Wellbeing & Mindfulness

Wellbeing & Mindfulness

Seek/share/discuss advice for feeling better c:

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  • 11 wall posts
  • Created Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:08 am

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  • aether Creator
    Heh remember this club? xD

    Watched this just a moment ago and I felt it would be worth sharing. It's not mindblowingly insightful stuff, but I think it addresses the connection between self-love and feeling left behind in life in a way that's a good reminder c:

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  • Starve
    The more I'm becoming aware and taking time out to think of what to do and how to improve (given that 20 years of my life have passed with no consistent direction that lasted more than a year or two), the more I'm beginning to see that this is true. Nice to see it explained well and backed with research.

    https://jamesclear.com/mental-toughness

  • aether Creator
    (A TED Talk spam might be incoming and I make no apologies)

    I love the broader perspective this gives. You'll need to turn on the subtitles for this one if you want English. c:
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    Continuing with Christianity, a book I recommend is Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue by Neale Donald Walsch, or even the simplified picture book adapted from it called The Little Soul and the Sun, which you can actually read online here. I grew up with that picture book, and I still love the way it views the hurt others cause as them simply forgetting their brighter self, that pain is enacted so that we can express/experience our inherent goodness in contrast, and that our role is to remember others for the brightness/goodness they innately are when they are within darkness. Something about that idealism really inspires me.

  • Arcticus
    Slowness is life's preferred method of unfolding. It is the way nature works: things don't pop up, they grow. Results don't appear, they involve a process of cultivation and tending to. The river takes a century to cut through rock, the sapling takes decades to grow firm roots and reach way up high until it towers over and provides shade to the very same patch of earth where it once lay buried as an insignificant seed.

    We may be living in an age of instant gratification, but it does well to remember that sometimes, things take time, waiting is not a blemish on your life's timeline, it adds grace to it and enriches it if done the right way. Cultivate patience. Be in harmony with this slowness of nature no matter how fast you're going otherwise.

    For more wisdom, stay tuned.

    Image

    aether replied · Apr 12, 2019

    yes


    Starve replied · Apr 12, 2019

    Recommended book accompaniment to this post : The Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen


  • aether Creator
    Uh, this is a cover I did of the song Here Comes a Thought by Rebecca Sugar. The song and the lyrics are wonderful for wellbeing and mindfulness imo, even if I sound like a fetus while singing it. :3 (also I stuffed up the very last chord of the song)

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    Lyrics:
    Spoiler
    Take a moment to think of just
    flexibility, love, and trust
    Take a moment to think of just
    flexibility, love, and trust

    Here comes a thought
    that might alarm you
    what someone said
    and how it harmed you
    Something you did
    that failed to be charming
    Things that you said are
    suddenly swarming

    And oh, you're losing sight
    You're losing touch
    All these little things seem to matter so much
    that they confuse you
    that I might lose you

    Take a moment remind yourself to
    take a moment and find yourself
    Take a moment and ask yourself if
    this is how we fall apart?

    But it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not
    It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay
    You've got nothing, got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear
    I'm here, I'm here, I'm here

    Here comes a thought
    that might alarm me
    What someone said
    and how it harmed me
    Something I did
    that failed to be charming
    Things that I said are
    suddenly swarming

    And oh, I'm losing sight
    I'm losing touch
    All these little things seem to matter so much
    that they confuse me
    that I might lose me

    Take a moment remind yourself to
    take a moment and find yourself
    Take a moment and ask yourself if
    this is how we fall apart?

    But it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not
    It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay
    You've got nothing, got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear
    I'm here, I'm here, I'm here

    And it was just a thought, just a thought, just a thought, just a thought, just a thought
    It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay
    We can watch, we can watch, we can watch, we can watch them go by
    from here, from here, from here

    GigiNicole17 replied · Apr 12, 2019

    YOU SOUND GREAT!


    Lib replied · Apr 12, 2019

    WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU TELL ME THAT YOU HAVE SUCH A GREAT VOICE!?!?!?!? WHY???? Your voice is wonderful by the way.... <3333 I'm gonna be listening to this a lot! ;)


    SnowGhost replied · Apr 12, 2019

    Wow you sound amazing XD
    Such a pretty voice!


    aether replied · Apr 12, 2019

    Haha uuh thanks ^^ I generally suck at recording myself in one take so it's good it turned out okay for peeps <3


    soundofmind replied · Apr 13, 2019

    HEY THIS SOUNDS REALLY GOOD AND I LOVE THIS A LOT AND I LOV U


    aether replied · Apr 14, 2019

    afdsgfhg SOUND <3 THANKS SO MUCH ILOVU2


  • aether Creator
    Adding this to the club from my wall because I happen to think it's pretty neat:
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  • Starve
    This would be better off as a separate post than a comment so

    I might be wrong but the thing being discussed in the post below is closely related to Existential therapy/psychotherapy which is "a style of therapy that places emphasis on the human condition as a whole. Existential psychotherapy uses a positive approach that applauds human capacities and aspirations while simultaneously acknowledging human limitations."

    In my experience, it helps especially with controlling your emotions, being clear headed but not apathetic, and seemingly finding answers to questions that'd stump a lot of people (basically providing ways to a good mental model )

    It is not always useful when you want to push ahead and go into productivity overdrive (since such methods are often unhealthy), and that deserves a separate post altogether (given how easy it is to procrastinate, it's needed lol). So it's not very useful for short term goals, but works well in the long term.

    Plus it is entirely possible to avoid spirituality and any theism (it does refer to those since it makes use of a loose collection of ideas from various philosophers), so it usually is more palatable for everyone. You read books/articles/excerpts and talk to people, and watch your own behaviours mostly.

    My favourite youtube channel on the subject and on philosophy and life in general, did a video on this. They research well and provide transcripts for videos, do check em out if you're interested.

