Do the Opposite - Illusion of Being Tired, How to Get Unstuck, Diet That Might Cure Depression

Hello friends,

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How Feeling Tired Is Similar To Feeling Hungry
As I am implementing the lessons I've learnt from reading "Can't Hurt Me" - making myself do uncomfortable things and things I just plain don't want to do (but at the same time need/want to do to accomplish my goals + dreams), I've noticed a pattern.

The feeling of "tiredness" that I have is no more than another mask of Resistance, just a way for the brain to get away with not doing the work. I understood that because when I am tired but I still make myself do something - be it writing some code or a personal project or doing the dishes - I don't really feel that tired at all. Au contraire, I feel I have more energy after I am done with the task.

"Energy begets energy" they say, and I find that to be true. Similar to how our brains make us think we are hungry, as soon as the clock's hands creep up to our usual lunch time, they also make us think we are tired way before we actually are. If we were to wait for a couple more hours, the feeling of being hungry would go away - because that never was a real hunger (you are not starving) - it's the brain's signal for safety of the routine.

Note that I am not talking here about the real tiredness one might feel in the first year (or more) of being a parent, or of working 2 jobs, or of working on the construction site all day. I am talking about the semi-relaxed days of regular, non-crazy work, after which we come home feeling tired.

I think that tiredness is kind of like a membrane the brain puts in your way - if you agree with it that the membrane is really blocking your way, you take the easy way out. What you can do instead is to step through that membrane, that spider web of false sensations, and find that what's beyond it is a completely different reality than you expected to see.

First blog post is up on Do The Opposite
Last week I've mentioned the future plans for the Do the Opposite platform, with a blog post every Wednesday and a video every Thursday. Well, I've written and posted the first blog post, building on one of the topics discussed in the previous newsletters, so here it is: Lack Of Sleep As A Procrastination Technique

The site still needs LOTS of work, but my main goal last week was to find a way to publish a blog post on it, so my fixes were focused on making it possible. I am planning to improve the site gradually, so I apologize for the so-so look it now has :) I haven't managed to record a video last Thursday, but publishing a post was a good start - this week I am working towards doing both the post and the video :)

Book: "Living with a SEAL" by Jesse Itzler

I've recently finished "Living with a SEAL" book by Jesse Itzler, which was a light and fun read. Jesse is a successful business person, and he is also an athlete - routinely running marathons and ultras. At some point, to up his game in both fitness and business, he had hired a Navy SEAL to live with him for a month and train him every day.

What made this book interesting to me was the fact that the SEAL Jesse hired was David Goggins. It was around 2005-2006, long before David's book had come out. I was interested to learn more about his personality, the way he makes decisions and his thinking and behaviour patterns. I've got all that + had a lot of fun along the way. Jesse is very funny when he wants to be, and I got a lot of stares on the subway for laughing out loud when reading the book. :)

Articles:
1) "To Control Your Life, Control What You Pay Attention To" by Maura Thomas
This is often a topic here at Do the Opposite - the way your focus determines your life experiences and outcomes, as well as your life trajectory. Again, this article made the cut because of the specific practical ways it provides to help us manage our focus, and not give in to various distractions in your environment, in your tech gadgets, and even your thoughts.

2) "19 Reasons Why You're Stuck and How to Get Unstuck" by Lolly Daskal
I really liked this article for the breadth of possible mental blocks it covers, and for the fact that it concisely addresses each of them, providing a way out. Skim through the list and if you feel that you're experiences some of the blocks mentioned, read the "way out" instructions for each of them.

3) "The Diet That Might Cure Depression" by Olga Khazan
Scientists find more and more ways in which bacteria in our guts (our "microbiome") affect our health and mental state. The microbiome is controlled by many factors, including what we eat and drink, as well as things like our overall physical condition and stress levels, and more. In this article, Olga provides more information on how specific diets affect the gut bacteria, which in turn affects our moods and emotional state so much that its changes can get us into or out of a depression.

Tweet that resonated with me
Make sure to read the replies to this - very powerful.

Ethos:

Quotes:
"It is amateurs who have one big bright beautiful idea that they can never abandon. Professionals know that they have to produce theory after theory before they are likely to hit the jackpot."
― Francis Crick, British molecular biologist, biophysicist, neuroscientist; co-discoverer of the structure of DNA

"It is the hottest fire that forms the sternest steel."
― Pierce Brown, "Red Rising"

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Keep doing the opposite,
Alexander Kallaway
Website: dotheoppo.site
Twitter: twitter.com/ka11away