pdallair91

I don't know how reliable the article or data is but... https://www.destructoid.com/even-rich-men-make-time-for-videogames/ When you think about it there's also some people that have become successful through gaming or adjacent careers as well.

Day 1 — I took a 2nd arrow to the knee. Stating the obvious: I hadn't logged in for a couple of weeks. As those who have read my previous post in this thread might understand what the title of this post implies, yes, I have relapsed and I'm getting back up now. So, what happened? While experiencing the discomfort I described in my January 21st post in this thread, I neglected to mention that I was already "cheating" at that point. I had convinced myself that it wasn't "too much", that I'd be able to get right back on track when I'm back home. Unsurprisingly, the time spent playing and the number of different games increased. I made it back home on January 23rd and now sitting in front of my PC, unlike I had anticipated, the cravings started to become even stronger. I staved off my cravings with junk food for a couple of days. Yup, that's what I was doing when I wrote my last post. Ironic how we often don't heed our own advice. I don't remember what day exactly, I wouldn't be surprised if I relapsed on the same day I described the 2 arrow parable, but around that time I gave in to my cravings, purchased a game on steam and played ~8-12 hours a day for ~2 weeks. I wasn't sleeping well, I wasn't eating well, and neglected my hygiene (more than I usually tend to). For e.g., it was 5 days after my return that I finally took the time to go make a serious grocery trip. I basically lived off pasta, chips, and pizza during that time. Anyways, I'm coming out of it now (I think). I finally got to spend some time with friends I hadn't seen in a long time and I have plans for this week. I think this has helped me find the will to take better care of myself. Another thing was a realization I had last night. I was having trouble falling asleep so I contemplated my situation. It had been a couple of times now that I had told myself, before going to bed, that it was my "last day" of gaming. Of course, I wouldn't have had to say I did this multiple times if I didn't fail to abide by my statement the next day. I think that what was happening is that I was still clinging to the privileges I had while I was on vacation at my mom's place. I wasn't taking care of my living conditions at home because I rarely had to for ~5 weeks over there. It's as if I was looking (or more accurately: waiting) for an easy way to get back up to the pace I used to have. This desire for something that I cannot have, that was my second arrow. There's an interesting quote from one of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy handouts that I have. It's not the best quote I ever heard but it describes what I had to accept, not just in theory but also in practice: In other words, I needed to let go of my desire. I needed to notice the feelings of discomfort that I would likely feel throughout the day rise, acknowledge it, label it and just sit with it for a while. I don't have to be ashamed and there's nothing to be afraid of. It's O.K. This discomfort is just a small part of who I am as a whole and as with everything else, it is temporary. 🙂 With that in mind on top of the energy boost I got from my social contacts, I managed to uninstall my games today. I actually went one step further than usual and completely uninstalled Steam for the first time. 👍 Anyways, it is what it is for now and another thing is just that: I'm super hungry. 😆 Take care folks. May the force be with you (unless you're a Sith Lord).

If I could, I would play strategy boardgames almost everyday. I own around 30 different games and a lot of expansions. Boardgames aren't as harmful to me as video games, I believe. 1) because it's difficult to play too much without getting other people involved and 2) it's hard to get people involved (at least in my area) 😅 but seriously, cleaning up and setting things up in between games really gives one time to figure out whether they should call it quites then and there or not. It's rare that I find myself regreting that I played too much. I am a little more careful around games with single player variants and offers to play online/digital versions. Both of these feel like stepping stones to relapsing to me. It's really the social and tactile elements, on top of the cerebral nature, of the experience that I try to appreciate. One thing that I really need to watch for in this hobby is spending ($$$). It's very easy to get sucked into a shopping spree, buying new games, expansions, promo content, fancy components, organizers, etc. There's always that one person in your group that likes to really "pimp" his games. 😅 There's definitely a few games in everyone's collection that have only been played once or twice, if at all.

Singing. I always liked singing but I was too insecure to participate in my youth. I went to a lot of karaoke nights in my early adulthood but never really took lessons or put on a show. I did win a karaoke competition once and I am super proud of that. 😎🎸 I hesitate even more now since I've had a throat surgery. My range has changed and it just feels weird... anyways! I'm content with my other hobbies for the time being.

That's normal. No one has complete control over their body and mind. So much is happening beyond one's ability to notice, let alone truly comprehend. We are all animals and we are all flawed. I'm starting with this because it seems like you're being a bit hard on yourself. You say you mess up constantly but that can't be true. You say you suck at managing time and all your goals are crumbling away. However, I'm sure that if you take the time to look at it closely you'll find that there's still something left of those sand castles if not simply enough sand around to start making new ones. You sound pretty depressed or anxious mate. I think you should consult a psychotherapist. I'm sure they can help you understand why you seem to lose control so often and what you could do about it. It sure has helped me a whole bunch and as much I still "lose control" often, I'm getting much better at getting back up and continuing from where I left off. I hope that you can say the same about yourself one day. Take care mate. Show yourself some kindness and affection. Peace out. ❤✌

I'm not an expert but it's normal for something that is initially pleasant to feel less and less so. The same can be said about things that make us feel bad. You know us humans, we kind of naturally just "get used" to things. This phenomenon is called hedonic adaptation. The more toxic of these cycles are those we excessively turn to, continuously chasing that initiall pleasant experience we once had, despite the consequences. When we break one of these cycles it's normal to feel lost. The reality is that we have some catching up to do. We nees to identify and cultivate what we truly value, what truly makes us happy and nobody can more accurately answer these questions for you than yourself. Luckily you seem blessed with self-awareness and at such a young age. You should congratulate yourself for that self-awareness and the desire to grow and improve your life. These are really important traits that are worth cultivating and maintaining. Just give yourself some time. Go out. Try new things, meet new people. In other words: experiment! You will learn a lot about yourself in the process, what's important to you, what you'd can and would like to change about yourself by acquiring knowledge and skills. If you find this too difficult maybe a psychotherapist can help you identify what's slowing you down and what you could do to help yourself in that regard. Anyways, good luck and take care.

