Struggling with attention, motivation and energy? 🔀 Practical Neuroscience

[mmKay]

The goal here is to manually evolve your brain at a physical level to more "human" and less CHIMP by strategically avoiding some things while actively pursuing others.

You all have heard about Dopamine Detox challenges by now. The thing is that a lousy 1 month will not make that much permanent change in your brain. Your brain has to literally change at a physical level.

I know Leo doesn't believe in abstaining from Cornography or even fappin' , but everyone is different genetically. If you're more like me, hear this out and have a look at the website below.

I chronically struggle with ambition, motivation and focus. I've blamed it on genetics and heavy metal toxicity. But its obviously not the entire story.

Given my life circumstances, I have spent decades bombarding my brain by hyperstimulating it with Videogames, fast paced videos, hyper-palatable food,  cornography and social media. Even using a laptop or a smartphone are big dopamine providers, and so is searching the internet or using chatgpt. Infinite novelty at your fingertips .

All of this this deeply rewires the brain and specificaly your neural pathways. Your dopamine pathways and your reward system literally rewire. You become desensitised to dopamine and need unnaturally large ammounts of it to feel its effects. You become unable to engage with tasks that you know are good for you but are not stimulating enough. 

One prime example of decreased dopamine sensitivity is Porn Induced Erectile Dysfunction ("PIED"). 

This website is a gold mine on practical neuroscience and surprisingly insightful. 

https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/miscellaneous-resources/start-here-evolution-has-not-prepared-your-brain-for-todays-porn/

The good news is that neuroplasticity is a thing. You can rewire your brain again and unhook it from dopamine hyperstimulation, but it takes time . We are talking anywhere from 2 to 24+ or more months for decent results.

Only you can decide if this this change is something you need.

 

This list may sound cliché but it is what it is . THE GOAL IS TO REWIRE YOUR NEURAL PATHWAYS OVER TIME, not to rob your life of joy. Once you have succeded, you will get joy from a new set of activities and behaviors. More natural and healthy activities.

 

 

I find neuroscience super interesting. You can plow CHATGPT for hours about it .

Eliminate or minimize : multitasking, videogames, gambling, fast paced videos , watching content, scrolling  for deals, porn, softporn, fantasizing about sex, sugar and hyper-palatable food, checking social media ( yes this forum counts ). Smartphone  use . Fapping and edging also bathes your brain in chemicals for hours. You decide how far to take this. If you struggle with low libido, lack of intimate relationships and so on, I suggest that you give it a try.

An abstainance into binging cycle actually rewires your brain worse because the dopamine hits you harder. It is one of the main components of an addiction. Same with videogames, gambling or social media where the reward is random and not constant, or even worse, when the reward is skill depending but has an element of luck, and also provides social validation and a sense of pride.

Things you can do :

Take high quality Omega 3, Meditating for training focus, physical exercise, being in nature, socializing, hugging, having actual sex ( maybe hold off if you have PIED until your brain rewires), laughter with other people, taking cold showers, holding uncomfortable stretches and resisting discomfort, learning new languages and skills, pursuing self defined meaningful goals, cleaning your room, taking care of an animal or other people, getting inmersed in a single task at once. Cold approach and anything that builds your willpower is exactly what you want.

In simple terms, you can think of it as building yourself focus and willpower muscles while you weaken and atrophy your impulsivity brain muscles.

Again, sounds extremely cliché but I find it absolutely fundational. How do you do any of this work if you cant focus, dont have motivation nor energy?? 

Imo it's even more insidious than permanently living on junk food.

 

Purposefully limiting or abstaining from something as awesome as hilarious meme compilations, super entretaining video games , mind blowing cornography, your smartphone or social media DELIBERATELY is a very noble decision in my opinion. It's a very personal choice in the end. No one is forcing you to anything.

 

 

 

Edited February 17 by mmKay

[Princess Arabia]

Very informative post. Thank you for sharing. 

[Daniel123]

It may be foundational, but it is so easy to overlook. Thank you for posting this.

I am on a no porn and no videotainment (Youtube, Netflix...) challenge since about a month now and already my mental patterns are changing to a much less agitated mode of being.

There is a reason why many spiritual traditions value renunciation so highly.

Although in the past I struggled when I went too hard on myself and restricted too much. The ego-backlash was always very strong, so I think going slow and finding a good balance is key.

[Shawn Philips]

You need to investigate deeper about why some people have more dopanime levels naturally ando others struggle. Probably it goes on a similar way than serotonin. Everything affects it, maybe you have a mutation or failure in the gene that regulates dopamine, maybe a gut microbiome imbalance, maybe your diet...

Also high levels of dopamine can make you obsessive. Its a personal path to understand your own body and brain and fix it with diet and supplements.

Also the GABA/glutamate balance in the brain is very important.

Edited February 18 by Shawn Philips

[mmKay]

yes genetics play a huge factor but the point of this post is to focus on what you can control rather than throwing your hands in the air cursing at your genetics.

microbiome imbalance is huge as well and i hadn't mentioned it in the main post. I still remember when I had candida and binge eating disorder. I had physically written a message on the palms of my hands to stop myself from walking to the store to grab ice cream and I was helpless. The most I could do was to stop for a few seconds before I continued walking . I observed myself moving like a brainless zombie. the gut is known as a second brain for a reason.

When I dont take adecuate core 4 supplements I can clearly feel how I have less willpower, less focus, less motivation and i'm way worse at resisting temptations.

so yes, to the previous list add consuming a high quality probiotic like water kefir ( check out my previous posts about it ) and adequate supplements if you suspect heavy metal toxicity ( check out my heavy metal detox journal)

 

Edited February 19 by mmKay

[Butters]

I was doing great until these past few weeks my focus has become more scattered, more stupid thoughts. Thanks for sharing. 

[Hugo Oliveira]

I have no idea how to start progressing on it. I'm so deeply hooked on addictions like smoking and many times I can't even get out of bed. 

I feel no motivation at all. 

[mmKay]

@Hugo Oliveira If you want personal advice you would have to be very specific with your situation. 

The best would be for you to make a new post, tag me and put some effort to explain your situation so people that are in a similar situation to yours can gain some perspective as well.

 

Afer you've done that and it turns out its not enough you may PM me. I had gone through spirituallity induced depresion for a few years as well.

Edited February 19 by mmKay

[mmKay]

I just realized this is a part of the cure for ADHD and ADD. Heavy metal detox being the second part ( or first , depending on the case ) 

Of course you can't get your yourself to focus no matter how hard you try.

Because you have to absolutely minimize stimulation for months until your brain rewires, since you've  been bombarded with it for years and decades.

Otherwise all effort is useless and you feel helpless . And nowadays it's treated artificially by ingesting pills. It's ridiculous once you understand neuroplasticity.

The answer is so easy but not simple . I would love to see a research paper and properly made science experiment. 

Edited February 23 by mmKay

[mmKay]

Cool little exercise to practice a new skill

 

Edited February 23 by mmKay

[Insightful27]

On 2/16/2024 at 5:52 PM, mmKay said:

We are talking anywhere from 2 to 24+ or more months for decent results.

Where are you getting this statistic from? I like the effort you put into this post.