TBD on Ning

Mindfulness

I am starting a new thread here mainly for purposes of my own catharsis. It is my intention, at least at this point, to make regular contributions. Of course, if anyone else has anything to add, they are more than welcome. If you have any input, please contribute.

Over a year ago I decided to deal head-on with my self-diagnosed adult attention disorder, (ADD). The inability to stay focused was becoming too stressful. I found myself sitting around watching the clock tick, yet I couldn’t keep “on task” with any project I started. Nothing was getting done and just starting something was becoming depressing.

The smart thing to do was probably to get professional help, so instead I decided to try to heal myself, at least as a first try. Cognitive therapy and pharmaceuticals (UGH) might be the approved way to go but I decided to try meditation first.

18 months and countless self-help books later, I still can’t bring myself to a regular, formal meditation program. But, along the way, I discovered informal mindfulness. Yes, I know it is the “Fad” right now. It is hard to navigate modern social trends without “tripping over” somebody extolling the benefits of mindfulness.

Let me add my voice to the chorus.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by PartTimeBrewer on October 27, 2018 at 3:45am

"Happiness is not a goal, it is a by-product." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Permalink Reply by PartTimeBrewer on October 27, 2018 at 3:55am

That's what I've been saying. But a by-product of what? All I have to do is figure out 'what', and set that as a goal and I will be happy. But isn't that back to setting happiness as a goal? Catch 22.

Permalink Reply by PartTimeBrewer on October 27, 2018 at 4:10am

Putting the above quote into its original context, she goes on to propose that the 'what' is the act of bringing pleasure to others. Altruism feels good, fine. But even when I was in Jr. High, I had come to the opinion that acts of altruism, done only for the purpose of making the 'doer' feel better could also be seen as selfish. Without this internal reward system for doing the right thing for my fellow man, even at personal sacrifice, would I still do it? Probably a moot point. That is just how we are made, at least most of us.

Permalink Reply by PartTimeBrewer on October 27, 2018 at 4:12am

My wife accuses me of over thinking things.

Permalink Reply by PartTimeBrewer on October 27, 2018 at 4:45am

I just ran into this one. "He who seeks rest finds boredom. He who seeks work finds rest." - Dylan Thomas. Sounds like the same paradox.

Permalink Reply by PartTimeBrewer on October 28, 2018 at 4:54am

"The highest and most beautiful things in life are not to be heard about, nor read about, nor seen but, if one will, are to be lived." ~ Soren Kierkegaard

Permalink Reply by PartTimeBrewer on October 28, 2018 at 5:00am

I am reading The Existentialist's Survival Guide: How to Live Authentically in an Inauthentic Age, by Gordon Marino. It is essentially an attempt to make Kierkegaard relevant today. Just giving a heads up, expect some doom and gloom.

Permalink Reply by Westerly_2 on October 28, 2018 at 3:09pm