Day 63 — What's your 1st and 2nd arrow? How do you dodge the 2nd one? Replying to the following post made me think about the Buddhist metaphor of the Two Arrows (not to be confused with the Poisoned Arrow metaphor). If I understand correctly... First arrow -> the visceral reactions our bodies have (conditioned by our environment, evolution, or both) to unpleasant event or circumstances (physical or emotional). Second arrow -> the cognitive-behavioral reaction to the first one that ends up causing more pain. The thing is that the second arrow can often be dodged; it's an unskillful coping mechanism used in response to the pain of the first arrow. All addictive behaviors, I believe, is one one of these unskillful coping mechanisms, i.e. second arrows. So, I guess what I'm asking in the title is more along the lines of: What are common "triggers" for you (first arrow)? What are some of the unhealthy/unskillful thoughts and behaviors that you tend (or have tended) to resort to (second arrow)? How do you handle/contest these thoughts and beliefs? i.e., how do you dodge that second arrow? Personally, a common first arrow for me is when friends cancel our plans, especially if the reason(s) are vague/unclear. For e.g., I felt triggered in December when a friend canceled on me saying he "didn't feel like it". There was a pretty visceral reaction in me; my heartbeat went up a bit and it was difficult to focus on anything else. I say this is visceral not just because of the physical symptoms but because this "fight or flight" stress reaction stems from childhood trauma and I don't think it'll ever go away completely. The second arrow I tend to shoot myself with is one of the following: Pressure that friend to justify or alter their choice. This often just ends up creating or expanding an already existing rift in the relationship. Resort to binge eating, gaming, and smoking marijuana to numb the pain of the first arrow. This often ends up making me feel even worst down the line physically and emotionally. In both cases, the second arrow's force — i.e., the damage that is does — is fueled by not accepting the reality before me. By desperately attempting to avoid the pain of the first arrow I shoot myself with the other. The best thing I can do to dodge, or at least mitigate the damage of the second arrow is contemplate the truth. What are the facts here? When I do this, reality is often far less repulsive than I am biased to assume; the fear of abandonment I am conditioned to feel is often disproportionate to actual current circumstances and has more to do with previous ones. When I was a kid, some of my friends "disappeared" (they died), some of them stopped playing with me, and some of them hurt me with words and others with sticks and stones. However, that's probably not the case before me now, there's probably good reason to assume that my friends want to hang out with me but simply can't be everywhere at the same time (damn physics!). In a "spiritual" way, I'm not alone. Deep down, I haven't been abandoned, far from it, they remembered and cared to let me know. In summary! First arrow -> Friends not being willing or available to chill. Second arrow -> Trying to force things my way or going numb with pleasure. Dodging the second arrow -> Take the time to check the facts. Remember that things aren't as bad as they used to be. Some people love me and care for me, even if there not here. Peace out folks. Don't hesitate to share your 1st and 2nd arrow and how you can better cope with your 1st one. Either way, take care. ❤️ P.S. @Nico Indigo My parents are separated. My dad is from and lives in La Doré, QC, near St-Félicien in Lac St-Jean. However he and my mom met and had me in Hearst, ON. I lived in Montreal for 2 years of my adulthood but before then and now I've always lived in Ontario (I live in Ottawa now). I am French-Canadian and proud of it of our raunchy and sarcastic sense of humor. Our anglo friends have no idea what it was like to hear La P'tite Grenouille for the first time. 🤣

Friends that answer "maybe" or any other vague/dodgy answer to a personal invite. This kind of ambiguity triggers intense emotions that stem from childhood trauma. I was ostracized a lot by my peers growing up. However, as adults there are, more often than not, reasons why a friend can't commit or has to cancel (job, health issues, family, etc.). I try my best to not let insecurity dictate my behavior witch often ends up pushing people away. When I'm mindful enough to take some control over my thoughts and behavior, I try to give people (and myself) the benefit of the doubt. As much as that can prevent things from escalating unnecessarily, it doesn't make me feel outright "good" and I think that's a condition that refusing to accept leads me into addictive behavior. The reality in these moments is that it's normal for me to experience some pain/discomfort and taking the time to understand it, accept it, perhaps even appreciate it, is the healthiest way forward. There's a bit more detailed example in this "slice of life" post (in my journal), if anyone is interested. There's a somewhat famous metaphor in Buddhism about Two Arrows of Suffering that lines up with what I'm trying to describe here. The first arrow (the initial painful reaction) is often triggered by things outside of our control. The second arrow (additional pain) is often triggered by subsequent thoughts and behavior on our part. The best and only thing we can often do is dodge that second arrow. Maybe one day, dodging this recurring second arrow I describe above will become more natural to me. I believe that all of you can get better at dodging your recurring second arrow too. Take care folks. Peace out.

These are all reasons I can relate too but I think that "temporary escape" one best summarizes all the others to me.

A psychotherapist, correct? That would be the most sensible means advisers to consult about cognition and behavior, especially the self-destructive kind that sticks. That said, I'm not one of those so everything following shouldn't be taken too seriously. > Nothing in my life has gotten way better because I quit playing games, even though I was going to the gym quite a bit and enjoyed it. Talking and hanging out with friends just like normal. Nothing in your life has gotten way better *yet*! <caption for Homer Simpson giving Bart advice> 😅 Wholesome jokes aside, your statement comes off, to me, as unnecessarily judgemental/pessimistic towards the "things" in your life (if not yourself in particular). To be fair, I have no idea what those things are considering we are complete strangers. HOWEVER, I do find that I often impede my own motivation or satisfaction with a clouded perspective. It's completely normal, quite necessary from an evolutionary perspective in fact, to make quick judgements from incomplete information. Unsurprisingly, it's probably helpful when we are judging important things to keep in mind that we might be wrong, that there often isn't an absolute answer. As Obi-Wan once said: "Only the Sith deal in absolutes." (I suffer from BPD, so I tend to have an "all or nothing" or "black and white" perspective on things and this quote helps sometimes) You've already given it some thought and found positive things to hilight! 😁 I'm sure that if you keep doing that and give yourself more time one day you will look back and confidently deliver the alternative judgement; that *some* things in your life have *reasonably* improved. > I feel like the problem to me are specifically the kind of games that try to fuck with my brain to get to give them money. Yeah, fuck 'em! 😡 > And the rest are just fun games, that I overplay whenever I feel bad, but I have a good time with them, and they don't make me feel bad if everything else in my life is in order. Addictive behavior is (arguably at least) a symptom of underlying cognitive problems. The main reason why most of us keep resorting to excess despite the consequences racking up is because it's a temporary escape from suffering. So, yeah, it makes sense to overplay when we feel bad. The problem isn't so much feeling bad however (IMO). The problem is that addicts simply haven't mastered the skills needed to cope with their suffering. I don't know about you but I am convinced, deep down, that I shouldn't suffer, that I should feel "good" all the time. Unfortunately, this is not a realistic desire to have. So, when facing problems that are largely outside of my control, or that don't just go away on their own, this desire unfulfilled only makes for more suffering. I am glad that you mentioned having a therapist. I am consulting one too. These are the most qualified to help us identify, acquire what's missing. Good luck moving forward. Take care.

