Be more aware.
How many times Ive been getting this message in life.
And I always keep forgetting. Be aware of your thoughts. Be aware what you are doing. And most importantly be aware of your intentions. Running through life mindlessly can get us into so much more difficulties. Suddenly you realize you ended up in an emotional place you didnt meant to be. Then again, you become aware of what kind of negative emotional loop you got yourself into. And here the lesson comes again. How many more times this has to happen before we actually learn something.

Now I also realize why the nexus is so important to me, it is a place of rationality, empathy and a collection of different opinions of knowledge, which in its combination I can consider a place of true learning and good intentions.
So when I loose myself in this world, forget my values, going all to much chameleon in this society, I can come back here to remember what it was all about in the first place.

Thanks guys!

Great post woogyboogy! I can relate a lot to what you're saying here.

We are creatures of habit, we create behaviour patterns, which spring from thought patterns. Joe Rogan always talks about momentum, how past actions and ingrained habits and routines can lead you down a bad path without you even being aware of it.

The Buddhist concept of mindfulness appeals to me, and I think it can be a great tool to keep you focused and conscious and aware and in the moment, in every moment. I'm not a guru or anything, far from it, in fact I really struggle with this, but I think practicing mindfulness can be a great help for anyone dealing with unconscious behaviour patterns.

I really struggle with this awareness when it comes to social anxiety, a problem that I've had for years but that I'm only now really starting to actively combat. I have to keep reminding myself to put myself out there in social situations, but I take comfort in the fact that I've made significant improvement over the past few months.

The Nexus is truly amazing, right? It truly is a gem, a marvellous community of like minded people, of knowledgeable people, of kind and supportive people, and just of plain down good folks. It really is the place to be!

You know how in time travel plots how the time traveler must be mindful not to disturb the past in order to preserve the future, as every single tiny action could have major consequence...

Now, we are not preserving any "future" in daily existance, but our actions are just as relevant, every single decision has drastic effects, no matter how inane or inconsequential they may appear...

I'm reminded of the practice of Buddhism, and their focus on "mindfulness", the Buddhist concept of mindfulness is analogous to what you seem to be describing, I'm not sure if you have looked into it, though if you haven't I highly recommend it.

Mindfulness and clarity are important...

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Misc. McKenna on Buddhist practice:











-eg

Thanks for the replies JustAnotherHuman and eg.

Yeah mindfulness definitely is the way to go, for dealing with these issues. But like you said JAH while I do practice, then again I keep losing myself in those patterns.

Especially I feel the way big city life plays with my desires and overstimulates my senses, does that to me. It really is sometimes difficult to navigate all the possibilities that come up as a young person in a modern metro pole, especially if you have a weakness for hedonism as a mean of distraction.
Once I am in a more calm environment I am much more able to stay conscious, and live the day in a way most beneficial for my well being.
The interesting thing is, once you went to the bottom, you automatically become more aware again, and then feel the pain, and from there if you dont distract yourself, youre already on the healing path. An effective lesson in mindfulness.

I also had problems with social anxiety for a long time, but somehow managed to deal with it over the years.
Mindfulness definitly helps, and also like you said, just putting yourself out there. But also I just had to basically reframe the picturee I have of my self, and how I stand in position to others.
It didnt come down to only mindfulness, but also just creating new and more effective behaviour patterns. What helped was just trying to be more honest, training myself to speak about certain insecurities at least with some good friends, and at other times just things like overplaying insecurities with jokes. Its definitly not the ultimate way for becoming 100% an enactor of your true self, but its an effective tool to survive this crazy jungle out there.
But also for that I had to get some basic amount of self confidence
Psychedelics in combination with good friends definitly helped with this.

Edit:
I read some where that mens testosterone levels are peaking in their twenties, and probably some other hormones as well. I feel thats really part of the thing, no matter where Id go it would always draw me back to somewhere lively because of certain urges. I dont know anything thats more distracting. Sometimes I feel that the reproduction drive really becomes a bit of a weight on your shoulders as a human in modern day society...