preventingdiabetes

@Leo Gura But Leo I get cravings to masturbate every night. I do it on average 6-7 times a week. This is way too much. Not only is it draining me, I’m spending a lot of time to masturbate. 30-80 minutes a day. That’s 3.5-9 hours a week. That’s quite a lot of time I could be putting towards more important pursuits.

@Preety_India I never masturbated for 14-15 years. All of a sudden after my first time masturbating I crave it. In those 14-15 years of not masturbating I never once had the craving or desire to masturbate. I didn’t even know it existed until my friends in school told me to try it, so that’s what I did. If I grew up in a more “innocent” environment I don’t think I’d have ever masturbated in my life.

@Preety_India That’s not true in my experience. I was previously addicted to video games and junk food and I’ve cut them out of my life completely. I don’t miss them either. It must be possible with masturbation too.

@Preety_India How do I stop it? I really need help with this. I have a feeling that something is “missing” when I don’t masturbate at the time I usually do, which is before bed. I think that’s al a withdrawal symptom. I really want to take control of my life.

@Preety_India What’s the difference between a mental addiction and a physical addiction? I think I am addicted. @BipolarGrowth How often do you masturbate? @Knowledge Hoarder Aren’t the point of those things literally to help you feel tired enough to sleep? No caffeine helps you get tired enough to sleep, less screen time helps you get tired enough to sleep. If you have caffeine or too much screen time, you probably won’t be tired enough to sleep.

@Nahm How? I am also wondering about this question. Usually I write via typing, but perhaps adding drawing would help more. I don’t know.

I recently got my licence and all I can think about is driving. It’s almost like a video game for me. It’s too fun driving a car. I never thought that I would literally be craving to drive. How do I stop this craving and addiction? Do I just keep on driving to get bored of it/exhaust it?

@happyhappy What does ride or die mean? How long could it take for this fad to fade away? I need to get back on track quick. I drove for like 3 hours today for no reason other than enjoyment. I didn’t even need to go anywhere. Will I eventually exhaust this craving over time?

@Kksd74628 But I literally crave it all day. It distracts me from other things, and it’s an issue because it also distracts me from doing things that bring me towards my goals. I drive my car on manual, and that makes it 10x more fun. The problem is that now I’m addicted to driving. It’s just like being addicted to video games, it’s all you think about.

I want to stick to my routine but I often go off track. I want to be consistent. How can I develop my work ethic? Are there any courses or books on how to master work ethic?

@Matthew85 @flume How can I find goals that are positively motivated? I can’t think of any. Or is it just limiting beliefs that don’t even let me consider them?

@Matthew85 I don't have any goals that inspire me. I just have goals that are negatively motivated. Like avoiding wage slavery. @Loving Radiance I thought the dreamboard was only for things that I want to achieve in my life. I never thought about including traits I desire on itI too. @Nahm had told me not to second-guess the wants/desires I have on my dreamboard. I still do it to this day in fear of wasting money when I could've better invested it elsewhere first. E.g. buying a car like a Tesla is a desire that I second-guess because it has low return on investment and its priority is tertiary relative to financial freedom (which is primary for me).

Thank you. Where is this concept from? Or is it your own idea?

The TV series I am interested in watching is 'Mr. Robot'. I think the reason why I am finding it interesting is because as someone who enjoys learning about privacy & security in our digital world, I like the whole 'hacking' theme of the series. I also think I can learn some things from it an be inspired. But I also realize that there is an opportunity cost to watching a 45-episode series (it is finished by the way). It would take around 35-38 hours to finish it, and as someone who has always thought that watching TV is a complete waste of time, it's a lot of time that could be used towards something else. I could finish a course in such a period of time, which I think is a much better investment of my time. But that still doesn't stop a part of me desiring to watch it. What should I do? Should I just watch it? Or forget about it, let it go, and focus on frying bigger fish? Also, please no spoilers

@universe Can you please elaborate on how going to university, going to retreats, and working on their business is a means to escape the work you have to do? I want to drop these intrusive thoughts but it's really hard. How do I just let them go?

@Consept Do you usually watch TV shows? Or is it more of a once in a while thing? @Snader Good news is that the worst-case scenario I had mentioned did not happen. But I have a different thing that is happening to me... I have paranoia now. You can look at the post above. @ZenSwift I have seen those videos before. I don't have a crystal clear vision of my Life Purpose though. I don't know how to answer that really. I don't think it would maximize the love of the universe for me to be watching a TV Show, but perhaps it can be linked to Love and my muse in that it inspires me. How can I distinguish between the two? How can I notice when it is one or the other? What are some signs to look out for?