Hey Nico, Since my last post my cold is gone but I'm still stuck over 1000 kilometers (~621 miles) away from my home. The person that was going to drive me back is going through a medical emergency in her family. Naturally, their stay has become indefinite and therefor I need t find another ride. Their might be a public transit option but the ride is very long (16 to 20 hours) and you know, due to covid, I'd rather avoid public transit if possible. I'm waiting for someone to confirm by the end of the day if they can give me a ride back home this upcoming Sunday. 🤞 Of course, this is all having an effect on my mood. I had written down a whole paragraph to complain about my circumstances but I decided to erase it. As I wrote in one of my other posts: I've done all I was willing to do so far in order to remedy this uncomfortable situation. If I keep trying things will fall into place eventually, for as with everything else, this too shall pass. In the meantime I could chose to focus on what I have while I'm here instead. So here goes: My mom, for he delicious food and random favors that tell me how much she cares. My step dad, for all the rides and time spent nerding out over various things. My friend Dave, for all the free coffee, his sense of humor, love, and compassion. My mom's cat, Simba; he may be a jerk but his fur is hella soft. Anyways, it is what it is but I have plenty of hope that things will change. Peace out!

Day 48 – Just Another instance of Loneliness I've been visiting my mom and step-dad in my childhood home for the past month or so. This place is just over 1000 kilometers (~621 miles) away from my actual residence. Naturally, I want to spend as much time as I can with friends I can only see on these rare occasions. Unfortunately, this small town isn't immune to the covid-19 omicron variant and on top of that there seems to be a post-holiday flu spreading. Unsurprisingly, people are hesitant if not outright prohibited by pandemic regulations from gathering. This is especially true in my case because I have contracted the post-holiday flu; I have been mildly sick for the past 5 days or so. Although a rapid test at home did reassure me and my hosts (mom and step-dad) that I wasn't experiencing covid-19, understandably, I wasn't allowed if not unable to go out. My health is getting better and I was hoping to spend time with my friends one last time before leaving on Wednesday. Unfortunately, all of them are now dealing with the post-holiday flu... So, yeah... sadly, I won't be getting the "closure" I was hoping for... I've mentioned this before, in my December 11th post, that I like to hang out with different friends ~2 times a week, that spending a week "alone" is rather unpleasant. Having to spend this week outside of my own home, without access to all my usual resources makes this a bit harder as well. So, I am experiencing a similar kind of frustration I was experiencing then. Part of me wants to get mad, to blame everything on someone else if not myself but it's obviously pointless, if not harmful. As I've said in that post as well: "The reality I am facing isn't what I want it to be but giving into this "greed" and try to force reality to match my desires will likely fail and lead to more pain." But if I take the time to think about my situation, there are some comforting thoughts/beliefs that come to mind, such as: We will likely see each other again at some point in the future. My friends value me, understand me, and also wish they could spend more time with me. We are doing the "right" thing; this is for our own and the greater good. I'll be alright. Anyways, to quote myself even further, I think I'll end of the same conclusion as I did in that post as well:

Aaaah Jee Whiz, thanks a lot for this positive feedback. ☺️ I am, in fact, primarily doing this for myself but I do, in the back of my mind, hope that I can help other people. It means a lot to know that I'm accomplishing this secondary goal. As Pepe the frog would say: Feels good man. Merci beaucoup

Day 39 – Good enough I haven't been here in a while mostly because I've been successfully keeping myself busy, or at least not cracking whenever I feel bored or distressed. I'm really glad I can confidently says this. 😌 I was afraid I might relapse during the holidays but so far I've been taking care of myself and the very few contacts I've had support my decision to abstain. I have a friend who wants to play less and is struggling to do so as well. I think we're both glad to see that we're not alone. Anw, I'd like to return to what I was doing. I hope you all have a happy new years eve. Good luck throughout 2022. Peace out.

Day 19 — Optimistic Loneliness I like to say I'm a ~70% extroverted individual. I like to express my feelings and I tend to express myself more than I listen 😅. My ideal social life would be to hang out, in person, with a friend (not always the same person) 2 times a week. Spending the entire week alone is a bit painful. That said, I haven't interacted with any friends (in person) since last Saturday. None of my friends are available to hang out this weekend. So, yeah... it's turning out to be one of those weeks. I don't have that many "regular" friends. I have a lot of acquaintances — i.e., "hang out on special occasions (public/group events)" kind of friends — but not very many "hang out regularly (including private/1 on 1 events)" kind of friends. You know, that "dude" VS "bro" kind of distinction. I can only think of 2 friends of the latter kind these days and well, as I should expect, they don't always have the time or desire to spend it with me. Expecting this in only fair, after all, sometimes I'm the one that needs a break or has other plans. It's my responsibility to take care of myself or find alternatives when my "bros" are unavailable but this can be easier said than done. Suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder, I have trust issues. I tend to bounce between 1) anxiety — being clingy/demanding as a result — and 2) depression — being avoidant/dismissive as a result. It currently takes a deliberate effort to not go too far down these lines of thought, to not let these feelings "get to me". One of my friends has plans with his girlfriend's family and he, as many do, values family above all else. Sometimes I get very jealous. Like, he canceled some plans at the last minute just so he could go to the groceries with his perfectly able girlfriend. Anyways, this time he has a larger family event which I can more easily make a commitment to respect. My other friend however, "just doesn't feel like it"... that is not so easy for me to cope with... First of all, it's vague and I'm biased to assume the worst about peoples intentions — i.e., I tend to take it personally. Thoughts like "what did I do wrong? what could I do to make him want to come back?" do come to mind. However, I acknowledge that these are assumptions that aren't grounded in facts. The allegations and judgements are coming from me, not from him. As difficult as it is for me to "deeply" believe the more optimistic (and realistic) narrative, I can at least acknowledge it on a surface level: It is more likely not to have anything to do with me, more likely that this situation will pass, and more likely that we will see each other again in the future. For all I know, he may simply not be well rested. The only problem that I have left now is that of "greed" with thoughts like "why does it have to be like this? shouldn't you want to spend time with me if I didn't do anything wrong?" Again, there's an assumption here that isn't grounded in facts; It's wrong for me to assume how someone else can or dictate how they should feel. Even if "not feeling it" had more to do with emotions, it is not up to me to decide how he would cope with them. In fact, I have done all I could already by letting him know he could talk to me if he wants to. The reality I am facing isn't what I want it to be but giving into this "greed" and try to force reality to match my desires will likely fail and lead to more pain. All that said, I still feel lonely but at least I have the mindfulness to accept it, giving it some attention but not letting it take control of my entire day. I'm glad that I have the mindfulness to describe my thoughts and feelings. I am glad I have some knowledge as to where these thoughts and feelings come from and where they could lead. I am glad that through month after month of therapy and self-help, I have am putting to use the knowledge I've acquired to cope with these feelings, guiding myself in a more favorable direction. In a way, I am glad to experience this loneliness knowing that, at times, other people surely feel the same way. In the grand scheme of things, I'm not alone. This loneliness is only a small part of my present experience and it too shall pass. I hope this strikes a bell if any of you folks. Either way, take care folks. ❤️

