TriteNTrue

@Lorcan https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/ I read most of the articles here and came up with my own routine based on this. I lost 15lbs and built 10lbs of muscle.

@OrpheusNovum Congratulations - that's a huge achievement. Weight training changed my physique and I recommend it over cardio. I exercise 3x a week for about 80 minutes each and while I was doing cardio for years (jogging outdoors, elliptical machines, bikes), my weight loss wasn't as dramatic as when I switched to weight training (3x/week about 80 minutes a session, full body workout each time). You build muscle, improve posture, physique etc. The key trio for improvement is : 1. Consistency - gym is a habit for me, non-negotiable. 3x a week. Also you MUST do progressive overload. Each week aim to do it just a bit heavier, faster, less rest etc. Pushing yourself a bit is where you gains come from. Track your measurements and weights (if you don't measure it, you can't improve it) 2. Diet - breakfast is a smoothie, I count calories, generally otherwise. Forget cheat days/meals. Built a habit of eating healthy or less than you're used to. Cut down alcohol, it dramatically slows your recovery and metabolism. 3. Sleep - get your good 6-7 hours a night. Otherwise your body doesn't have time to recuperate. When you slack, just get back up and continue where you left of. Don't give up!

@Alex I usually meditate in the morning after my gym workout, or right before breakfast on non-gym days. I find that after the gym, I'm super relaxed. And for about 3-4 hours after meditating, I'm super focused and purposeful, aware. Recently I also discovered that meditating on an empty stomach, right before breakfast, also gives me a weird clarity. I've been wondering whether fasting plays a role in this clarity (the 40 days and night theory of Jesus and Buddha) and I'm experimenting with it. Also I am at 20 minutes per session. It takes me about 15 minutes to really get to the point where I can settle down and begin to observe my thoughts. I did a 45 minute session about a month ago and felt sleepy around 30 minutes, though that quickly subsided. I also meditate in bed - it actually helps me fall asleep.

@Lynnel I'd recommend starting small - for example, break up your life into the various stages and take them one at a time, perhaps for shorter periods. It seems like a mammoth task introspecting and processing your whole life at once though YMMV. From experience, I tend to get overwhelmed when I set huge goals and I find that for me to feel really great about introspection I have to be willing to allow the process which can tend to run DEEP. Something small may take you somewhere unexpected and you need to give it room to breathe and manifest so you can process it well. Take your time, re-integration won't happen overnight. It's a process, enjoy the journey.

@EvilAngel How about bringing yourself a cup of tea and telling yourself a joke. You're already aware of the areas where you look externally for satisfaction. Now turn inwards and develop some self dependence. Who knows, you might be the funniest person you know if you tried to amuse yourself.

@EvilAngel If it's something in your 'control', then adjust it. I see the idea of resistance as something out of your control. For example, stomach cramps - you can resist them by ignoring them, but it'd serve you better to lean into it: eat, for example. If it persists, then lean into it again, the persistent reoccurrence means you need to pay attention to it. Also put on some socks.

@Ampresus You might be fatigued. I had a similar experience last year - I read about 10 self help books back to back in about 6 months, more than my usual pace. After the last book, I felt 'full', like "I get it". I needed to do the exercises and practice some of what I was reading. I had no desire to read anything else. I took about 6 months off and eventually the urge and excitement of reading returned. Perhaps, it's a sign you need to focus elsewhere for now.

@The Don I'd recommend note taking while you read. Then at the end of your day - summarize what you've read in a journal by writing it down. You can also use a voice recorder to record your summary. After a week or more - go back and study your notes and voice memo's. The time passed will give you some distance from the material you read. Ask yourself - if you weren't aware of the material, do you think you got your point across? Why not? Try to be analytical here - was your material rambling? Was there no proper structure? What specifically didn't YOU like about it? Also read articles - editorials on newspapers (NY times or economist, well thought out), blogs (on medium), study what you like about them? Is it the styles? Introductions? Storytelling? Write the points down - this'll help you figure out what your style is. Practice: writing and communication is a skill and the more you practice, the more you'll improve. Don't give up.

