Surfin Life: Mental Loops

While being mindful within a Stoic space,
i got triggered by the concept of relaxation and i looped a bit.
i hope you enjoy

Time to relax

Relaxing is giving time to your self to recharge or discharge. Or both.

It's a tactile need of the body, the intellect and the emotional world as well.

Besides sleeping, where all the wondrous procedures of body - mind - subconscious take place,
we need to discharge negativity and recharge positivity or at least get ourselves to a state where calmness and tranquility are "the mode" with which we'll continue being.

But ! similarly to sleeping, we need to give time to ourselves and relax on a daily basis.
No matter how busy your daily schedule is, you need to make space for your recharging or else... .

Clarify the need's nature

Since the need for rest is physical, intellectual or even emotional, we should first clarify what is the nature of our need.

Should we relax our minds, due to immense intellectual work?
Do we need to relax our emotional world and retract from sensory triggers ?
Or do we need to let or help our body alleviate it's musculoskeletal distress?

The second step is to acknowledge whether you need to recharge due to depletion, to discharge negativity or excess energy.

Discharging anxiety, stress, negative emotions or thoughts, requires us to be aware of ourselves and be *mindfully present* in the practice or activity we choose in order to take care of our need.

surfin.life | #selfLab - Be Aware of your needs, Mindfullyt accomodate, Consciously rejuvenate

So? what to do ?

It can be done with various methods but "doing nothing" is rarely an effective one.

Looking at the sky and letting go of "all" until you're calm or tranquil is not doing nothing.
Listening to music or absorbing melodies, is not doing nothing.
Keeping yourself busy with Twitter - phone calls - etc, is close to nothing.

Make sure that after your relaxation time is over, you are rejuvenated.

Choose an activity or practice that encapsulates quality.

Some easy practices that you can do alone or at least with the help of a friend, are :

Body ~ stretch like there's no tomorrow, enjoy a long lasting massage, idleness, absorb sunlight, enjoy a bubbly bath, apply skin care products or exfoliate or just hug yourself for 10" .
Emotions ~ listen to music or meaningful lyrics, absorb relaxing melodies, sing, write & externalize, sketch/doodle/paint, handcrafts, watch videos of cute animals, let yourself go within a relaxing "wallpaper" .
Intellect ~ read a novel or poetry, listen to music or a podcast with a soothing voice, watch a documentary, meditate, practice stillness.

But beware !

The need for rest is tactile. But we need to not get comfy in it otherwise we create space for pathe to emerge.

If we use the perspective of the Stoics, an urge is a matter of the psyche and it tends to manifest itself towards excess. Reason is what we need to use as to calibrate.

If the urge corresponds to a tactile need of oneself (as is rest), it makes it easier to succumb to it's drive to "derail" us.

In case of resting - indulging is easy. So is to justify that indulgence.

If the need for rest escalates to a pathos then we might become lazy.

If it pollutes our actions we might become careless.

If it entangles our being we might become drifters.

A drifter is not just a person that has no purpose in life or someone who just lives by following the circadian cycle with some enjoyable activities included.
A drifter is mainly a person that prefers to superficially exist instead of intentionally living.

If you keep this "drifting" perspective, but zoom-out a bit,
you'll see that it's the usual mode of everyday-life.

Expand your Awareness & Mindfulness,
in all activities
and you'll elevate your self's & life's quality holistically.

time to land...

So, although we do need to rest and we must take care of this holistic need,
it is mandatory to

be aware of the need's nature
ensure there's quality in the "how"
be mindful in the "now"

Also, don't let the minor needs to pile up.
Treat yourself daily in accord to your need's nature and you''ll enjoy your "day-off" on a whole different level.

Happy relaxing & Merry rejuvenating !

Is there a trigger that you'd like to share?

Poke me on twitter or send a pigeon .

Take care.

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i continued my reading of Marinoff's book ("the big questions")
He analyzes in a pretty good way the difference between being harmed and being insulted.

You might be harmed, by accident or intentionally.
Whether the harm was physical or emotional, don't take advantage of the accident and don't go into a perpetual "counterattack" after the intentional.

In case of physical harm it's easier to let go after the pain is over and the wound is healed. It's like fainting and reemerging to consciousness.
The tough situation is when the wound is "somewhere" in your emotional world or if it reached your psyche. [i'll dwelve into this subject, but on a #selfLab way, for now i'll continue with my mental loop]

Although an insult might be thrown towards your way or upon you, remember that being insulted is a choice. It's entirely up to you whether the arrow finds a target or not.

Wanna use your temperance and not respond as to work on your metaprismatic ego later on & on your own? Fine.
Wanna use your wisdom as to respond in a way that is similar to "standing your ground" without engaging into a fight or accepting the insult? Fine.

Be mindful either way, because you give space to hetero-identification.
- May the odds be ever in your mindset's favor and your self-awareness's depth&width -

Worst case scenario is stigma.
Being stigmatized by the insult of another or the harm he causes. This case is tough because it's a matter of the "people/society" whether you'll move on as fast as you can with or without a ptsd/cptsd/sptsd.
Still, it's up to you to carry it for the rest of your life in your heart or accept it as a "label" in your life.
The one who truly owns that harm is the one who offers it as s/he is the creator of it. You can be thankful that it happened to you, but it's not "you".