TL;DR — To me, compassion = understanding how someone feels + desire to help. Self-soothing is acting on self-compassion in order to feel a little better. It's true that compassion and self-soothing can mean something totally different from one person to another, especially when we get down to the specifics. Personally, there are 2 fundamental components of compassion: Empathy — Understanding how someone feels. Desire to help. I think these are abilities inherent in human beings — I mean, there are experiments where babies show compassion. How accurately, "deeply" and towards whom we experience these can be nurtured. We can become more "skillful" at applying it. While many people, off the top of their heads, tend to define compassion as being towards "others" the recipient of our compassion can be ourselves as well. When I resort to addictive behavior, it is often because I, like my parents and peers too often (and probably inadvertently) did, am neglecting to understand my own feelings. I'll always remember that time I came home crying after being bullied and my dad just yelled at me for not resorting to violence. Just like my dad, didn't take the time to "skillfully" understand (the first component of compassion) how I felt and help me, I've inadvertently learned to do the same towards myself. Having "skillfull" understanding of one's own feelings and desire to do help ourselves is fundamental but acting on it... like, what do I do now? Whether we can do something about what is causing our distress or not, a reasonable amount of self-soothing, can be helpful. You know, as they, just take some of the edge off. There are a lot of external means to do this but I try not to rely on those because, well... I tend to become addicted. What I need to nurture the most is "intrinsic soothing" that doesn't rely on my environment. Personally, after a lot of therapy, I know that the most effective means for me now seem to be thanking or congratulating myself, and, knowing that my primary "love language" is physical touch, even gently caressing my own body can be really comforting. Basically, it's what my dad should've done instead of what he did. So, that's pretty much what these words mean for me. I'm glad that you know what you'll do. In fact, I'm curious. If you don't mind sharing, I'd like to hear what these things are so that I might learn something or two. Either way, keep taking care of yourself buddy. The same can be said to anyone else who reads this. Peace out!

Hey Pochatok, since you've replied to my journal twice, I thought I'd check out what you've posted recently. Or maybe its just cuse I like corn on the cob. heuheu 😅 TL;DR — Trying to avoid cravings by staying busy is a good idea but it not does not always fix underlying issues. Cravings will still arise from time to time. Therefore, we should also learn to face and handle our cravings. Compassion and self-soothing is working for me. As someone who is currently on long-term disability due to mental health issues, I can definitely relate to feeling like I have "too much free time" on my hands. No doubt that what recovering addicts tend to imply by this statement is something more along the lines of "I'm not trying to avoid cravings enough". I don't like avoidance focused strategies, mainly because gaming, for me, was an avoidance strategy. I'm also not a big fan of "hustle culture". However, I must admit that avoiding isn't inherently "toxic", after all, when looking at a single timeline at least, when doing something, we are avoiding others. What we are avoiding and to which degree we do so will determine whether that particular case of avoidance "toxic" or not. When it comes to avoiding cravings, avoiding some (if not most) cravings is a realistic and valuable goal to have, however, I have to be realistic; to not experience any cravings at all is not possible and therefor shouldn't be something I aspire towards. To avoid cravings I must avoid the things that trigger them and there will always be times where I inadvertently experience some of these; whether I experience these things or not is often outside of my deliberate control. Having "free time" is one of those things that can't be completely avoid (at least not in a healthy and humane manner...); there will occasionally be "idle" periods of time, in between "active", where cravings can "sneak in" for whatever reason. I personally believe that I don't "truly" choose to when or how I experience cravings; I don't really believe in "true" free-will or this free-time, there will always be some conditions beyond our ability to notice and/or consider (i.e., reality is just too complicated for my brain). However, with enough mindfulness, I can at least influence how I end up coping with cravings when they arise, and with the "right" cognitive-behavioral skills at my disposal (i.e. preparation thanks to therapy and self-help) my chances of successfully making the "right" choice gets better and better. So, while there is no sense to exposing myself to unnecessary triggers, I wouldn't go so far as constantly "filling" my schedule. While I'm making some efforts to avoid cravings, I am also learning how to handle them when they occur. I recently listened to an episode of the Secular Buddhist Podcast (by Noah Rasheta) entitled "I See You, Mara!". Noah talks about this popular Buddhist story where Mara, the demon of greed, hate, and delusion (the 3 poisons), comes to influence The Buddha and all His Holiness does to subdue the demon is recognize his appearance (hence the title of the podcast) and invite him in for some tea. First of all I find this story funny as heck, a big bad monster subdued by treating him kindly is a common comedy trope. But seriously, when I experience cravings, it always has to do with one of the 3 poisons: Sometimes I crave games for the dopamine rush of getting achievements and quests done (greed). Sometimes I want to vent my frustration at trash mobs and unsuspecting newbs (hate). Sometimes I underestimate/forget how addictive gaming is to me (delusion). To be honest, often times it's all 3. The first step to subdue my cravings is compassion and self-soothing. A few times since then, I've managed to cope with small cravings by telling myself "I see you, Mara." with somewhat of a half-smile. It's kind of like the meme I'm sharing. Anyways, I hope you're doing well, and I hope you're satisfied with your education and that you find ways to enjoy a significant amount of what the future has in store for you. Peace out.

