Sugarcoat

Yes I think it’s best when meds are not relied on but used in conjunction with natural inner work. Then when you feel okay enough naturally the possibility of tapering off the meds is reasonable to consider

Cool thanks. I’ve been contemplating calling the doctors and asking if I can taper it down, and instead of taking the meds every day I’ll have them as a kind of “when needed” meds like some people do. But I just have this feeling the doctors are gonna say “you need to give it more time first” “you shouldn’t stop meds now that you feel better” (but I feel better mostly because of natural change)

I would taper them down any day but you need doctors approval first.

From my experience, the meds have only provided a kind of sedative effect to a certain degree. Which can be nice but I’ve improved my stress management and lowered my stress naturally so I don’t feel I need them anymore. So I’m like you in that regard I wanna be natural , but I forgot how it feels to be natural

You provided me with a laugh at least 🤣 You don’t take any meds at all?

This might be factor to you missing out. Because some girls might not be the ones to take initiative (even if you know each other). Or they just aren’t interested ~as of yet~ but would be open/ they could see your potential if you initiated something. Doesn’t have to be explicit , could be just some flirting and teasing. You could try it and if you notice it’s an exclusively, very clearly, “friendly” response from her then you could tone it down. Also trying to build a deeper connection, even if it’s just in friendly manner to begin with. Some friendships are more shallow then others, so by bringing the friendship deeper/stronger it could be stepping stone to something romantic. And how to do that id say it’s about getting in touch with your unique authenticity, because you’re more interesting when you’re yourself (if you’ve developed yourself to some degree). Also “owning” your interest in her (could be expressed platonically to begin with), so she can feel you like her and vibe with her deeper and that she isn’t just another shallow friend that you talk about university to. Just some thoughts. I’m not the most social myself so it’s hard for me too

I am in a somewhat similar boat. I’m very busy with uni and sometimes I don’t feel I have time to go to the store, look for ingredients, to then make these vegetarian meals that I’m striving to eat. So I end up just eating whatever is at home (omnivorous) I think, eating decently healthy should be priority no matter what, it’s easy to make something like rice and chicken. But I think it’s okay to focus currently on what is most important to you, and then when you’ve got that sorted down. When you feel like you have enough time and are efficient enough: then you can go ahead and work on your second most top priorities : in this case a certain desirable diet. That’s my mindset at least.

Do you ask them out or initiate something romantic, flirt etc?

Yea right. I can kinda relate to this. I can have this underlying attitude of feeling like I have to entertain the person (can be a potential friend), not bore them, seem interesting to them, in order to build a connection. But then I catch myself and I think to myself “I like this person, I’ll allow that to be the basis of this connection, simply expressing my liking for them”. I don’t have to fill in all the gaps with talking, silence is okay, it doesn’t mean the convo is dead, it’s just a part of my current character to be a bit silent sometimes. Entering a flow state helps me socially, sometimes when I have just met someone I might feel a subtle sense of “having to force the convo” to keep it going, but then if I manage to enter a flow state , the convo flows and I feel in touch with that part of me that likes them and is simply expressing myself and the liking for them. Because you don’t wanna sacrifice authenticity in trying so hard to win someone over

I can feel this sometimes How no matter what ideas my mind comes up with, it doesn’t quite “hit the spot” Sometimes it can almost feel like I don’t understand anything at all! Like no matter what my brain says, it doesn’t quite grapple anything exactly Non dual folks speak about how the nature of reality cannot be explained or grasped Im not in a “non dual” state right now, but I feel this facet of reality could be ~felt~ somehow even in every day life Like there’s something in this experience of reality that is too direct, too raw and pure, like pure existence - to be explained in words. And it’s just everyday life, doesn’t have to be non dual Ah

😂

Yes it’s wise to use your mind for what you find most important , in this case truth, instead of just being in monkey mind mode all the time.

