and tradition of breathing meditations have remarkable evidence of helping our mind/body. Mindfulness is another style of meditation to consider. Sam Harris's app called "Waking Up" is very popular. Mindfulness does not guide the mind away from thoughts and feelings, and practices noticing the distraction and not judging. To learn more about meditation of this sort last week Sam Harris was on Dr Huberman's podcast. It's a four hour talk but will really teach you about what meditation is and isn't. I do not recommend Deepak Chopra's book called "Total Meditation."
I am autistic. I can't clap my hands to anything but my own beat. TM is like explaining flying to a pig.
I've learned to type because I promised a dying Buddhist Monk I would start writing. I was 72. I write more in an hour than I used to write in a month.
I live between my ears. It comes with the the territory.
I was instrumental in arranging my wife helping edit a Master's thesis on mindfulness. I could not understand not understanding mindfulness.
my wellness routine in no particular order:
have sex with spouse
play plenty of tennis
listen to lots of comedy specials
backup plan:
take an edible and
- listen to music; or
- clean house; or
- cook a meal; or
- groom dog
It is effing cold.
It is dangerous getting to the car in winter
I have lost much of my eyesight.
My dog is buried in the backyard.
I don't play tennis or golf.'
Write a comment to Matt
i have lots of edibles and smokables
I love to laugh
How do I explain Slim Pickens and final scene of How I stopped Worrying and learned to love the bomb.
Rufus T Firefly rules the world.
It is called Duck Soup.
It is great for those of us who like Dark Meat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Soup_(1933_film)
My dog met Obama on Campus in Chicago. He didn't bite him. My dog was brighter than Obama's successor in the White House and told us it was time to leave America.
It was twenty years ago.
My dog was smarter than your congress or your media.
As Twain said feed a dog and he will return your love. Feed a human and you get lots of Trumps biting the hand that feeds him.
I just make sure I have projects. As long as I'm working on something that will come to fruition, I'm good. When I don't have anything I'm working towards that's bigger than what I do everyday, I drift into the arena of the unwell. Currently I'm working on getting papers together for a panel at MLA 2024 on Comedy and Censorship and writing a monograph about surveillance. (Trying to get the tenure track job in academia)
I pray every morning without exception before I do anything else. Literally
I make a point of looking for ways to be of service to my fellow human beings
I try to remain humble
I try to remember not to allow myself to get distraught over things I cannot control
Repeat daily
I just reminded myself most of what I rely on daily comes from Max Ehrmann's DESIDERATA. Not surprising, given it was practically a religious document back in the '60s, but that really testifies to its endurance as a way to view life that's constructive given he wrote it in 1927.
Since I suspect a lot of people aren't familiar with it:
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
#PassItOn➡️
This was popular at high school graduations back in the day. I remember it being put to spoken word song that I haven't heard in years. It truly is the absolute key to happiness. We all should start the day reciting this to ourselves with as much belief and conviction we can muster.
The song was written by Les Crane—found that when I was researching it because I remembered the chorus. I've been doing it so long I'd forgotten where I got it from. 🙂 This is a lovely presentation of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yNJaKF9sXA
Yes, thank you. I searched and found many versions on youtube. When I was young these words did not have near the meaning as they do now. As they say, with age comes wisdom.
I love you guys but your show is constantly depressing. The viewpoints expressed are totally valid and therein lies the problem. All I do is get angry and sad because you are right. So I hardly listen these days because it’s bad for my mental health. Yoga and meditation is the fix. Thanks for all your hard work in exposing the bad guys
What is depressing is to watch the Sunday cable TV morning shows. That's why I watch the "Monday Mourning" Useful Idiots show instead, so that someone watches the cable TV instead of me "so that I don't have too" (the signature phrase of the show)
Adding to yoga and mediation are therapeutic writing, guided meditation, aka, hypnosis such as Jacob Stephenson on Utube, qi gong, better for those who get pain aggravations from yoga and easy to learn and follow, and exercise, shaking the body, singing, music, prayer, helping others, sending money to support people like the useful idiots (combatting feelings of helplessness) and interactions with nature and animals.