I am glad you confirm the belief that I am alluding to in my previous post. That I am bound to find some satisfaction elsewhere in the future, as long as I keep trying. Have you contemplated why its hard to "get into" these other interests? Why these new behaviors/routines aren't as easily becoming habitual? I can't answer this question for you. However, in my case, I believe I tend to be burdened with the fear of failure, self-inflicted shame, and a dependence on external validation. What has lead me here today is, to say it bluntly, being a "sore loser". I just played and lost a game of chess online with a stranger (a old hobby I'm trying to get back into). It hurts, which dissuades me from playing again. I have similar experiences with electric guitar (another old hobby I'm trying to get back into). I try to play a riff or chord progression, but I struggle a lot. It hurts, which dissuades me from playing again. Why does it hurt? Well, in both cases, I'm going down the shame spiral with thoughts like "I should've been able to do better", "I can't do it", "what's the point". You get the picture. At some point I've dissuaded myself from doing anything that isn't instantly gratifying and I relapse. I really covet (to the point of envy sometimes) the "blessing" that some people seem to have cultivated: am intuitive positive but humble outlook on things, including themselves; a subconscious that doesn't pass hard judgements, with little to no fear of failure; someone that tends to accept the possibility or occurrence of failure, learns from their mistakes, and finds a sense of reward from within. Although there certainly is an unrealistic degree to which one can idolize this but I don't think it's too late or impossible to cultivate this myself now. This, in theory, would effectively counteract what is getting in the way of self-actualization ("really getting into" something, achieving ones "potential"). I guess I'm on the right track for at least believing its possible. So here I go... I'm going to start by saying: I am glad I persevered through the fear of failure and played a game of chess against a stranger today. I am glad I had the mindfulness to stop, listen and question the thoughts that came to mind. I am glad that I have all these journal entries and replies to look back on and managed to find some inspiration. I am glad I haven't given up, that I am, always have and always will be doing my best (at that moment in time). Thank you @Pochatok, I really appreciate your appreciation for mine and other people's posts. Judging from the statistics, you clearly a very active member of this community, I hope this behavior helps you as much it helps others. Take care comrade. REBOOT!

Day 3 — Cost/Benefit Analysis Playing Video Games Benefits Stimulating/rewarding [ST] Distraction/soothing/comfort [ST] Fun gamer community & sub-culture [LT] Costs Time consuming and energy draining [ST] "Wasted" a lot of time and money. Problems accumulate. [LT] Kind of bad for my health [LT] Not satisfying. Shame. [LT] NOT Playing Video Games (aka Quitting) Benefits More time, energy, to do tasks and other activities [ST] More potential for "well invested" time and money [LT] More self-actualization --> more satisfaction (maybe?) [LT] Costs Boredom, loneliness, and apathy [ST] Frustration, shame, and anxiety facing problems I've been avoiding and new challenges [ST] "Missing out" on the community & culture [LT] ST = Short-Term LT = Long-Term I think the lesson for me here is that the long-term costs of continuing to play games outweigh the benefits which are mostly fleeting. What makes quitting so hard, in the short-term at least, is that I haven't been able to find a similar amount of stimulation and comfort elsewhere yet, especially during this pandemic. ... Anyways, I have to remind myself that, larger benefits will arrive in the long-term; I just need to be patient, keep trying, and appreciate the little things along the way. Peace out. P.S. Regarding Sucklife (insurance company), I seem to have managed to make them back off. Who knows for how long but at least they haven't tried to "bully" me this week.

Day @*#&(@*&$^&*@$@ — Mental Health, Work (Job), and Insurance Companies I feel pretty distressed right now. For those that aren't aware, I suffer from multiple mental health issues including Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD, and Depression. These stem from very early childhood and I will probably always suffer from them to varying degrees. So, yeah, I tend to have intense emotional reactions. So when I say distressed, I mean afraid, angry, and ashamed all at the same time. I feel pain in my chest, a bit shaky, and like part of me wants to cry but the tears won't flow... Anw... I've been on disability from work (job) since ~Feb 2020; I was on Short-Term Disability until June and then not so smoothly transferred to Long-Term Disability. This all started after I took steps to commit suicide and thankfully didn't go through with it. Everyone I know — my family doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, be it friends, family, and (ex-)coworkers — with a bit of hesitancy, in the end, supported my claim that I just wasn't fit to work for a living. My Short-Term Disability income was provided by my place of employment, that was very quick to approve my claim. As for the Long-Term Disability, that income fell on being provided by an insurance company (Sunlife [or should I say SUCKLIFE! <cuse they drain the fucking life out of me everything I have to interact with them>]), that was resistant — by way of incompetence or perhaps deliberate non-communication (masters of plausible deniability) — at validating my claim for 6 whole months (I didn't get any income for 6 whole months). Well, I received an unexpected (but unsurprising) call from them this morning. Turns out that 5 months ago they "updated" my "medical record" by contacting some (not all) the experts that are helping me and having a "third party" expert evaluate that according to this "medical record", I should be able to go back to work ASAP. So, I have 1 week to contest this claim by reaching out to the one person they haven't contacted, the one person that has followed me by far the most closely throughout these mental health challenges: My PSYCHOLOGIST. They concluded, without a word from my PSYCHOLOGIST (the GOD DAMN MENTAL HEALTH EXPERT that's treating me), that my MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS didn't prevent me from working anymore. I have 1 week to get him to write to them another letter that previously took him a whole month to write! The reality is that I don't feel ready to go back to work, at least not for the long-run, and that's what psychological issues are, it's when our own thoughts and feelings prevent us from behaving adequately. To be fair, there has been some improvements in my condition. Mainly, I don't generally contemplate dying anymore. However, I still tend to resort to destructive behaviors to find some sense of competence and self-worth. And like I may find those things in healthy behaviors for a bit, but I tend to constantly relapse and that's what I'm pretty sure will happen if I go back to work; it would only be a matter of time. The truth is that SuckLife (yeah, I'm sticking with this bad pun, get used to it) doesn't care about my mental health, they're only "supporting" me as long as they must (legally). Like every company, they will always put profit margins above everything else and in this case, it's my actual mental well-being that is threatened to be thrown under the steam roller of capitalism. I'm confident that, if it was legal and profitable, insurance companies would approve 0 claims. Yet, we live under the rule of the elite that strongly believes there's no harm to this at all, that this is the "free-market" is the best thing we will ever have blah blah blah. If only I had a Death Note... *cough*... Sick jokes aside, I am pretty distressed. I am afraid I am going to be pushed beyond my ability; I am angry that this is being done for the sake of corporate financial gains, and; I am ashamed that, even after all the therapy I've been through, I still feel worthless. SO NOT POGGERS AMIRIGHT CHAMPS!? Patrick "never have I participated in no nut November and I certainly won't now" Dallaire

