[mmasters]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('uNkNowN ElEmEnt', 'I')f you can give any links about this diet you have been on Mmasters it would be appreciated.

[RedStateGreen]

This might be just the thing for you: Click the piggy.

[Iaato]

A little less traumatic...

Snowball the dancing and singing cockatoo

[mmasters]

Backsteet boys reminded me of this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dmVU08zVpA

[vfr]

Whatever the area of mind abuse - a sick mind that is constantly busy cannot heal itself without rest. Nor can that mind think rationally when it is sick. Meditation on nothingness (zazen) helps quiet a "sticky brain" that seems to hold onto everything. I can get positive results with just 15 to 20 minutes a day sitting meditation time. It helps if I sit at regular time. I meditate on nothingness, although some meditate on an object If you can get to a half hour meditation time, that is great. Do not confuse zazen with sleep. Having a brain awake and empty if far different from a brain asleep and still producing thoughts and dreams. It just takes time and practice. Morning works better for me than mid day...there are less things distracting me earlier in the day usually.

The important point is to just do it and do it regularly and do not make demands on your meditation practice or have expectations. Balance is very important in life. We need some spiritual practice and some physical as well. We sometimes forget we are spiritual beings residing in physical bodies living in physical world and need effort in both areas.

There are many other ways to use meditation besides traditional sitting meditation. There is also working mediation and walking mediation practices. If you do yoga, you can try combining meditation with your Yoga practice. Mindfulness meditation all starts with being aware of ones breath. I also make use of meditation tools such as a meditation timer. One type is a $10 CD that sounds a gong after a preset time. The other one is an expensive $100 electric gong timer that can also be used as an alarm clock or Yoga timer.

Sometimes I might use the 15 minute preset time just to get into a state conducive to meditation and when the gong goes off keep sitting until I feel like getting up naturally. These are usually the best sessions for me, although they require a person to have some freedom of time. Seldom can I sit for longer than 30 to 35 minutes at a session due to time and my ability. But, don't get caught up in ego and try to mediate ad infinitum thinking the longer the better. One out of balance practitioner I knew bragged how he could meditate the main away from his rotting teeth with long hours of meditation. In his case too much sitting and too little oral hygiene -- stay balanced.

Any sort of timer is fine except one that jars you out of meditation in an abusive and agitating manner. A timer frees one's mind from worrying about such things. This should also apply to our alarm clocks in the morning. I use a CD clock that plays birds singing. Start your day off in peace. If you need further advice, there are many good books, videos or tapes on meditating from your local library that can help. Also many internet resources.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zazen


http://www.mro.org/zmm/teachings/meditation.php





Take care,


V (Male)

Agnostic Freethinker
Practical Philosopher
Futurist
Urban Homesteader

[Pops]

I read the first few posts and quit reading as few folks here have much of an idea of stress.

I have no idea of real stress in the Doomer vein but a little in the world – at least up to now.

My thoughts are that one can only handle stress a few ways:

Fold.
Blow now
Blow later

If you fold, you and everyone depending on you lose.

If you blow now you and yours may win or lose depending on which way you blow.

But pushing emotions way into your gut (to let them out later at a safer time) and trying to keep in your head in the moment seems the best bet.

Worked so far anyway…

[Ferretlover]

Anybody else here feeling strangely detached recently?

As though one knows what is coming-what will be, will be?

[threadbear]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'I') read the first few posts and quit reading as few folks here have much of an idea of stress.

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('threadbear', 'T')o laugh.

[FreakOil]

The stress that would result from not being able to find food is categorically different than stress from work or some other aspect of modern life. You can't just go fishing; the only way to deal with that stress is to keep looking for food.

[aldente]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vfr', ' ')Do not confuse zazen with sleep

[mmasters]

BTW, I found the answer I was looking for when I started this thread through a combination of diet, lifestyle changes and supplements.

What to avoid:
Remove sugar from your diet as much as possible (including white bread, white rice, white pasta and potatoes).

Avoid caffeine, processed food, junk food, msg and hydrogenated oils (found in most butter and margerine products).

Avoid fruit and fruit juice in the morning as the blood sugar fluctuations can reak havoc on your hormonal balance which needs to be strong early in the day.

Avoid tap water. Avoid excessive alcohol usage.

What to eat:
Whole grains. Multi-grains. Protein. Lots of Vegetables. Include healthy oils like olive, flax, palm, safflower where possible.

Ideally a combination of all these things for every meal.

Supplements:
Take Vitamin C daily at least 1000mg. Time released is best. Ester-C is a non acidic form of C that works great.

If under a lot of stress or you know you're going to be, up your Vit C and also take 150-200mg of Magnesium Citrate and a B complex.

Panthothenic acid, vitamin E, Calcium and Fish or flax oil are good as well (the minerals and oils are best taken before bed).

Lifestyle changes:
Eat 3 meals a day, never skip breakfast and eat breakfast before 10am.

Try to get at least 8 hours sleep. Try to limit negativity in your life including limiting your time spent at peakoil.com and similar sites.

Get light to moderate exercise. Avoid strenuous exercise if you are having stress issues as it can deplete your body of nutrients and put strain on your glands.

Spend time with family and friends. Get good sex when possible!

[RedStateGreen]

I've found the program of meditation CD's at http://www.centerpointe.com to be very helpful, especially if you are prone to worry or stress. I've been using them for over five years. Just ignore the new age hype on the site, the science behind them is impressive. They have a free demo that you can order, if you want to try it.

Also for me, doing things involving water calms me down. Washing dishes, watering the garden, a shower, swimming, whatever. I'm not sure why but it works every time.

[btu2012]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', 'P')aranoid loons.

[kakkerlak]

Nothing is more comforting then sleeping when you're really really tired.

Aggression and pain are good ways to get rid of stress. Especially if you hurt yourself hitting a concrete wall.

Sports like boxing, running or anything that is physical demanding do help to (at least for a moment) relieve stress.

And...uhh...destroying stuff is fun!

Have fun (destroying)!
Roach

[pedalling_faster]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('threadbear', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'I') read the first few posts and quit reading as few folks here have much of an idea of stress.

[BigTex]

Maybe some of the experts here can help out, but I was reading and the idea of planning was referred to as "memories of the future". This got me to thinking about how if a plan is experienced in some way psychologically as a "memory" of the future, or perhaps a projection of future events, plans based upon unhappy assumptions such as peak oil could have unintended psychological effects in the present.

This would be something akin to "pre-traumatic stress disorder"--i.e., the stress of an event not-yet-experienced causes symptoms similar to the more traditional post-traumatic stresss disorder.

Any thoughts on this idea?

[RedStateGreen]

Well, it certainly kills any of the fun of just living, that's for sure.

[BigTex]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RedStateGreen', 'W')ell, it certainly kills any of the fun of just living, that's for sure.