And to expand on my previous reply, that "someone watches the cable TV instead of me,
so that I don't have too", are 2 persons: Aaron Mate and Katie Halper (both of whom I talked
to on Callin).
And it's really depressing (for me) to watch cable TV these days (I used to, all the time)
So, I would like to make the same question mentioned for this article to both Aaron and Katie,
that is :
Aaron and Katie , what do you do for wellness after this constant monitoring of the cable Sunday shows?
And remember, we are always available to talk on Callin, if you need to cope with the stress
Disclaimer: this post is semi-serious, an attempt to make some humour on this depressing world. But feel free to respond. (Unfornunately, no emojis on this app, to add some context)
I start every day with about 10 minutes of "morning mobility." Look it up on YouTube. Free. Most everyone has some physical issues and as a guy whose done sports my whole life, that means I have sports injuries. I limber up great with morning mobility (basically a bit o' yoga). I would not want to start a day without it.
About six years ago I was on a business trip and suffered MASSIVE pain that I thought was Sciatica. Turns out it was Piriformis Syndrome and a weak glute medius that was being overworked on that business trip for specific reasons. Man, I wish I knew the VERY simple stretches and exercises while I was on that trip.
I had had pain in the back of my legs getting worse over time. With my morning mobility, I've completely gotten rid of that pain through my stretches. I also do face pulls and through that have rehabilitated my left (dominant) shoulder rather than having surgery as I did on my right shoulder.
Again, I cannot imagine starting my day without a few minutes of morning mobility.
I end each day with guided mediation. We (my wife and I) bought a bunch of mediations from a guy named Glenn Harrold. The app is free, some meditations, too. Each mediation you buy is € 3-5 and you own it. Do not spend money on a monthly service for meditation. Massive waste of money.
Find the meditations that fit your issues and needs. I have several that I use when traveling, one specifically that works great for me for jet lag ("Mindfulness for Deep Sleep"). "Detox" is great if you want to have violent dreams as you work out issues.
I have listened to the guided mediations so often over the years I don't always need them, but meditation and quieting my mind each night helps massively in getting a good nights sleep.
Finally - exercise. It doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you like doing it. The only downside is the risk of injury, but that is massively overstated for things like weight lifting. Base jumping, well, yeah, statistics say you're eventually going to be a smear on the side of a canyon wall.
I'd posit that sedentary people have more health issues than sporty people on average (note the "base jumper caveat"). The improvement in quality of life of being in shape cannot be overstated.
Finally, going vegan about seven years ago made a huge positive difference in my life. Particularly getting dairy out of my system (rather ironic for the son of a dairy farmer!). Even just reducing meat and dairy has great health benefits. In any case, a plant-based diet is vastly more healthy than a standard western diet. My cholesterol dropped by more than 100 points when I went vegan.
I understand that nearly all of the above is based on my VERY privileged life. Morning mobility is free, and the guided mediation nearly so (we haven't bought a new meditation in years). Gym memberships are NOT free. They cost time and money. Veganism is definitely more time consuming than not (and not possible in many instances). Depending on what you eat, veganism can be cheap or expensive. The more time you have, the cheaper you can eat vegan (IMO).
My two wellness cents.
Love Glen Harold too! But for me Jason Stephenson is even better. Free on Utube. So many offerings, some more focused on visual imagery and others more focused on affirmations. The quality of his voice is comforting, steady and caring.
Thanks for the tip. I'll check out Mr. Stephenson!
I like to plant bulbs. In the bleak bleak winter, I am thinking of my bulbs and wondering what they're going to look like. This has seriously kept me going through some dark times. And then of course in the spring, before anything else is blooming, I have some precious flowers that I waited for. It's always surprising that they survived at all. Since I started I just can't stop, don't know how I'd survive another winter without my plant-dreams.
You know, it's like "USA" stands for "United States of Anxiety" these days, the amplification of which is apparently Corporate Media's primary purpose, so I try to avoid that "messing-with-your-mindness" as much as possible; or, Don't submit to a psychological operation you didn't sign up for. This is strictly anecdotal, but as an assignment for a Literature class (HS) we went to the local Art Museum, picked out a particular Art Work and wrote about it for a while. One can do this with any "object," a song, a tree, a cloud in the sky, etc. I guess you could call it both a disassociation and free association exercise.