    Existential Psychotherapy: Death, Freedom, Isolation, Meaninglessness - YouTube

    p.s. — It was this which made me give up eating sugar almost effortlessly, though I've had a sweet tooth since I was tiny.

    aether replied · Apr 11, 2019

    Existential psychotherapy is exactly how I would describe my general approach to my own wellbeing, and I'm glad you linked that info about it! (I subscribed to the youtube channel)


    Starve replied · Apr 11, 2019

    Great!


  • aether Creator
    So to kick things off I may as well share another Russel Brand video (no I do not only get my advice from him). This one's a bit of a dive off the deep end into some heavy and harder-hitting stuff... and it's a little embarrassing to share for that reason. In this video he talks about needing a spiritual or religious solution to feelings of shame, which leaves not-so-spiritual-people in a bit of a limbo, but the thing about beliefs is that they are malleable...

    Here's how I go about it (as someone who doesn't follow a religion or spirituality):
    Spoiler
    We do not see our reality as objective (exactly as it is) because all the information we get from outside of us is warped by the subjective/bias lens in which we see it. How we think and what we believe dictates our experience and quality of life. Here are two Buddha quotes:

    "The mind is everything. What you think you become."

    "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."

    There's a lot about religions and spiritualities that I absolutely love because of how they shape beliefs into something positive and well-intentioned for people. And that is 100% valid. The only truth we are aware of is the one we form in our own mind – it's inescapable. Luckily, that personal truth is made of thoughts and beliefs we have control over, that we can shape to benefit instead of sabotage ourselves.

    Practically speaking, you will likely have a better, easier experience of life if you believe that the universe is innately good and as it is meant to be than to believe it is apathetic and cruel. Your personal beliefs are the only truth out there, for all that matters (from a non-religious standpoint), so you may as well use them to view yourself and life more kindly. As Brand says in the video, if you believe that you are beautiful and as life intended – that life has made you as such – then you can forgive yourself, and be forgiven. If it is true for you, then it is true. Nothing can reach inside your mind and change that – only you can change the filter in which you see life.

    I'm aware that how I see this is not how others will see it, which is precisely my point: shape beliefs about yourself and existence that benefit you, whatever they are. But don't shape them stubbornly; be open to all that is out there all the time and thoughtfully gather what is true for you, and leave behind what is not. Do not be afraid to shift that truth in time if needed. If your truth is in God, or in a spiritual or religious path, go with that. If your truth is elsewhere, go with that. I guess the point I'm making is consciously monitor your beliefs and thoughts; do not let them control you in unnecessarily painful ways.


    Yikes that got very long. Anyways, here's the video:

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    Arcticus replied · Apr 11, 2019

    Spoiler
    I didn't know Russell made videos about stuff like this, I had only seen a few of his stand-ups and thought he was only a comedian, lol, but apparently I was wrong.

    But yep, you have no idea how much I agree with the importance of mindfulness in life, self-awareness, that is. And I agree that different people have different ways of making sense of that term, some look to a spiritual path or religion, while others don't. Personally, I would classify myself among the former. I try to meditate daily by praying five times a day (each session lasts about 5 to 10 minutes), although I'm not always able to stick to that, but I try my very best.

    I can tell from experience that that it allows me to step back and detach myself from the world for a while, and since the timing of these prayers is tied to some of the cardinal points of the day (dawn, noon, mid-day, dusk and night) I feel like I'm able to anchor myself more into the day so perfectly that it almost clicks.

    Btw, there's this video that I watched very recently about mindfulness in Islam, and it pretty much sums up my own personal approach to mindfulness on a daily basis. I don't know if any of you'll find it interesting but anyways.


    aether replied · Apr 11, 2019

    Spoiler
    Yeah, his life took a bit of a 180 from fame/drugs to mindfulness. He also has a podcast called Under The Skin which discusses all sorts of interesting stuff, not just wellbeing (also philosophy, psychology, sociology etc.)

    Thanks for replying. ^^ What disappoints me a little is that those who don't follow a religion or spirituality go without the ritual and structural aspects of mindfulness. There's something to be said for regularly setting conscious time and space for reflection. I try to do so but it isn't as strongly set as going to Church every Sunday or praying five times a day (which is awesome btw). I'm always open and eager to learn more about religious practices and how spiritual people live their lives. Overall I'm happy with my perspective of life, but I still need to work on finding my own mindfulness rituals in a society that doesn't naturally accommodate them outside of organised religions.

    (Veering off from that, in some ways I would say I am actually spiritual in the sense that I have great faith in existence/the universe/life. My personal 'religion' is a weaving of nature, philosophy, creativity, science, and anything else that resonates with me. It depends what you define as spiritual idk)

    I watched the video you linked and I completely agree with it. c: Separating yourself from impulsive reactions and unconscious habits etc. by being mindful is a real life-changer for sure. Lately I've been missing sitting in nature and just being present with it, because university demands a lot more of my time. But then I realise that living without time for mindfulness isn't really living for me, it's just existing, and I don't want my life to be swallowed up by a rush of anxious activity.


    Arcticus replied · Apr 11, 2019

    Spoiler
    In any case, I feel like taking some time out, and taking a step back from worldly affairs, detaching yourself, for a while, from the daily ups and downs of life is so important, and that's why I feel that mindfulness and self-awareness are key to being clear headed and cultivating humility, empathy for oneself and for others. Especially in this day and age when our minds undergo overkill 24x7. Ya feels?


    aether replied · Apr 11, 2019

    I totally feelz


    Arcticus replied · Apr 11, 2019

    You should've enspoilered dat, you broke the custom, Coffee!


    aether replied · Apr 11, 2019

    d:



The author of my life has some ambitious ideas for me to become a super villain
— FireEyes