My avatar logoInom Turdikulov

4 min read

Psychology

What actually is psychology?
Psychology is the study of the mind and behaviour, how our actions relate to how we think, subject of study is human and animals.

Studies:

  • thoughts;
  • feelings;
  • behaviors;

Many psychology problems (which I define as such) can be solved by continuous work on them. Many of them imposed by society, some are imposed by nature. For example:

  • Programming enthusiast → learn and work on projects → Experienced programmer.
  • Newbie to natural science → learn and experiment → educated in natural science.
  • Not financially stable → learn and work on career → financially stable.
  • Not very well socialized → learn how and communicate with people → well socialized.
  • Constantly looking for new hobby → stop jumping, try something long enough → enjoy your hobby.
  • Overweight, physical and mental health promblems → exercise, eat healthy, sleep enough → solve problems.

Learning path

Meditation

Techniques for dealing with lack of motivation, malaise, depression 1

Jonathan Blow about ways to deal with lack of motivation, malaise, and depression. Particularly relevant to those in software development and other fields requiring prolonged periods of focused computer work (which is not natural for humans). The speaker frames these issues as existing on a spectrum, ranging from mild lack of motivation to serious depression.

The core argument is that these negative feelings stem (arise) from an interplay (interactions) of thoughts, bodily sensations, and emotional states, which fuel each other in a self-sustaining cycle (self-support). The speaker advocates for a divide-and-conquer approach, addressing each component separately.

Techniques for Addressing Negative Feelings:

  • Thoughts: The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing that you are not your thoughts. He suggests simple exercises to gain distance from thought s, observing them as they pass through your mind like clouds, noticing their impermanence (temporary) and lack of inherent weight or solidity. This helps reduce their power and prevents being overwhelmed by them.

  • Bodily Sensations: The speaker highlights that bodily sensations are fundamentally neutral; it’s the mind’s interpretation that assigns negative value. He encourages focused attention on physical sensations (e.g., the feeling of sitting in a chair) to perceive their raw, uninterpreted nature. This practice reveals the often-illusory solidity and negativity associated with physical feelings, particularly pain and discomfort. The speaker shares a personal anecdote of overcoming severe food poisoning by employing this technique.

  • Emotional States: The speaker asserts that emotions themselves are fleeting; they require “fuel” from thoughts and bodily sensations to persist. By directing attention directly to the emotional state, one can observe it dispassionately, effectively removing the fuel and causing the emotion to dissipate quickly. This is likened to shining a light on a shadow, causing it to vanish. The speaker emphasizes that even momentarily achieving this neutral observation can provide significant relief and a sense of agency.

  • The Interplay and its Mitigation (lowering impact): The speaker explains how these three elements – thoughts, bodily sensations, and emotions – interact in a self-perpetuating cycle of negativity. Weakening any one element through the described techniques will weaken the entire cycle. He illustrates this with a personal story about overcoming anger by calmly observing the thoughts and sensations fueling it.

Important Considerations:

The speaker explicitly states that these techniques are not a replacement for professional medical help. He strongly recommends seeking help from medical professionals for serious depression, acknowledging the existence and potential benefit of antidepressants while also noting their limitations and the desirability of trying alternative approaches. He emphasizes the value of trying these techniques even if only partially effective, as they can significantly reduce the intensity of negative emotional states.

Relaxation

Relaxation greatly reduces stress, anxiety, and depression.

It can be acchived through meditation, breathing, exercises. Basically relaxation proccess are some processes in your brain.

Methods of relaxation:

  • Physical - breathing, muscle relaxation.
  • Mental - meditation, some activities.

Footnotes

  1. Techniques for dealing with lack of motivation, malaise, depression, YouTube link. ↩

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