I retired. It’s done wonders for my wellness.
As much as I love reading through all this human chaos, you are right. We all need ways to reduce the conflicts in our lives and find more peace. The trouble is, getting to the systemic root of the malaise can be tricky. We can work all day trying to manipulate the *external* circumstances where the conflict is playing out, but if we do not address our own internal malaise, we will not be able to overcome the chaos, and may be unwittingly contributing to it. Our organization teaches people a revolutionary process to use the details of the conflicted arena as a road map inward. When we teach ourselves our to master our intellect, feel all our emotions and listen to our intuition, we can overcome most everything, and at the very least, find creative solutions to the immediate arenas around us, and certainly within us. Check us out and keep up the excellent work all! Love you!
https://conflictrevolution.org/
Ok just want to add, happy Martin Luther King Day and with all sincerity, Dr. King's writings have many times over pulled me out of the depths of self-pity, helplessness, hopelessness, but also filled me with courage and creativity necessary for contributing to positive change in the world. For anyone who has not taken a deep dive, I highly recommend. Particularly Stride Towards Freedom.
Well timed. Nice to remember how much I like this quote from him:
I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
For 12 months now my showers (90% all in the morning) are all cold showers.
No hot first, then cold. All showers are cold.
This has been a life changer for me and the benefits have been: no colds or flu during this period; increased energy and positivity in a major way; focus and better follow-through during work; and of course weight loss and a new relationship with cold temperatures outside during walks.
It is not easy and it’s a serious mind game, even today, 12 months later. But I know if I skipped one day, or cheated with warm water, I would feel like such a wimp.
#gocold #goodsexandcoldwater
PS, I am also “religious” about walking a minimum of 10,000 steps daily, 95% of my diet has no sugar or processed carbs, I now eat meat daily, more than vegetables, and I only had alcohol maybe 5 or 6 times in 2022. That was tough....
This all took place in 2022 and continues in 2023.
If you take care of yourself, and take this as your number one objective, all the fuckery and insanity that you see and hear daily, can be dealt with much better, and you will then have more time, energy and willingness to be a true Useful Idiot. 😎
Impressive! 2023 feels like a year of wellness, and you've got some great goals. I'll keep working up to full cold
You can do it Matt. During two - three minutes of cold shower you can manage the soap down, hair wet and rinse. Later on you can drag it out to four or five minutes -- if you are so inclined. After one week it no longer feels like purgatory or gitmo. After seven days it’s just the first two seconds that suck. You can do it Matt!
I have no wellness tricks. Without a well mind, I can't have a well body. I have a boring job that I'm 100% stuck in and my only hope is that I live long enough to have some time alive after I'm done working and enough money to not worry that I'll expire before it's gone. Things are dismal.
I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully, our upcoming wellness guests (we just booked one for next week) can help us find a bright side
I turn off the news and get outside. I mean nature outside, not city outside. It's always instant therapy. Oh and shrooms. Definitely shrooms.
Nature is great! What have your experiences been with nature and shrooms?
Nature is great as it is but pair it with shrooms and you will see God. :-)
Starting with last first, I am hanging in to the best of my ability!
Meeting with my therapist helps, though that's not accessible for everyone. I am obsessed with comedy and listening to or watching it has been my coping mechanism for years. The other thing I do to experience relief and joy is bird watch! I love birds. 😊❤
Great to hear! What are your favorite types of comedy and birds?
I adore Maria Bamford, she's one of the GOAT for me. I also love Bo Burnham, Hari Kondabolu, Aparna Nancherla, Beth Stelling, Demetri Martin, and Marina Franklin—I could go on too long naming favorites, and I of course am a fan of Katie's humor and appreciate all of her work; it sure isn't easy to make corporate media and our state of affairs seem funny.
As for birds, that could become a long list too! I love the Corvid family and regularly feed the local crows, but I am happy every time I get to see or hear adorable chickadees, too. I live in an area called the Skagit Valley in Washington and I'm so lucky there is an abundance of birds to see, which I hope to do more of this spring and summer (fingers crossed summer won't be the fire and smoke season again this year).