All i can say, about a probable stigma, is this...
You are not the incident. You are not another man's choice of action. You, as a human being are not defined by it. Don't let a dark circumstance dim your Light forever. [💙]

Take care.

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i got triggered by "isolation".
What triggered me "per se" was the context.
and i looped a bit.
~

Isolation, is a word we use as to describe a state of self or a spatial one.
It's actually a "thing" and thus it can be "this" or "that".
Admittedly, it has an aura of discomfort but that is only ostensible.

Isolation is a state that we usually project upon.
From emotions sourcing to prior experiences of exclusion or loneliness, to the sensation of peace and calmness.
From insecurities & fears about the future, to wishful thinking for the accomplishment of a solitary life.
There's a lot of prejudice & bias when using this word and we rarely approach the states with critical thinking.

Being isolated doesn't necessarily mean that you drown in loneliness.
Being isolated could mean that you strive to thrive within Solitude.

As a state-of-self, it might be a prerequisite for a person as to detoxify mentally &/or emotionally.
When detachment from relationships or dissociation from triggers is not enough, then to withdraw oneself to the point of isolation is a certain way to detox from noise.

• A writer might need to isolate himself as to "create space" for his internal world to fully emerge and become his environment.
• An introvert recharges in isolation and solitude. An empathic or hsp replenishes within that state-of-self.
• A person that wishes to align with oneself needs to retract himself from the crowd.
• Most of spiritual work cannot happen while being with people. You need to isolate mentally and emotionally, as to *vibe only in accord to your Core*.

surfin.life - Isolation is an essential part of Solitude. Solitude's essence is Serenity.

Whether you'll enjoy isolation or despise it depends on whether it's your choice or forced upon you.
There's huge difference amongst
• choosing to, due to preference of lifestyle
• having to, because of need to detoxify
• being driven to, out of societal circumstances

"Excuse me, i'll seclude me", can be self-care.
In this phrase, there is acknowledgement of needs. The respecting of- and acting accordingly.
Understanding your limits & setting boundaries.

"Excuse me, i'll exclude me", can be self-preservation.
denying participation in whatever is contrary to your eso-wellbeing.
knowing and honoring your system-of-beliefs and principles

Being isolated in an ostracizing manner, is usually not well-received but you can find comfort in many examples in history where the ones who got isolated by the mass/society where those who evolved themselves more than the average person or helped the collective in their own unique *crazy* way.
Be Aware, Mindful and Conscious. No matter what, use solitude and all it offers.

The steadiest of eso-grounds is the one you create

For me isolation is like a womb due to being an introvert and a solitary person.
But, no matter what your nature is, i wholeheartedly urge you to try a bit of isolation.
BUT! i must warn you...
once isolation becomes Solitude, you'll be somewhat addicted.
The combination of emotional tranquility and mental calmness results in existential Serenity.
if you have a paw-buddy as well, the World stands no chance.

~
Take care

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Today I missed a space of the Bee Stoic community.

I really dislike missing these spaces because that community is a really diverse one.

Dudes & dudettes from across the globe, with all possible interests & backgrounds which means unique perspectives and valuable "two cents" from Life's experiences & adversities - not just textbook knowledge.

Their interest in Stoicism is genuine and most of them comprehend the full spectrum of Reality, the digital and the analog, within which they practice.

The hosts post an article from the DailyStoic, and we all ponder & dwelve.

The theme of January is "Clarity". A wonderful theme for the first month of the official-calendar-year, regardless of the resolution each one might have blueprinted.

Today's topic was "The one path to Serenity" [🔊]

BeeStoic Twitter Space - DailyStoic article - Serenity

...

Serenity, seen as a state of self & how it's achieved & experienced in Life, is one of my favorite topics.

There are certainly more than one paths to Serenity, but the one mentioned in the article through the offered perspective is a basic one.

Life-wise, prolepsis (prevention) is a good way to ensure a part of Serenity. Understanding the given example with dot&circle, we can act only for whatever is in our "circle". We can act as to prevent unfortunate outcomes but only within our reach or owned means. Since the probabilities are infinite, we should only care for possibilities. But! at the same time we need to not run around in circles & overstress about it. There are some Minds out there that can see a lot more than the average person - it depends on the Horizons & info gathered. Please don't get crazy ! Seeing what is beyond your circle doesn't (necessarily) add it to your circle.

Self-wise, We can create a state of Calmness by practicing emotional & mental stillness. We can attempt to create Tranquility by comprehending the meaning of ataraxia and combine it with healthy apathy. Aaand practice.

Tranquility is a bit difficult because it's a holistic state of being. I believe it's a basic piece of Wellness. Various aspects of self need to be aligned in a harmonious calmness. Similarly to a well constructed mindset, each piece enhances the one next to it.

As to practice, we can find out our place of inner peace ~ our safe-place (though meditations or whatever other practices one is accustomed to) and try to *copy* the whole sensation for later *paste*. All it takes is a deep relaxing breath, centering & recreating the sensation.

Thank you for reading, see you in the next space.

Take care 🌻