mixedmedia

* Do you think you can do more to reduce misery—general feelings of lethargy, stress, or unhappiness?
I often have feelings of lethargy and stress and occasional unhappiness, but I don't think of myself as miserable. I think the periods of disenchantment I go through are appropriate considering my outlook on the challenges of modern living and that outlook is not one that I desire to change. That said, I definitely could use more sleep and I am certain that better sleeping habits would counteract a lot of the mental and physical symptoms of daily stress that I feel.

* What are the greatest challenges for you?
I rarely fret about the past or the future. I think, like many people, I grapple with vague existential frustrations that are channeled through encounters with ignorance, irrational bureaucracy and bad drivers - to name just a few.

* What can you do to overcome them?
I mentioned the sleep and since I went back to school I have not been cooking as many meals and as a result am not eating as well as I should. I also rarely make time for yoga like I used to which I know has affected my mental and physical health overall. So if I corrected my lifestyle to allow for more sleep, better nutrition and regular yoga practice, it would help the way I feel tremendously. Yet, I would go through periods of 'the blues' just the same. And I think that's normal and to be expected. Maybe even desired...lots of interesting ideas and realizations have come out of those periods.

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Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce