The "Life" Thread

Preface.

 

This post contains personal, potentially-embarassing information; those who would wish me harm are welcome to use it against me)

 

I wanted to make a thread about things that are useful, crucial, or detrimental to being alive. A sort-of think tank where we post sincere thoughts about how to make life as good as it could possibly get, given our limited time walking this earth.

 

1.

 

In my (limited, yet ongoing) study of recent psychology literature, one certain finding seems, lately, to appear everywhere:

 

1) psychological grit is the most effective trait for accomplishing goals, (whatever your goals might be)

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grit_(personality_trait)

 

(I sort-of see "grit" as a combination of obsession and resilience)

 

2.

 

Robert Sapolsky said that depression is the worst disease a human being can have. (Worse than cancer, even, as one cannot even find any joy, pleasure, or meaning in life.)

 

When I was 19 I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder (type 2, iirc). I have a few friends who suffer (intermittently) with depression, and I know that depression plagues a few members of this community.

 

Recently I've been checking out the current state of depression research, and frankly I was shocked at what I found.

 

(Up until recently, the prevailing theory explaining depression was "the seratonin model": essentially, the idea was that depression is caused by insuffient levels of seratonin [or seratonin signaling]. The problem was that this model [much like the "dopamine model" of schizophrenia] had many holes.)

 

More and more it's looking like depression is a condition of arrested neuroplasticity caused by excessive amounts of glucocorticoids in the brain. In a nutshell, high levels of stress :

a) stunt neurogenesis (the growth of new neurons)

b) shrink the hippocampus (memory), hypothalamus (eating, drinking, sexual behavior)

and certain areas of the prefrontal cortex, and

c) drastically enlarge the amygdala (the fear and anxiety).

 

The cure to depression appears to be

a) avoiding (or managing) stress

b) doing things that promote neurogenesis

 

As a crude little heuristic, one might phrase it as something like "Have new experiences, break all your patterns, and remove as much stress from your life as possible."

 

(This all dovetails very nicely with my pre-existing interests in zen, psychadelics, and learning)

 

3.

 

Sincerity is a rare, and very important.

 

--

 

(It's very late, so I'll stop there for the moment and continue this post tomorrow...cheers, my friends)

I completely agree.

mods, please merge with FWP.

I read about some research tying depression to an inflammatory disease like Crohns Disease (IBD). The researcher made some interesting remarks about the symptoms of depression resembling the symptoms of being physically sick. I think what was implied was that for some (or many?) people depression could be a symptom of an undiagnosed bowel disease. Also interesting to think of depression as not the problem itself, but as a response to some other (physical and/or psychological) problem. In a way you could frame a depression as a form of resistance to some other problem. Kind of how immune system attacks shit in your body. So a depression might be a symptom of the immune system at work. Or the other way around, the symptom of the immune system screwing up.

Edited November 24, 2015 by goDel

The idea of karma is what helped me most during recent years. Of course I don't practice it in the original sense, but the fact that you are more likely to experience positivity from others if you do your best to spread positivity yourself is just one of the simple truths of life imo, but understanding that and practicing it are a big step apart. It may sound too simple to be fruitful for most people, but although I have not banished my depression completely I have been trying to see the best in everything, to be as accepting of others and myself as possible and that has helped me quite a bit. That and the notion that every experience whatsoever is a privilege. What other species is there that has the ability to experience its surroundings on such a profound and detailed level and to express the same?

Nice post. Reminds me of this interview with tony robbins: (which adds some useful points as well, imo)

- spending your productivity time at the computer talking shit on the internet is the #1 most effective way to find a better life and better connect with fellow human beings

 

- first-hand experience and free immersion in the real world is not necessary. try to view life as a simple game, the rules of which are linear and plain enough that one can read their way to the truth. in particular, stats and polls are infallible, and may safely be taken at face value

 

- a little science is an excellent way to disguise your complete lack of understanding of an issue and definitely does not further compound your ignorance, regardless of whether or not you might have an innately warped or preconception-ridden perspective on the subject in question

 

will think of more later, brb

Edited November 24, 2015 by usagi

i'll help you

 

- spreading the love by being just a bit more meta than others (as a way to prove your superior intelligence)

  On 11/24/2015 at 10:40 AM, triachus said:

I feel there is a baobab tree growing out of my head, its leaves stretch up to the heavens

  On 11/24/2015 at 10:21 AM, LimpyLoo said:

1) psychological grit is the most effective trait for accomplishing goals, (whatever your goals might be)

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grit_(personality_trait)

 

(I sort-of see "grit" as a combination of obsession and resilience)

I like this and it rings true with my experience. I tend to call it "persistence" or "perseverance" though I'm not sure whether that's quite right.

I was hoping for a sincere thread

 

Wrong forum i guess

 

Mods, feel free to delete

(Usagi, if you had written the same post

With the same content

Except without the backhanded sarcasm

It would've a perfect post)

But sometimes life makes you that way and the only way to change yourself for the better is to confront the negativity within. Usually by drinking.

This MOTHERFUCKER has beat DEPRESSION and is PULLING BITCHES and basically you're FUCKING RETARDED

 

>>>>>>>> CLICK HERE TO KNOW HOW <<<<<<<<<<<

#triggered

  On 11/24/2015 at 2:27 PM, ThatSpanishGuy said:

This MOTHERFUCKER has beat DEPRESSION and is PULLING BITCHES and basically you're FUCKING RETARDED

 

>>>>>>>> CLICK HERE TO KNOW HOW <<<<<<<<<<<

link not working

  On 11/24/2015 at 12:09 PM, Dan C said:

 

  On 11/24/2015 at 10:40 AM, triachus said:

 

TYAB

(Yeah mods go ahead and delete this thread)

  On 11/24/2015 at 2:57 PM, LimpyLoo said:

(Yeah mods go ahead and kill this thread. Take its life. Stop the rape!)

 

not fixt, but changed. just to try to stop you from killing this thread by being annoying

 

/pro-life

On a forum devoted to music I expected to find people of a sensitive, open minded persuasion. Those of an artistic bent. People whom, in my opinion, are more likely to suffer with depression - partly as a result of trying to fit in a society which only values those of a money grubbing, materialistic nature. There are plenty of decent folk here, don't get me wrong, but too often I see a core of irreverent, egotists who use their intellects to put down others. Do they really have a passion for music, or are they just using an idm forum as an outlet for their elitist pretentions?

Good luck with your struggle limpy. Try to surround yourself with like minded folk and don't try to change who you are.