Are these things that you need to do? Perhaps you have a backlog of stuff (creative ideas, tasks, etc) that are welling up and need an outlet. If that's the case, then I'd recommend a small task list where you knock of one item a day. If it's stuff that's already passed, then turn that into an introspection exercise - how did you feel that choice went, for example? Great? Then commend yourself, you did a great job. "Could be better?" Break it down, what did you think you did 'wrong'. Think about the behavior, is it something you wanted to do? Were you aware when you made that choice? It seems you may not be at peace with some of those decisions - hence the need to rationalize. You need to analyze a bit more to see the patterns and bring them to your awareness.

@Azote Try some exercises on life purpose - Leo's might be a good start. You seem to be in the 'fuck it' stage so take that a step further and go out and try a lot of stuff - just for the fuck-sake of it. You don't have anything to lose and something might click for you. The bright side of this is at least you'll discover what you DON'T like, which means you can give less fucks about them. I was in a fuck-it stage last year, I'm still not completely out but my mindset shifted after I read "butterflies are free to fly". Now I look at life in sort of a game-y way. It's a bit more fun.

This sums up my feelings:

@OnceMore i use headspace - i find the videos and the guided portions very useful, especially in subtly understanding the why.

@Joseph Maynor we don't. but then i think - if there's no way to go back and find out otherwise, then perhaps this is the only way it is.

@rorghee Well done creating a habit out of meditation. In the beginning, I felt the same way - I had it scheduled on my phone and when I got the reminder, I'd meditate. I'm about 9 months in and it's quite a bit different experience now - I look forward to meditating. The difference: dropping expectations of expecting something to happen and instead look at it as personal chill time - you don't have to do anything. I also do it randomly during the day depending on how things shape up.

Seattle's pretty dope. I'd love to meet and hang.

@Leo Gura That'd be quite a wild experiment. Imagine if that happened in our society today. Everyone got a blank slate from everyone every time they expressed themselves, everyone was 'free' to weigh in. I'm new, I feel like a noob sometimes when I weigh in because I don't have reputation points. And I'm more likely to linger on someone's post with higher reputation points. I just enjoy a lively deep dive and expression into the topics, egos will be hurt in the process and that's an opportunity for introspection. I'd be for it as an experiment Perhaps in the future we could even have ego purge "periods" whenever the "threshold" hit.

@Joseph Maynor Can you share more about how you did this?

Be present and take action is the only analysis necessary

I had a very intense self inquiry session this morning. My first of it's kind. I followed this technique where become present and connect with my reflection in the mirror to try to connect with my deepest self, my true self. It was quite an intense form of meditation starting into my pupils, locking into them and becoming entranced for minutes at a time. I was able to sit with my resistance, went down some emotional paths I hadn't visited before. I laughed, I cried, and came away with some new revelations about self-love.

@Soulbass Illusions, reflections and perspectives..

@MM1988 I had a similar experience - when i started mediating, I did it for 3 months straight and then I suddenly stopped for about a month because I felt I was 'doing it wrong'. I picked it up again, after I started studying non-duality. Now something that's helping me these days is just having the intention to reeeeeeally be curious about what's going on in my mind, like a fun expedition to gain some insights. I haven't observed all thought without judgement yet (where it just floats by like a cloud I'm observing) but I'm more aware of how thoughts are like webs, sticky, interconnected, messy and I can detach from them during mediation. Intention.

@expeditus when you feel sad, you should come back to being mindful and try to sit through the feeling if possible. Our emotions and feelings are quite powerful in communicating things to us.

@Ayilton All aboard!!

@OnceMore What is an addiction? a loss of control over a substance? our resistance to the thought of it? I used to be addicted to porn - i didn't have a girlfriend for years so pornhub was my gf. i treated her well. Even while in relationships it'd continue. I'd have sex with my gf and when she left I'd rub one out. And I'd feel like shit every time even though i'd convinced myself jackin it was 'ok'. I'd be moralizing all my life growing up in the church. i had a huge realization a couple of months ago after understanding my sexual energy better and i stopped watching porn immediately. Though i still appreciate a good one every now and then. I try to stay present and enjoy sex more with my girl now