Resistince

[Max8]

how to overcome resistance?
e.g:
that drama you probably experience when you have to force yourself to do things that are necessary but you don't feel like doing them and instead, you start procrastinating and feel negative emotions and tension towards doing those tasks. 
everyone probably experienced this it's very common but very few people talk about this yet it's so essential to do accomplish any work.
I know Leo has an old video on this but I didn't like the method hopefully there is an alternative way to overcome this phenomenon. 

[Flowerfaeiry]

There are many different ways to help you overcome resistance.

push through using your will

do nothing at all

give in to the resistance

Try a wide range of things. Do some research on resistance and become determined to figure it out even if it is a slow process! 

[undeather]

13 hours ago, Max8 said:

how to overcome resistance?
e.g:
that drama you probably experience when you have to force yourself to do things that are necessary but you don't feel like doing them and instead, you start procrastinating and feel negative emotions and tension towards doing those tasks. 
everyone probably experienced this it's very common but very few people talk about this yet it's so essential to do accomplish any work.
I know Leo has an old video on this but I didn't like the method hopefully there is an alternative way to overcome this phenomenon. 

Ahh this is one of my favorite topics because I really struggled with resistance in my life.
No easy solutions, but this is what helped me:

1. Accept resistance as part of life
The earlier you can fully accept that resistance will be a lifelong companion, the easier it will be to surrender and finally overcome it. You will encounter this quality for the rest of your life - the fake notion of achieving your dreams in this effortless/day-dreamy way is paradoxically increasing your resistance to actually doing the work. Let go of any negative connotation towards resistance, just be with it from time to time. Experience the rawness of it. Fully embrace it - and then do the work. This is a skill and you will get better at it. After a time you will recognize changes in your perception....

2. Learn how resistance works
Remember that day where you woke up and there was almost no resistance at all? You could just do your chores and it didnt feel difficult at all. Why is it that way? Get drunk and look what happens to your resistance level the next day. Try the sattvic diet (google it) for some weeks and notice any qualitative difference. What makes it worse, what makes it better? What can you do psychologically (i.e reframes etc.) to lessen or increase the realtive strength of resistance? How does sleep affect it? How do your anxieties play into it? Are you moving goalposts too fast? Are you not managing your expecations? What I want to say with all that is: There is an underlying mechanism you can start to understand - and if you align your life with that mechanism, great things will happen. 

3. Learn how your mind works 
Each and every one of us has a highly individual cognitive fingerprint that will make certain pathways easier or more difficult to assess than others. The Yogis and most of the eastern traditions have been talking about this for thousands of years. My favorite concept to illustrate this is the dosha system in ayurveda. The incredible thing is that we can now scientifically confirm this through studying different genotypes and correlating them to those archetypes. It kinda adds up which is amazing. I wont go into detail here, but you should definitely look into this if you want to understand yourself on a higher level. Become curious about yourself. Go into yourself and try to find the truth. 

4. Willpower is bullshit
Never think about willpower again. There is this narrative in the self help industry that you have a certain amount of willpower a day that will drain over time and after each decision. This concept can be highly limiting as it was to me. The studies they are based on are also bullshit science and remain non-reproducible. When it comes to mind stuff, follow your own expereince first and foremost. Learning how your mind and resistance works will completely shatter your perspective on willpower. 

5. Reframe/Flow/Try not to try
You have to cultivate the finesse of getting into the right relationship with yourself (attitudinal & sensibility), so there is a real possibility that a state like "flow" can emerge from it. Its a bit like psychological aikido - you can actually use the "energy" of your resistance, that felt quality of not wanting to do stuff, to actually bring yourself to act. You cant force it though. You must not try. If you try, resistance will usually win. Thats the paradox. Its really difficult to explain because its something you experience on a very abstract level. Its amazin though. This is in my opinion the jedi-level of beating resistance. 

Edited September 25, 2021 by undeather

[Max8]

1 hour ago, undeather said:

thank you and I appreciate your advice.

"4. Willpower is bullshit
Never think about willpower again."

 I disagree with your point on willpower 
from my experience will power is a like muscle the more you stretch it the stronger it gets and it is extremely effective once it trained.
 

 

[undeather]

Quote

 I disagree with your point on willpower 
from my experience will power is a like muscle the more you stretch it the stronger it gets and it is extremely effective once it trained.

Thats perfectly fine. I have been there and I get you - just be open to the possibility that this is a highly partial perspective. 
Once you really understand the dynamics of your mind, you will recognize that the concept of willpower is highly restraining. You dont get rid of it, you transcend it. Almost everyone I know struggles with resistance and only very few can pull themselves out of it through sheer power of will. There is a reason why you ask for this advice and its propably not because your life feels effortless...

Speaking from a ayurvedic perspective, if you have a vata-mind in a pitta-society - life will be rough without proper guidance. 

Edited September 25, 2021 by undeather

[Flowerfaeiry]

There is a place for will. You have to feel it out to know when you need to use it and when to use other methods. 

[hamedsf]

look, you might feel not to do things because your passion is not there, this is the one that shouldn't do at all.

but sometimes you have passion in something but you feel lazy and suffer when you do it. in this case, you should be able to push through your limits to get that shit done. 

 

[mandyjw]

The resistance is never to the activity but to the thought about it. See and drop the resistant thoughts. 

Note that "resistant thought" is a hilarious term I can sneak into my post that you likely won't think twice about. A thought cannot resist. We can entertain thoughts that don't match how we want to feel though. Go straight for the feeling. Drop the thoughts that don't feel good. 

Aligning with the feeling of the actual desire, which is not any different from the sought fulfillment of the activity or the desired results from the activity, becomes the inspiration that blows the motivation we thought we needed out of the water.

[Nahm]

On 9/24/2021 at 8:20 PM, Max8 said:

you have to force yourself to do things that are necessary

You can’t force yourself because there isn’t a you and a yourself, and there is very literally nothing you need to do. 

[Max8]

2 hours ago, mandyjw said:

The resistance is never to the activity but to the thought about it.

well said.  

[TompsterLobster]

On 9/26/2021 at 9:33 AM, Nahm said:

You can’t force yourself because there isn’t a you and a yourself, and there is very literally nothing you need to do. 

You must be on government assistance. 

[TompsterLobster]

On 9/25/2021 at 10:06 AM, undeather said:

5. Reframe/Flow/Try not to try
You have to cultivate the finesse of getting into the right relationship with yourself (attitudinal & sensibility), so there is a real possibility that a state like "flow" can emerge from it. Its a bit like psychological aikido - you can actually use the "energy" of your resistance, that felt quality of not wanting to do stuff, to actually bring yourself to act. You cant force it though. You must not try. If you try, resistance will usually win. Thats the paradox. Its really difficult to explain because its something you experience on a very abstract level. Its amazin though. This is in my opinion the jedi-level of beating resistance. 

I love the idea of this. Would you mind going a bit more into detail?

[Nahm]

12 hours ago, TompsterLobster said:

You must be on government assistance. 

 There isn’t that you either. Would feel quite resistant to believe there was.