Doc's Tips: #1

[Dr. Manhattan]

Hey!

I really want to give back to this community and I want to help you guys become the best version of yourselves with wisdom that I've accumulated over the years and with my own natural insight/view on things.

There are a few thoughts/actions/habits that I maintain for myself to be this cool, calm, friendly, funny, warm, helpful, engaged, positive, courageous, strong, and optimistic person & I want to share them with you.

I'll be titling the subject: Doc's Tips: #(and the number of the post)

This will be Doc's Tips: #1

"Develop a genuine enjoyment for watching your mind try to ruin your plans. Develop a keen eye for when your mind tries to get you off-track. Don't judge your mind for doing it. It may be fear, self-sabataging behavior, whatever. Obsessing over why it's happening is simply another way the mind is keeping you off track."

If at any point these posts are met with disapproval I'll simply stop doing it and won't take it personally

Doc

 

[Chase]

Excellent tip, Doc.

This is usually called "mindfulness"... it's a big part of Buddhist instruction (sati it's called there) to help tame the mind.

By fighting against the mind, you stay trapped in emotion. If you're telling yourself "Don't be angry!" or "Resist the temptation!" you're fighting mind against mind. But if you just step back and say "I'm feeling anger" or "I'm feeling temptation to do something" it creates distance from the emotion. That distance calms the emotion down and puts "calm you" back in control of things.

Very important step on the road to having more conscious control of one's thoughts and feelings (and ultimately actions and behavior).

Chase

 

[Dr. Manhattan]

Thank you, Chase.

I've noticed that the key is to focus on stepping back and solidifying the habit of doing so. If stepping back is the goal then the thoughts which lead to feelings by default lose a bit of their edge which then allows you to fully step back and observe as you've already felt a shift by deciding to step back. Then you feel calm and back in control which, in my experience, makes me feel really good.

Doc