LunaSaint wrote of his lethargy, lack of inspiration and consequent depression and anxiety.
I suggested that a fix to it is to write a list of things he knows he needs to achieve and attempt to pursue things on his list.
Fulfilling our desires is satisfying and will bring feelings of self-empowerment.
The thing about writing a list is that although the things can be of any magnitude, they are all innate desires and we KNOW for a fact that achieving them will give us feelings of accomplishment. It is a definite and unwavering fact.
We can unquestionably fight against our depression & anxiety by ticking off things on this list. There is no confusion or hopelessness to be had with regards to our list. It is a case of "if I do these things, I will have feelings of satisfaction, accomplishment and ultimately feel a greater sense of self-empowerment".
So here is my list for today. It is a little bit messy and broken into 2 lists, but it is good enough for today.
I urge you all to write your own lists here in this blog or in your own.
THINGS I NEED TO CHANGE
1. try to get through the 7-day nofap barrier (failed that today) 2. dont play dota or any games or watch stuff (failed that today) 3. 10pm cutoff time, push the off button and thats that (can still do that today) 4. get up immediately, and if in doubt go to the gym immediately (failed that today) 5. college work (failed that today) 6. quit smoking (failed that today) 7. eat better (failed that today) 8. stretch (can do that today!!!!)
THINGS I NEED TO DO
1. rally myself to quit smoking yet again (why cant i do that tomorrow???!) 2. rally myself to resume nofap (for massively increased energy - can do that tomorrow) 3. plan/organise my diet anew (can do that tomorrow) 4. gym tomorrow (fine so long as i sleep & eat during the day) 5. make sandwiches for tomorrow (can do that now!!) 6. stretch (dont fucking forget) 7. go to bed at 10pm 8. take my nicotine free cigs to college tomorrow 9. go to the gym tomorrow (which means sleep well tonight) 10. dont fap tonight (not a prob) 11. put money into my other account & buy wedding gift 12. do college work/assignment
i love stretching after a tiring workout. the workout is like letting out all my stress and tension, and after ive gotten it all out of me, the stretching lets me relax and cool down. of course, the main reason i do it is to improve mobility, but the calming effect of stretching while deep breathing is so nice.
I'm not sure how much a do to list would help someone who is depressed. It's probably different for everyone. For me I don't feel much better when I cross stuff off on it, but I feel horrible when I know I didn't do everything on it. It ends up being a lose lose situation sometimes. It's tough to do quick fix stuff for depression, but making a list of things you're thankful for has been shown to work. Exercise and eating well are two other things that should help, but I'm not really aware of any studies that show how much they help for severely depressed people.
I think it's good to start with baby steps. Making small routines like waking up no later than the 3rd or 4th buzz that you hear on your alarm. Fitting in a small 2 min. workout when you wake up. Hell, even personal hygiene routines will help. Anything that gets you slowly building towards bigger things like workouts on M/W/F or fixing your diet. 99% of the time people defeat themselves when by making goals too big/letting it crush them when they fail.
Here is mine that I would like to work on: Focus on my weakest subject for a minimum of 30min. - 1hr. every day. Try to fit in AT LEAST 1 exhausting workout a week. Don't hit the snooze and just wake the fuck up because you (I) know damn well you set that alarm at that time for a reason. Don't indulge until you know in your heart and mind you fucking deserve it (games, girlfriend, internets, laziness)
.. yeah, got tons more, but I think I'll limit it to that for now.
yyeah, i mean i even used to struggle madly with things like shaving, because of painful skin problem and "whats the point im so fucking ugly anyway and no1s gonna see me or care, it can just wait another day, i HATe it"
i have some cream im supposed to be using on my foot....leg....face.... (-_-) and am forgetting/not bothering to do that, so thats another thing i could add. also brushing of the teeth takes a background. and eating/organising a breakfast. those are all tiny minute things that can go on a list that might be accomplishments for someone though not for others. they do have a real impact nomatter how trivial they seem, by that i mean they are vital things
drink more water, thats a good one for many people, one easyy to forget but again vital
When i was at school i was overweight, Chubby cheeks, fat ass and hangover belly. I started working out cause i was fed up. I didn't do cardio i hated it, so continued just doing weight. Chest press bicep curls, shoulder etc.
Then started loosing weight to a point where i had a two pack, then i continued to get bigger for the prospect of getting a Girlfriend, at this point never had one nor had the confidence to ask.
Btw WORKING OUT BUILDS CONFIDENCE. It was one thing that gave me such a boost in confidence.
Then i go a girlfriend, then reason for working out changed. The change in my body was amazing and felt soo good.
But what led it to be even better was the reason i worked out was if you go for a heavy session you obviously see your muscles tensed but dont intentionally do it, so after a workout you see all the muscles. It felt like you improved then wanted to carry on because before your workout body wasn't tense then after was such a difference, it gave me motivation.
Now 3 months playing games no excercise, i've added a bit of fat on. It will be easy to lost. I've got a gym membership but not like before the gym isnt a 1min walk away. I can't get the motivation i need. A little struggle but do believe will get it from somewhere soon.
EPT
