ZenRising

You made me laugh out loud with that one... christ, I can't imagine trying to do game on psychedlics.... nevermind LSD.... jeeeezuss... I'm just getting back into it after a very long absence (long-term relationship), and it really feels like I'm starting from square one again... it takes time, but I know it works and I know it's worth it...

I thought you'd never ask... ... sorry...but that was funny!

For me, it's essential that my work is something I'm genuinely passionate about... it's just far too big a part of my life for me to be dedicating so much time to something that doesn't really enthuse me... Again, only speaking for myself, but self-discipline, while important, can only carry me so far... i can't force myself to work hard at something I don't love for any meaningful length of time... the energetic state of tension is just not sustainable... so self-discipline has it's uses, but only genuine passion can really fuel and drive me in a sustainable way...

haha... more of this please!

Ultimately all great empires fall, and history shows us that as they go into decline they tend to tear themselves apart from the inside... their people become anxious and fearful and cracks and divides emerge... I don't know if this is the case of the US, but it certainly looks like it...

I agree with micafofa here... what you describe sounds a lot more like avoidant personality disorder than narcissism... the journey is indeed just starting... seeing a therapist will be important.... SLAA also offers good support for avoidant issues - might be woth checking out? https://www.slaauk.org/is-slaa-for-me/anorexia-sexual-social-and-emotional/

Bingo. How do I benefit by carrying around anger and resentment? I don't... it just poisons me.

Sounds right to me.... that said, it is very problematic to make orgasm the entire focus and objective of sex within a couple... Making it ok that you or your partner don't have to orgasm ever time opens the door to a lot more relaxed fun and exploration, in my experience at least...

I'm not a musician, but 'Mosh For God' may be the best name for a band I've every heard!

It sounds like this is a psychological issue, and that 1 & 2 are probably linked.... fearful thoughts and hyperalertness surely go together... have you though about getting some help to explore why you have these troubling thought patterns?

Me too.... it's not that looks are irrelevant - making the best of 'what you've got' is always good advice... and the converse is also true, I know a couple of guys who are considered to be 'gorgeous' by our female friends, but they lack confidence and charm, and as a result they live their lives in friendzone hell...

Agreed.... as Gandhi observed it is only experience that changes the will... theoretical learning is usefull but it cannot bring transformation... we have to act in the real world and take real risks to build personal empowerment...

The loneliness epidemic owes a lot to three decades of neoliberalism that has atomised people all over the planet and relentlessly promoted this agenda that we're all just individual consumers and nothing more, and that life satisfaction must primarily be drawn from accumulating wealth rather than through human connectedness.... Thatcher and Reagan sowed the seeds of the loneliness epidemic back in the 80s, and now we're reaping their bitter harvest...

I pray I get to be right there with you!

These are obviously not comparable metrics... maybe try comparing the US with other industrialised liberal democracies?