Day 6 — Values One thing that annoys me about listing values is that very few sources have a clear definition, rules, or steps to help us define our values; A lot of sources just show us a long list of words and tell us to "trust our gut". I don't know about you but following my gut hasn't always lead me to the "right" answers in life; one thing it has often lead me to was excess. What thing many sources do seem to agree on is that establishing an array or hierarchy of values is meant to solidify our perception of "good" or "bad" when it comes to making decisions — i.e., a "moral compass". Another thing to keep in mind as well is that these might change overtime; we may simply realize that one of our choices isn't that "valuable" to us now (or maybe it never was in the first place). Anyways, I liked the set of rules defined in one of the ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) "blog" posts I found and I ended up making my own guidelines (keep in mind that I'm not an expert; this isn't professional advice): What is a value? Values are used to help oneself orient their own behavior towards more satisfying outcomes. In other words, values are used to help oneself discern “right” from “wrong” in our own behavior. ACT Values are: Personal; Freely handpicked by the individual; feels important but not always pleasant to them. Self-sufficient; Focused on our own behavior, regardless of other people’s. Abstract; intangible (not an object) and unfinishable (not a goal). Flexible; adaptable to various contexts and invokable at will. Example of a “not-so-ACT” value: I value love/support that my family provides. (Not self-sufficient in the way it is described here [the value is an aspect of someone else's behavior]) I value hard work; I show this by taking on many minor responsibilities. (Not personal [the behavior being focused on is felt as less important]) I value financial success; I show this by diligently working and saving until I retire. (Not abstract enough [the behavior focused on is "finishable" — this is more of a goal than a value]) I value satisfaction; I show this by making other people happy. (Not flexible [How other people feel is out of our control and can't be invoked at will. Let's remain open to the possibility of failure to achieve what we want all the time.]) My Values (For now at least): I value compassion; I show this by trying to cultivate and use my ability to understand how people feel. Personal; this feels important to me. Meditation, therapy, and reading non-fiction has convinced me that compassion is the basis of all positive "inner" qualities (kindness, generosity, gratitude, etc.). I undoubtedly have an innate, subconscious desire to make other people, at least the ones closest to me, and myself happy. How effective I am at this depends on my compassion — my ability to accurately identify when and how people (including ourselves) are suffering. It just makes sense to cultivate this ability. Self-sufficient; Although I have yet to determine more specifically which behavior(s) the "ability to understand how people feel" encompasses, this behavior is my own. Abstract; Compassion is in fact an intangible concept (not an object) and there will always be room for further understanding. Flexible; Compassion is largely applicable to any context, as long as I am conscious and mentally able. I am aware and I accept that sometimes I won't succeed. What matters the most is that I continue trying to improve. Anyways, I've been writing for over an hour now. This motivates me to apply this value throughout the day. In fact, I could say that I am practicing it now by ending this post here; I listened to my body and mind and I felt a bit tension, a strong desire to make this unrealistically perfect, rising within me. So, I'm going to take the time go out for a short walk and meditate on this to relax. Who knows, maybe I will find opportunities to be compassionate along the way. 😊 May you feel safe, happy, and live with ease comrades. Take care. 💗

Day 3 — Proceeding from Here As alluded to in my previous post, one of the reasons why I do tend to relapse in my addictions is because of my ongoing mild or moderate depression symptoms. I tend to perceive things in a negative light (pessimism — like wearing a pair of shit-colored glasses), resorting to instant gratification binges to escape, although temporary, this overall dissatisfaction and hopelessness. Still, I've accepted (in theory at least) and rarely renounce the fact that these means to find some relief are ineffective. In the long, problems rarely get solved as new ones arrive; shit piles up man. A more effective long-term solution regarding this overall dissatisfaction and hopelessness would be to challenge my pessimistic perception, i.e., look beyond the shit-colored glasses. Whether I manage to take them off completely isn't an entirely conscious decision, after all, I didn't choose to have them on in the first place. I'm not an expert and I haven't done much research, but I think there are 2 essential things I need to work on to achieve long-term cognitive-behavioral change: Believing that I can change — i.e., confidence — more often directly chipped at by voice #1 (as described in the previous post) Wanting to change — i.e., motivation — more often directly chipped at by voice #2 (as described in the previous post) Of course, these 2 things aren't completely separate, when one goes up or down it tends to drag the other one with it. Regardless, I assume that when these 2 things are high enough, relevant behavior is likely, if not bound, to follow. I'm tempted to start by addressing essential thing #2 first. My most recent relapse happened when I was in a relatively kind towards myself at least, what I was trying craving to escape was boredom, like I couldn't find any reason to do anything but game; I was unmotivated to visit any other "pleasure well" (the analogy described in my previous post). Essential thing #1 isn't unrelated either, one could say that I was over-confident. Still, it has been a recurring topic for me throughout therapy that I would probably benefit from working on my identity, my sense of "self". If I understand correctly this is done by finding and nurturing my "true" values and goals, or as some like to call it: Finding a sense of purpose (i.e., meaning[1]) for my life. The problem I think I have now in regards to this is that I tend to rely on external sources to dictate my values and goals. Suffering from BPD and PTSD probably doesn't help... no sense in ruminating on that right now. Anyways! I have some ideas as to how I can proceed in this direction but I'm running out of time for today. Again, I don't expect anyone to read this but I appreciate it if you do. Take care comrades. [1] I might benefit from reading something like Man's Search for Meaning (by Viktor E. Frankl) or Becoming Myself (by Irvin D. Yalom).

