Best Of

@Jeffrey said:
I'm still looking for more strategies though. Do you have any?

I thought I did but they turned out to be fair-weather friends. They all work great until they're put to the test. Your strategy is one of the better that I've tried. I've heard it called "No Zero Days" and even if it is just one push up, you can at least use that one push up as a small grounding point to prove to yourself with direct experience you can do something you don't want to do. Then hopefully build from there. Where I run into trouble is the continuation. If I stop for even a single day, all progress crumbles.

Another strategy I've tried which usually only works when I'm in at least a fair mood is what I call going in with the mindset of "Half-assing" the task. I struggle to attempt tasks due to need for perfection and fear of failure so if I go into the task with the permission and assumption it won't be perfect or even very good at all or even that I'll complete it, then I find I have a much more relaxed attitude about it and will give it an attempt vs not doing it.

Of course ideally on days where I remember to let go of self and attachment, and on days where I can muster the will to do so, I find I can take the energy used fighting the things I don't want to do and reflect it outward as compassion and concentration since in that moment I no longer identify with the desires of self. However this too is much easier state to remain in on fair-weather days, though it works to small degrees on any day I can muster enough care to give it an honest attempt. Sometimes that's enough for the breath of fresh air I need to snap out of my mind-controlled funk. I had actually forgotten how to tap into that and reliving it in the explanation here helped remind me, thank you.

@FleaMarket said:

@Jeffrey said:

• Learn strategies that work for you to do things you don't want to do (example exercise)

Any examples or some that work for you? My tool kit is needing a revamp.

Hi I still looking for more strategies. One that works for me is to just do whatever I don't want to do and once it's done then I don't have to worry about it. Example is the exercise. Another strategy is to do at least one thing per day that I didn't want to do. Also obviously we are talking about good things to do but that you avoid doing. Not talking about things you shouldn't do that you also don't want to do! Another strategy is to just do one thing per day that you don't want to do. Or do one half hour of stuff per day that you don't want to do. That way in a month you do 30 things you didn't want to do or you do 15 hours of stuff you didn't want to do!

I'm still looking for more strategies though. Do you have any?

Dear Friends of the Medicine Buddha,

As we know gut bacteria can be improved,
https://www.eatthis.com/gut-health/

so can the nose and mouth biome
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/killer-sinus-infection-how-to-tell-if-yours-is-viral-or-bacterial/

How do you improve your health?

Frequent water
Multi-vitamins and essential oils so no matter how bad I get, I keep a few things in line.
House plants for company and to always be reminded of compassion.