I think shit testing is a subconscious thing , almost manipulation in some cases, where you’re trying to gather information about someone to asses them more accurately, especially if you’re having suspicions or if you have negative experiences in the past so you wanna be on the safe side. You might not wanna expose this to the other person so to not ruin the mood, so you do it in sneaky indirect way instead. I’m a woman and I’m not sure if I do shit testing, if I think about it, maybe if I’m unsure about a guy I might make jokes to him about him having “side chicks” , about him “only wanting one thing” or something of that sort, and the response could give me a clue. But if you like a person, and the vibe is well, you aren’t doing it with the intent to expose something bad in them, because you get the vibe they’re good, but you can’t always know that for sure so you might try to feel more sure by doing these “shit tests”. If I’m understanding you correctly Maybe I sound like a massive party pooper or something hahahahaah

Yea exactly I was actually thinking about that too, how we can’t assume what we perceive is the actual nature of reality, which probably many assume (like thinking they see things as they are and not being “filtered “ through the mind). So we can’t assume our experience as an absolute truth

The real wondering is important so you don’t get stuck in a mental idea and defend it at all costs but instead you’re genuinely interested in what’s the truth so you’re ready to reevaluate your ideas when experience doesn’t support them

I guess you mean asking questions that connect directly to one’s experience

I guess the person by default deals with things in dualistic manner, forming ideas about things, relating to them like objects of desire or not. But to get to the core of something means not doing that, so it’s in conflict with the normal way a human operates, and it’s not always easy to give up that normal mode of operation, that’s why non duality is turned into ideas for folks. Self honesty is important to see this, and it can be useful to start where you are by asking questions as you say

It’s like with science

I don’t seem to get the non separate part

I don’t really find it frustrating tho as I don’t really seek mental understanding

I have been considering wether to take notes using my computer or to write by hand By hand: Pros: You can write uncommon signs/symbols (for example in chemistry) that can be hard to know how to write on computer. Draw arrows between sentences, add color etc. Apparently it helps memorization when you have to physically write something If you wanna use your computer, you’ll have less tabs that you have to switch between and move around , because you have your notes separate from the computer. Cons: Takes longer. Messier. Not as pretty. Harder to edit. Computer: Pros: Faster to write, faster to edit. Cleaner. You have everything in one place so it’s less stuff to keep track off Cons: Hard to write certain odd symbols unless you have a lot of technical skill. Maybe not as good in making you remember as when you write by hand • Other thoughts about notetaking: Sometimes it’s hard to know what to write. Today I mostly wrote down key words/points, but the thing is, key words are already present in the PowerPoint that the lecturer shows (that is accessible to students later too). So it feels unnecessary to only write key phrases. The best thing would be to write down things that are NOT present in PowerPoint, but that the lecturer says. But if you do only that; you will have notes that are just a bunch of random facts without context, so it might be hard to understand. So it’s like you must write the key phrases first to create context. But it’s hard because if you write too much you can’t keep up with what’s being said So you have to pick and choose wisely hmmmm… Does anyone have smart tips on note taking? What do you think is best method? Personally I think when one studies alone outside of lectures it can be good to write notes on paper to practice memorizing (because then you have a lot of time to write) but when you’re listening to a lecture you wanna be quick so it’s better on computer.

You can eat what you want , just in the right portions and be skinny like most models

I am not claiming the existence of physical matter. I don’t know if there is actual physical matter, because all I have access to is my direct experience. But I am speaking of forms and appearances, that’s what I call all these things that arise in my experience. And it seems to us that these forms behave a certain way. I have mentioned it before in this forum, but you’ve probably noticed that every time you drop something, it will land on the floor. Simple example. That is a particular behavior of the form/appearance. Doesn’t mean that it HAS to be that way always, maybe it’s possible for forms to appear differently. But in this particular aspect of reality that is our experience, the forms behave that way. So you could draw conclusion that by studying the form that is the brain, we notice it connects to the formation of our present experience, perhaps makes it possible for us. It’s not anti spirituality, why would the form be excluded from spirituality? Why would the brain be excluded from the spiritual? Studying form is studying your direct experience, which is all you’ve got in this life. Self consciousness/conscious experience is special and unique but it doesn’t mean it’s not connected to form

Deep question. I think it’s becuase there’s so many forms: and there’s a more than zero chance that the form of a body exists. So in all of eternity and infinity, a body will appear. And it’s that particular form which can create self consciousness, it arises from it, and it’s only self consciousness that can ask the question “why do I exist”, so it thinks it’s special, but it’s just a more than zero chance. And since we have infinity, more than zero means infinite bodies….so it’s not special 🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️

I find the more insecure and fearful you are, the more hostile you perceive people and the world to be.