Day 0 (Perhaps) — Shit Colored Glasses (a.k.a. Depression) Greetings comrades! Greetings future self! I relapsed again this weekend... Terraria and Gloomhaven this time... well, to be honest, I've been "cheating" for while. I never really uninstalled Steam. The reason is that I've been clinging to Tabletop Simulator to stay in contact with friends in my hometown or even local ones throughout this pandemic. Unfortunately, this game's multiplayer features are tied to Steam and I don't think I can launch it without opening steam. Knowing this, I've taken many extra steps to avoid some temptation (as they say: out of sight, out of mind). When I launch steam it immediately goes to my library and doesn't show me any advertisement. I have uninstalled all my games except for Tabletop Simulator and Rocksmith 2014 Edition (my friend uses this software as his amp when he comes to jam) and I only display the ones I have installed. The one thing I can't conveniently disable however is the "What's new" adverts portion of my library; ultimately I seem to have to disable adverts one game at a time whenever they show up. So, when I saw the adverts for the Halloween season update for Terraria and Gloomhaven finally leaving early access... well, you get the picture I'm sure, I felt and eventually gave into cravings. To be honest, the worst culprit is probably this mobile idle game I haven't mentioned, where I'm spending so much time and money one could say I'm riding it like an Olympic level tobogganist down the slippery slope towards full relapse. Luckily, after a few days of "binge gaming", which implies neglecting responsibilities, values, and goals, I start feeling cravings to "get my shit together" and I'll probably end up giving into those as well. As my therapist likes to remind me: "You've never given up Patrick. You always wanted to improve and in many ways you have." As much as it's a reassuring and compassionate statement I'd rather just as confidently accept something like "You have been through countless hardships without relapsing". This cycle of giving into addiction, coming out of it and repeat... 😔... Cosplaying Sisyphus for Halloween would be... poetic? Anyways, this cycle, I believe can be explained as a bouncing from one immediately dissatisfying situation, to a more immediately satisfying one, until hedonic adaptation (aka the hedonic treadmill) reverses the perceived immediate satisfaction, tempting me to switch back to the first. I'd like to get this cycle in particular to finally come to an end on the "right" side, if possible. While, yeah, fully abstaining from video games (deleting my accounts and only playing board games in person) may seem like a practical way forward, I have a feeling like doing this now might tend to push me towards another addiction (like drugs, porn/sex, tv/film, etc.). It seems wiser, for now, to tackle the toxic or lacking cognitive and emotional components that drive me towards addictive behavior. Judging from tidbits of Buddhist and Absurdist wisdom, off the top of my head, I think the most effective thing I can do — in the long run at least — is to control/change the way I see my life, and not every aspect of that life. That is, cultivate my own sense of self and relation to more fulfilling values and goals. This is much easier said than done... After talking with my individual therapist and addiction support group, I was reminded of the fact that one of the many mental health issues that influences my ability to do this — and consequentially making important decision — is depression. I've been taking anti-depressants every day for such a long time that I had forgotten what I was taking. I mean, I take several different medications on a schedule to a point where I sometimes do it on auto-pilot without realizing it; sometimes I just have to trust that I took them because I can't even recall whether I did or not 😅. Anyways, although they have gotten me out of major depression symptoms (like suicidal thoughts), there are still dips in my mood that leaves me feeling all around dissatisfied with whatever I'm experiencing in the present moment. I tend to feel pessimistic about myself, the world, and my environment — past, present, or future. This experience is what my therapist and I like to call my "shit-colored glasses", a pair that — like the medication I'm taking to make em a little less opaque — I often don't realize I'm using. I think I can narrow down the cognitive portion (the "reasoning", the "thoughts") that supports or triggers gloomy emotions to 2 different "voices" or "personas": The Harsh Critic That voice that likes to shame me for not living up to a vague standard. e.g. "You're so lazy. Such a piece of shit. Disgusting. Worthless." Regret and shame over my behavior not matching that of an ideal self. The Hedonistic Procrastinator That voice that likes to avoid any sort of boredom, or challenge. e.g. "Ugh this is so boring, you should be feeling good now. You shouldn't be working, you should be having fun." Sadness, anger, and disgust over my environment not matching that of the ideal world. Both of these voices are similar in the fact that they both judge things by comparing things to an ideal; a desirable outcome that quite often doesn't take the burdens of physical reality into account. I've been aware of the first voice for a longtime and spent some time working challenging some of it's claims. Honestly, it's as simple as dealing with a frustrated and lonely child sometimes and this makes sense given my backstory. I was bullied and ostracized by my peers growing up and this voice is what developed to make sense of what was happening to me at the time. Unsurprisingly these thoughts are often triggered in anticipation or hindsight of rejection; the fear of abandonment that is part of my Borderline Personality Disorder diagnosis. So, ultimately, replacing this voice with a more compassionate, kind, and reassuring would probably help a lot. Sometimes I succeed at this, easily putting the criticism on the side, but that's far from always the case. Sometimes the voice gets really loud/invasive. My therapist is now encouraging me to stand up to it, to face it with something like "Yes, I haven't attained this goal or standard but these harsh comments aren't making attainment any easier. So, why don't you actually help me for a change if attaining these goals or standards are that important to you." As for the second voice, well, I haven't spend as much time reflecting on it. Maybe it's been a rarer occurrence these days or maybe I just haven't been as mindful of it. I believe it comes from having parents never really succeeded in helping me enjoy things outside of my comfort zone. I suffered from cancer when I was very young, and so I was behind when it comes to sports and popular hobbies like sports and schoolyard games. The only things I felt good at where video games and board games, fueled by peer pressure, I became pretty obsessed with those and avoidant of anything else. I don't remember if my parents ever tried to make me see things to appreciate in other hobbies. What I do remember is being coerced to try something and then being criticized for not enjoying it right away. At some point they mostly stopped and let me game almost as much as I wanted — having a Cable TV, consoles and my own PC in my bedroom and everything. They didn't stop me from trying other things but I often had to find them through others and if I ever wanted to quit they didn't question me. I think this is where the "things are supposed to be fun" mentality comes from; if I didn't feel like I had an "innate" talent or desire for it, I didn't make much of an effort. One of my peers in my addiction support group told me about a "pleasure wells" analogy. The activities in our lives can be divided up into a vast array of wells from which we can retrieve pleasure. Deliberate or not, overtime, some wells are better tended to, made bigger, more accessible, easier to use, and fuller than others. The problem many addicts have is that a small group of wells have been tended to far more than others to a point of overuse, while the rest have remained far more difficult to access and extract from. So, whenever we crave pleasure, even if we deliberately choose some of the smaller wells, the experience is far less satisfying than what the usual had been at some point. We end up finding ourselves, all the while thirsty, having to take the time and effort tending to and upgrading these neglected wells. It's an interesting analogy but I'd like to go one step further and say that, in reality, well quality isn't that different from one another; that is, yes, the content quantity, texture, sent, and flavor might be different but none of these characteristics are inherently good or bad. A large portion of this difference in quality lies in our perception. So, what I need to call into question isn't just which wells that I go to and tend to, but also how I judge the contents I extract from them. What I need to do isn't simply finding ways to make boring things fun, but also learning to enjoy these things as they are. Maybe I can stand up to this voice with something like "Yes, this is outside of my usual comfort zone but your negative portrayal of doesn't make this more enjoyable. So, why don't you focus on the things you can appreciate about this if enjoying things is that important to you." Anyways, I've been spending all afternoon writing this. I could get more specific about my values and goals, how these voices step in and what I could do but I think I've spent enough time here for today. I don't expect anyone to read this wall of text but if you do, thank you very much and I hope you found it worth your time. Either way, take care comrade.

