Judy2

i have to study a lot for exams this summer, and find that i am very happy listening to NotebookLM-generated podcasts - and very reluctant to sit down to read the scripts, let alone the long chapters with lots of details. the only problem is that NotebookLM can only generate short podcasts that help with overall understanding, but they do not include every little detail that i need to learn by heart, even if i explicitly ask the AI to include them. can you recommend any other free AI tools that can generate study podcasts with more details? can you recommend free tools to turn entire pdf.s into audiobooks? as far as i know, you'd have to pay extra for all of these? bonus question: is it wrong that i am more of an auditory learner, or would you recommend i force myself onto the visual path and get used to reading more? when i listen to study-related materials, i do like to write important things down on my own time - but i find it really cumbersome to read what other people wrote, if that makes sense. it's really odd that there is such a huge discrepancy because listening to the podcasts feels almost like a hobby, whereas if i have to sit down and read about the exact same contents, i start procrastinating.

i moved to a new city in April and have been having some sleep issues since then. in the beginning, this looked like waking up a couple of times a night and struggling to fall back asleep. this past week, i've noticed the following pattern: i'm very busy throughout the day, typically don't have the time for an afternoon nap, but sometimes in the evenings i can't wait any longer and go to bed at 7 or 8, sleep for two hours, wake up ....then obviously can't go back to sleep until later at night. in the mornings it is similar: i wake up at 5 or 6, can't sleep anymore, get up to do things....then feel tired and go back to sleep for another hour or two. i guess the cortisol response is also quite striking every time i do wake up 'prematurely', so even if i am sleepy at 5 am i sort of force myself to get up quickly and do stuff because i am kind of stressed out. stress management is something i have been struggling with for a long time and i can't ever seem to resolve that the sleep problems are only enhancing the stress i am experiencing atm and it's a bit of a vicious cycle. sometimes it is impacting how much energy i have to exercise or take care of myself in general, which just isn't ideal. what can i do to fix this? when i last moved to a new city, i had the exact same problem with the insomnia. i am getting enough hydration, protein, vitamins, magnesium, etc. should i just force myself to stop napping and that'll even things out eventually?

for example my forum journal. it's been criticised before and i am very aware that i am a bit self-centred in it, although i'm not sure how that's not a more or less essential part of journalling. it feels cathartic to me to put my emotions into words and helpful to share sometimes, but i wonder all the time what others think and if this is wrong or something. to me, journalling/writing unites my passion for emotional reflection/introspection and languages and i've been doing it for a long time even just for myself. sometimes the additional element of sharing what i write feels nice because it's like some of the thoughts and emotions going on in the mind, i do find interesting or fascinating, after all, and then it's more fun to express that and carry that out into the world. does that make sense? is this wrong? i think since it feels so natural to me, it's okay that this is a part of my life, but maybe i should practice this in healthier or more deliberate ways? though i am not sure what that would look like, either.

okay, thank you for explaining...i will try my best.

yes, somehow naps increase the likelihood of having vivid dreams and sleep paralysis....

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@No1Here2c do you recommend a specific technique? last time i tried to meditate, i just set a timer on my phone and waited.

...how to handle the burden of making life choices all the time without being too self-centred? these past few weeks, i have noticed just how selfish and self-centred i am, and i don't like it. i don't mean that i make inherently selfish decisions per se, but the mere act of needing to overthink life plans feels a) exhausting and b) like it inevitably requires great deals of selfishness or at the very least, self-centredness. how can i handle this burden that is my inevitable, inescapable existence as a person, right here, who wakes up again and again, every morning, and feels so limited, feels constant discomfort, constant pressure because nothing is ever enough to make me feel special or whole? i notice this pattern and how i project my incompleteness onto everything and everyone, and yet, i can't stop. i hate being so self-centred but i don't see any alternative, given that there is always stuff i need to "figure out" to try to finally make things okay in my life.

i feel sad and lonely. i don't understand all the stress i feel, or how to make it stop. i want someone to hold me and love me and listen to me. with all the stress, i haven't even been paying attention to how i've been avoiding authentic human interaction. it wasn't even a priority. the only priority was dealing with the stress and figuring out what to do so i can be okay. i don't know what to do. i don't know why i feel sad, of all things.

@gettoefl yes, usually my body works like this, too. it doesn't distinguish between weekdays and weekends - once there's a rhythm, my system just sticks with it every day.

but i could still be useful to know which neuroreceptors are involved, relatively speaking:)

that's one of my favourites:)

yes...i mean, that's easier said than done. have you done it? permanently, i mean, not just by taking some lsd. i switched from watching videos to listening to audiobooks because i feel like that's a little less 'invasive' when it comes to having something to soothe me to sleep.

it's so annoying to constantly try and figure out what to do next to make this moment okay... do i need better skin care? a thai massage? laser hair removal? a ninja creami? do i need to exercise more and that's really it? read more fiction? get audible to listen to audiobooks that help me relax? do i need to look different, have different clothes, get better at doing my make-up? do i need to travel more? do i need to draw up a schedule to check off every time i meditate? do i need to learn five languages to be able to feel worthy? do i need to be more disciplined writing down my dreams every morning, feeling and appreciating the depth of them? do i need to get pedicures more often to feel like i am taking care of myself? do i need trauma therapy and that'll resolve everything? do i need to feel my emotions more and just 'be more conscious'? do i need a nicer apartment with prettier furniture? do i need the piano that's currlently not at my place but at my grandma's, so that i can finally relax? ....it's so pointless, but i can't stop and don't know what the alternative is.

i love that:) thank you for reminding me!

@Ziran thank you:) i guess what's missing is a sense of belonging or being at home. which is a bit paradoxical to achieve when things are constantly moving and developing, and yet, i'd probably complain about being bored if they were too static and there was nothing left to work toward. it's just hard to balance those two.

in the mental health section someone alluded to it when i replied to their post about how therapy should be done exclusively by AI. and somewhere else someone got upset about my character, too.

thank you for explaining. i think i'll have to re-read this a couple of times before i understand. i definitely recognise this tension of wanting things to change or stay the same all day.

yes, i know....i've heard and thought this about a million times, but i still can't stop cause i don't even know what the alternative would look like.

maybe i just need to do more of the things that make me forget myself? but idk if that approach is fool-proof.

noted:)

i thought about this recently. maybe the constant rebirthing is also something you are doing again and again in this life, and to stop doing it would mean to stop (over)identifying with/ getting overly attached to things/identities even just within the scope of this lifetime.

context?