I just finished watching the entire show. What a ride... I've never really been a TV watcher (despite literally everyone I know being one) because I always thought it was a complete waste of time. But this show... I don't think I'll ever see one like it again. It has inspired me to become more of a creator myself. The cinematography is so unique, it's what intrigued me the most. I also looked into Sam Esmail (the creator of the show) a bit, and it was inspiring to hear him talk about his motives for making the show. However, there's a negative effect I am experiencing after watching this show. I have lot's of anxiety in the form of overthinking and worry. In other words, my neuroticism increased tenfold. I think there were some scenes that triggered it for me, or maybe the suspenseful theme of the show, or a combination of both. Now I am feeling very anxious and tense all the time. A recurring thought I am experiencing is that there are people out to get me. I feel like I am constantly in the 'fight or flight' mode. I can't relax at all. It's like my mind has gone on overdrive and is trying to prepare for the worst case scenario for everything. I hope this will pass soon, and is just the result of me watching a TV show for the first time - a suspenseful one - half of every day for the past week. But I really need help on this.

@Epikur Are you suggesting that I just watch recaps of all 4 seasons? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of watching a series?

@Snader This is also what I was thinking. However, I think this part would actually be the best-case scenario for me. The worst-case scenario would be that, after finishing watching the show, my mind would start craving mental stimulation thinking 'What's next?' That's where there will be inertia if I want to have a productive lifestyle again. On the other hand, it could serve as a catalyst for my motivation. If I exhaust this desire to watch this show, watch it mindfully with observation, I may naturally want to move on to 'bigger' things. Otherwise it might just be nagging me. Plus it'll be a relatively new experience as I have never watched a full TV show before. I have fuzzy, airy-fairy ideas of what I want to be doing and the big picture things I want to be accomplishing, but I am in the process of solidifying them. I do not yet have concrete action steps, but I do have general action steps in mind to hone in on my vision more, which I am still in the process of doing. Not as motivated as I am to watch this show currently. See, that is what I am concerned about. Where to draw the line between escapism and simply desiring to do it? What type of questions could I ask myself to figure this out?

@mandyjwBut this is so difficult. It goes against my survival instincts that I've grown up with. How do we survive if we just drop thoughts that don't feel good to us? It probably doesn't feel good to simply drop the thought that if I don't figure out a way to pay my bills, I'll be homeless, or at enslaved to working 16 hours a day (not that I have ever been in that position). How do I simply just 'drop it'? I don't understand. I will try rereading this later and see if I can comprehend it. @Something Funny Did it inspire you in any way? If so, in what way? Why? Do you feel a rush of inspiration to create after that period of binging... or consuming? It's the holidays for me, so theoretically I could just sit and watch it all day. I don't know if I should.

@universe Have you watched it? I am interested in your thoughts on what I should do.

@mandyjw I really want to work through this stinginess and scarcity mindset. I think I got it from my parents. How can I stop being so stingy? How do I follow inspiration and sit with boredom or lack simultaneously? Is sitting with boredom and lack akin to a meditation practice like strong-determination sitting? Or was this a typo?

Maybe I should have worded it as my main concern rather than worry. Perhaps my mind is doing a lot of work here, @Carl-Richard how do I listen to my heart?

@Snader It is quite key for the relationship to be healthy. But I’m not sure if I can keep it that way. How can I prevent it from becoming an addiction? I’m afraid it’ll hijack my dopamine receptors and turn into a vacuum of passivity. That’s interesting. Did you face any resistance in simply deciding not to watch it? @Cykaaaa I’m not sure if I can really just watch one episode. I have a feeling it’ll turn into two, or even three. My main worry is whether it’ll affect my ability to sit still and meditate. As well as other focus-related activities that don’t produce as much dopamine as stimulating activities like watching a TV show.

Creator = Using creativity to create content, while enjoying the process of creation. E.g: Drawing, Graphics Design, Making YouTube videos, Filmmaking, etc. Consumer = Consuming content. E.g: Watching Netflix, playing video games, watching movies, entertainment, etc. Creators can imbue their life with meaning, and can make their craft a Life Purpose. Consumers on the other hand, probably won't feel like they have meaning in their lives if all they do is consume content. But does consuming content have any benefits at all? Can it spark inspiration? What's the ideal balance? Should most of our time be devoted to being a creator? Does being a creator make us feel more fulfilled than solely being a consumer?