Day ??? — Self-Worth During my last therapy session I think my therapist helped me identify a common harmful pattern in my thoughts: a lack of self-worth. Some people prefer using terms self-esteem or self-confidence but I think self-worth resonates with me more because I tend to have thoughts along the lines of "I'm not worth..." and "I don't deserve...". I experienced quite a bit of alienation growing up and well... when your peers often treat you like a duck, especially at that age, you start thinking that maybe you are a duck. Anyways, I'm at a point now where I have more opportunities to flourish but these self-deprecating thoughts muddle my wisdom to take these opportunities. Anyways... I did some googling around the topic of self-worth and it was pretty astounding in the following way: Ideally, we should confidently (and to a reasonable degree, I suppose) assume we have some inherent worth regardless of our "performance", and what other people do or say; i.e. unconditional self-acceptance. This may be easier for people that conveniently have a solid foundation or external validation to fall back on (like religious faith, or a reliable social support network). I believe the rest of us however, have more mental/philosophical gymnastics to do. To me, everything is conditional; everything depends on something else all the way back to the big bang (at least). I think maybe my problem is that the reasons I use to justify my feelings towards something (including myself) are too narrow-minded, volatile, and outside of my control. I think this comes back to Buddhism's 4 Noble Truths: Life is full of suffering, the cause of which is often (if not always) unsatisfied desires, shedding said desires is the way to free oneself from suffering. When I notice I'm jumping to conclusions about my self-worth, I ought to try shifting my attention from the things that aren't in my control (like other people's behaviors) towards things that are (like my own thoughts and behavior). Yesterday was a shitty day. My "friend" didn't show up to our plans and didn't answer any of my messages asking him if he was coming over (this isn't the first time either). I don't know what prevented him from letting me know but even if I did, it's still outside of my control whether he chooses to do so or not. As difficult as it was, in hindsight, I believe I would've benefited from shifting my attention away this incidence and onto something more productive. Here's a quote in the same line of thought, that I could've used (dug up from some notes I have). I think that I think I'll print out now. Anyways, if anyone has any ideas, literature, or videos to recommend on the topic, don't hesitate to share.

Day 26 — Walking, Meditating, and Frogs I often struggle to get started in the morning. I find myself, getting up to take my morning pills and going back to bed (I can't eat or drink for 45 to 60 minutes). As if it wasn't obvious enough, a lot of medical experts are saying it's probably better for me if I use that time to do something else (say, take a shower). Although I agree with this advice on a theoretical level, just acknowledging the facts hasn't implicitly triggered a more practical change. The reason, I believe is that I hadn't "fully" or "deeply" accepted the advice; I hadn't let it displace my often subconscious belief. That is, the belief that I should "enjoy" and "desire" doing the things that I do. The roots of this mindset is complex, with roots in my personal trauma and some parts of "centrist, white, middle-class" culture I grew up in. That said, it would take forever to write down my hypotheses in that regard. Anyways, recently, I've reviewed a few things from my dialectal behavior therapy handouts that was quite helpful. The gist of it was: Don't be willful, be willing; i.e. don't wait until you want to do something, do it because you can and it works. Of course that's easier said than done, whether actually have the ability to do something may remain to be seen, but we can at least try. All of that said, I managed to push myself to not go back to bed this morning. And while I did procrastinate a bit in front of my computer, I did manage to push myself to go out for a walk (one little step at a time) in the nearby park and trails along the Ottawa River. I was committed to meditating this morning as well and when I saw people doing yoga in the park, I said to myself "Hey, why not meditate outside for once." So, I did. Although I was distracted by bugs landing on me and my strands of hair tickling my forehead because of the wind, it was a pleasant experience overall. But it was really, when it was over and I opened my eyes that my positive sensations peeked. Seeing, the grass, trees, shrubs, moths, birds, the river and I felt a deeper sense of wonder rising within me. I looked around and I imagined how many critters there where that I couldn't even hear or see and then all the different types of cells and molecules involved in this so complex system in a yet so small portion of the earth. I brought my awareness to the texture of the grass, and trees, the feel of the cool wind, and the warm sun, the sounds of wildlife, and people at the park. All that for while before moving on to finish my walk. On the path, I stopped at a small bridge over the creek just a few hundred meters away from where I meditated. I was observing the clear static water until I saw a well camouflaged bullfrog (I believe, see picture). The frog wasn't making any noise, it wasn't moving at all. I sat next to the creek to observe the frog longer; was it waiting for moth nearby to come into it's range? Was it cooling off in the water? Was it laying eggs or taking a big poop!? 😄 And older woman (maybe in her 70s) walked by, said "hello" and I told her about the frog and she stopped to appreciate the sight as well. We talked about meditation, mindfulness, spirituality and gratitude for a bit; there was a human connection, a sense of feeling heard, seen and valued (as Brené Brown would describe it) and it felt pretty good. One thing she said that I think will stick is (paraphrasing of course) "Normally you wouldn't notice any red Volkswagens, but now that I've mentioned it there's a high chance that you might. Maybe you noticed this frog through it's camouflage because you're attention is set on observing nature right now." And I realized the same can be said about positive things in our life. Taking the time to find positive thoughts and feelings in the present moment, makes it easier to see more throughout the day. While I may not have the ability to prevent feelings from arising, I do have the ability to make some arise. Anyways, I've been typing for an hour now and I'm running out of time. 😄 There's a lot to be learned here and I think this will serve as a motivation to continue going out for walks and meditating. I hope you manage to enjoy part of your day as well. Take care folks.