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Baraka_Guru · 03-24-2009, 09:58 AM

I've been thinking of this recently because I've made some changes to my daily habits. This is coming out of hitting a low point on how I feel about myself both mentally and physically.

I've made some changes, and more are on the way. It's been about a month since the first changes, and I already feel much better than normal: my mood is better and I have more energy.

I think many of society's ills are somewhat related to this basic list on the poll. If more of us were to get our lives to balance in a more healthful way, there would be less discontent, arguing, and broken/dysfunctional families and relationships. I know my own family life growing up would have been far happier if more of these things were dealt with consciously.

But that's just it: we don't live in the present—we tend to ruminate about the past or fret about the future. Our present selves easily get into a rut and we do things that aren't good for us.

It doesn't have to be that way. But it isn't easy.

Do you think you can do more to reduce misery—general feelings of lethargy, stress, or unhappiness?
What are the greatest challenges for you?
What can you do to overcome them?

Edit: I answered "relationships" and "stress/spirituality." This is a reduced list, because as I mentioned, I've tackled other things recently, namely, diet, sleep, and exercise.

I need to spend more time on rewarding "spiritual" and stress-relieving activities. I spend too much of my free time playing video games when I could instead to something more rewarding with that excessive time (up to an hour a day, since I play games for 2 or 3 hours a day sometimes).

I also need to work harder to foster rewarding relationships. I don't spend enough time with friends, family, and, arguably, my SO. I've always been introverted, but not so much anymore. Most of my family lives 2.5 hours from me, but I rarely call them and only visit 2 or 3 times per year. I have cheap long distance...I need to use it. I feel so out of touch with them, and it's something I can easily fix if I were to put in the effort.

So...this is my focus to improve my life even more so.

03-24-2009, 09:58 AM	#1 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	Why do we feel so miserable? I've been thinking of this recently because I've made some changes to my daily habits. This is coming out of hitting a low point on how I feel about myself both mentally and physically. I've made some changes, and more are on the way. It's been about a month since the first changes, and I already feel much better than normal: my mood is better and I have more energy. I think many of society's ills are somewhat related to this basic list on the poll. If more of us were to get our lives to balance in a more healthful way, there would be less discontent, arguing, and broken/dysfunctional families and relationships. I know my own family life growing up would have been far happier if more of these things were dealt with consciously. But that's just it: we don't live in the present—we tend to ruminate about the past or fret about the future. Our present selves easily get into a rut and we do things that aren't good for us. It doesn't have to be that way. But it isn't easy. Do you think you can do more to reduce misery—general feelings of lethargy, stress, or unhappiness? What are the greatest challenges for you? What can you do to overcome them? Edit: I answered "relationships" and "stress/spirituality." This is a reduced list, because as I mentioned, I've tackled other things recently, namely, diet, sleep, and exercise. I need to spend more time on rewarding "spiritual" and stress-relieving activities. I spend too much of my free time playing video games when I could instead to something more rewarding with that excessive time (up to an hour a day, since I play games for 2 or 3 hours a day sometimes). I also need to work harder to foster rewarding relationships. I don't spend enough time with friends, family, and, arguably, my SO. I've always been introverted, but not so much anymore. Most of my family lives 2.5 hours from me, but I rarely call them and only visit 2 or 3 times per year. I have cheap long distance...I need to use it. I feel so out of touch with them, and it's something I can easily fix if I were to put in the effort. So...this is my focus to improve my life even more so. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 03-24-2009 at 10:06 AM..