Dopamine nation has had a big impact. My husband and I read it at the same time and could bounce off ideas/challenges together. It really helped.
Andrew Huberman has several neuroscience videos on dopamine and social media. All of them scary. All of them effective if the idea is to ween off constant stimulation of the neurons.
In the recent week, this video has given me some food for thought :
Love this post - and can very much relate, as someone who has long struggled to square hyper-consumerist habits with my desire for a slow, enduring wardrobe. I am also on the Rule of 5(10) train this year and wish you well with your journey!
I am struck by this relationship between consumption and distraction. I feel like it is so easy to welcome distraction (and seek comfort in it) in these current times with financial, societal, environmental insecurity abound. It’s like we need small, inconsequential things to fuss over (e.g., finding the best tank top for under $50) keep us from losing our minds over larger problems that feel so out of our control.
While we may not be able to tackle the wicked problems on an individual level, I believe that the anecdote to mindless distraction is finding a worthwhile project to redirect your focus. Something meaningful to sow pent-up creative energy into. Something to work on and nurture, in hopes that it will tip the scales ever-so-slightly towards a future worth believing in. Like your garden, which you’ve so lovingly described.
At the moment, I'm too tuned in to my project (raising my child) to care much about clothes shopping, though temptation is always close by. But I know I will always value personal style and admire the art behind beautiful garments. I'm still figuring out a realistic approach to enjoying these pleasures - where I can responsibly indulge without losing too much of my attention and resources to them.
I have wondered if those of us who are childfree have more time to browse and hence invite more temptation into our lives. Nothing I can do as a side project can take up the focus + energy required to keep a young child safe and healthy.
Maybe this is when our previous generations can help. I wonder what they did to find release from the everyday mundane and overwhelming ?
Yes, that’s true - child rearing requires more energy and commitment than anything else I’ve ever set my mind to. But there must be other meaningful ways to fill time and brain space in the long run. Not everyone will have kids and those of us who do will likely find our nests empty at some point.
I feel like our world is so different from the one our elders knew - as are our expectations of a “good life”. We’re so virtually connected, yet socially isolated. We have more money, yet worry about attaining basic things like housing and healthy food. There is so much information and stuff that we can access and consume in an instant that it’s nauseating. Perhaps it’s up to us, as the generations at the frontier of the digital age, to pilot and model new ways of living amidst the distractions?
I feel so peaceful and happy just visualising your garden, what a remarkable thing to have created! Ever since your last post about walking, I have been trying to practice what I learnt about mindfulness in small moments in my everyday routine, from walking to having my morning coffee -- no phone, no earphones tuned to a podcast, no laptop, no magazines. It's too soon to say whether it's making a true difference to how I sit with myself but I enjoy the effort.
With April coming to an end, I'm starting to draft my own reflections on the first fourth months of trying to seriously do the rule of 5 challenge, and it was truly not without its ups and downs...I feel a lot of the internal struggle you described in this post. I think this year still went better than last year though, which I embarked on on impulse -- this year I feel more in control and confident. It's definitely smart to plan and prepare yourself mentally and I hope it's a rewarding experience for you!
Thank you so much for mentioning my garden. It is my ward under my care.
That this year is less effortful as last year gives me hope. I see it as a practice and not linear pathway to success. I no longer think "just do it" is great advice in this arena. The How, is something we need to figure out and share.
Just came across this and loved it. It resonated deeply especially in this post sale weekend.
Would you be open to sharing your favourite reads on dopamine addiction!
Thank you !
Dopamine nation has had a big impact. My husband and I read it at the same time and could bounce off ideas/challenges together. It really helped.
Andrew Huberman has several neuroscience videos on dopamine and social media. All of them scary. All of them effective if the idea is to ween off constant stimulation of the neurons.
In the recent week, this video has given me some food for thought :
https://youtu.be/A3svaOilIis?si=Am6iW6R3ZhL3BAXi
Love this post - and can very much relate, as someone who has long struggled to square hyper-consumerist habits with my desire for a slow, enduring wardrobe. I am also on the Rule of 5(10) train this year and wish you well with your journey!
I am struck by this relationship between consumption and distraction. I feel like it is so easy to welcome distraction (and seek comfort in it) in these current times with financial, societal, environmental insecurity abound. It’s like we need small, inconsequential things to fuss over (e.g., finding the best tank top for under $50) keep us from losing our minds over larger problems that feel so out of our control.
While we may not be able to tackle the wicked problems on an individual level, I believe that the anecdote to mindless distraction is finding a worthwhile project to redirect your focus. Something meaningful to sow pent-up creative energy into. Something to work on and nurture, in hopes that it will tip the scales ever-so-slightly towards a future worth believing in. Like your garden, which you’ve so lovingly described.
At the moment, I'm too tuned in to my project (raising my child) to care much about clothes shopping, though temptation is always close by. But I know I will always value personal style and admire the art behind beautiful garments. I'm still figuring out a realistic approach to enjoying these pleasures - where I can responsibly indulge without losing too much of my attention and resources to them.
Thank you Lan.
I have wondered if those of us who are childfree have more time to browse and hence invite more temptation into our lives. Nothing I can do as a side project can take up the focus + energy required to keep a young child safe and healthy.
Maybe this is when our previous generations can help. I wonder what they did to find release from the everyday mundane and overwhelming ?
Yes, that’s true - child rearing requires more energy and commitment than anything else I’ve ever set my mind to. But there must be other meaningful ways to fill time and brain space in the long run. Not everyone will have kids and those of us who do will likely find our nests empty at some point.
I feel like our world is so different from the one our elders knew - as are our expectations of a “good life”. We’re so virtually connected, yet socially isolated. We have more money, yet worry about attaining basic things like housing and healthy food. There is so much information and stuff that we can access and consume in an instant that it’s nauseating. Perhaps it’s up to us, as the generations at the frontier of the digital age, to pilot and model new ways of living amidst the distractions?
I feel so peaceful and happy just visualising your garden, what a remarkable thing to have created! Ever since your last post about walking, I have been trying to practice what I learnt about mindfulness in small moments in my everyday routine, from walking to having my morning coffee -- no phone, no earphones tuned to a podcast, no laptop, no magazines. It's too soon to say whether it's making a true difference to how I sit with myself but I enjoy the effort.
With April coming to an end, I'm starting to draft my own reflections on the first fourth months of trying to seriously do the rule of 5 challenge, and it was truly not without its ups and downs...I feel a lot of the internal struggle you described in this post. I think this year still went better than last year though, which I embarked on on impulse -- this year I feel more in control and confident. It's definitely smart to plan and prepare yourself mentally and I hope it's a rewarding experience for you!
Thank you so much for mentioning my garden. It is my ward under my care.
That this year is less effortful as last year gives me hope. I see it as a practice and not linear pathway to success. I no longer think "just do it" is great advice in this arena. The How, is something we need to figure out and share.
This is an incredible piece! Thank you for the thoughtful and insightful approach. Everyone should read this!!
Thank you !
i really appreciate the depth and honesty in this piece!
Thank you !