Living the Lifestyle, Wildcard Friday! 6-3-2022
steve0mania
Posts: 3,405 Member
We meet here to explore, share, celebrate and (sometimes) agonize over how we do (or don't) incorporate weight loss guidelines into our daily lives. "It's a lifestyle, not a diet" is easily and often said, but sometimes not so simply put into practice.
This is a thread for everyone. If you're new to GoaD, or to weight loss, your questions and comments are always welcome. If you're maintaining, or a long-term loser, your thoughts on the topic may be just what someone else needs to hear. If you're reading this, join in the discussion!
Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion.
Monday - crewahl (Charlie)
Tuesday – Flintwinch (Tim)
Wednesday - misterhub (Greg)
Thursday -imastar2 (Derrick)
Friday - Wildcard
Today's Topic: How does the "state-of-the-world" impact your healthy lifestyle?
These past few years have been tough. We've had major political divisions, racial divisions, gender divisions, inflation, increasing gas prices, wars and other international conflicts, fights about wokeness, fights about free-speech, issues with violence, battles about guns, fights about masks and vaccines, and of course, we've been dealing with a pandemic that just doesn't want to end. All of this creates a background "state-of-the-world" that can be hard to be cheery about.
How does this background "state-of-the-world" effect you? Does your emotional state rise and fall with the news cycle or are you more even-keeled? How do these seemingly ongoing challenges in the world effect your own world view, and how much does your world-view have an impact on your efforts to live a healthy lifestyle? How do you deal with it all?
This is a thread for everyone. If you're new to GoaD, or to weight loss, your questions and comments are always welcome. If you're maintaining, or a long-term loser, your thoughts on the topic may be just what someone else needs to hear. If you're reading this, join in the discussion!
Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion.
Monday - crewahl (Charlie)
Tuesday – Flintwinch (Tim)
Wednesday - misterhub (Greg)
Thursday -imastar2 (Derrick)
Friday - Wildcard
Today's Topic: How does the "state-of-the-world" impact your healthy lifestyle?
These past few years have been tough. We've had major political divisions, racial divisions, gender divisions, inflation, increasing gas prices, wars and other international conflicts, fights about wokeness, fights about free-speech, issues with violence, battles about guns, fights about masks and vaccines, and of course, we've been dealing with a pandemic that just doesn't want to end. All of this creates a background "state-of-the-world" that can be hard to be cheery about.
How does this background "state-of-the-world" effect you? Does your emotional state rise and fall with the news cycle or are you more even-keeled? How do these seemingly ongoing challenges in the world effect your own world view, and how much does your world-view have an impact on your efforts to live a healthy lifestyle? How do you deal with it all?
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Generally speaking, I am able to dissociate the story-of-the-day from my own emotional state. I fully appreciate that there are "bad things" happening out there in the world, and yet, I also keep a good dose of skepticism about the news I read, watch, or hear. I understand that "news" has become as much as an entertainment industry trying to generate revenue through shock and strife as it is a balanced news industry. As such, I try to recognize that things may not really be as bad as the news would suggest. I have given up on most social mediate (FB, IG, Twitter, etc.) and that has helped me avoid getting too deeply sucked into the emotional outrage that sometimes runs rampant.
With that said, there are certainly times where the current news and state-of-the-world gets to me. For example, the Delta then Omicron COVID waves really got to me, as I was mentally ready to get back to "normal life" post-pandemic when those waves hit. I was feeling very adrift, and pretty down about things. I don't think I had clinical depression, but I was very blue. During those times, I do find it harder to be motivated to work on things like diet and exercise. Those times really drain me, mentally, and I tend to want to vegetate by sitting on the couch, staring at the TV, and giving up on having any willpower.
Thankfully, those latter episodes aren't too frequent, and I am often able to pull myself back up again. I'm not sure exactly how I do it, but it often has something to do with feeling in-control of something, and as we sometimes discuss, the one thing we can control is our own behaviors.
This topic came to me this morning. I've been feeling emotionally fine lately, even though the news has been pretty bad lately. Someone came up to me this morning and was really distraught by the current news cycle. It struck me that we are hearing the same news stories, and yet processing them very differently. I guess that's what makes the world go 'round, right?0 -
In general, I do feel a sense of anxiety and a certain level of pessimism - especially politically. However, I combat it with an effort at positivity and keeping after it.
There are two primary schools of existential philosophy: 1) Satre; and, 2) Camus
In Sartre's world, life is absurd and has no point, ultimately resolving into a very nihilistic approach to the world. In Camus' world, life is still absurd and confusing; however, it resolves to the idea that living day to day is the point - and, we as humans, find our purpose by doing what we have to do, day by day, regardless the conditions.
I am very much in the Camus camp. I still have to get up and keep going no matter what. So, I still need to exercise/move. I still need to eat a healthy diet. I still need to take care of myself - because I need to get up tomorrow and do it again.
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In general, I do feel a sense of anxiety and a certain level of pessimism - especially politically. However, I combat it with an effort at positivity and keeping after it.
There are two primary schools of existential philosophy: 1) Satre; and, 2) Camus
In Sartre's world, life is absurd and has no point, ultimately resolving into a very nihilistic approach to the world. In Camus' world, life is still absurd and confusing; however, it resolves to the idea that living day to day is the point - and, we as humans, find our purpose by doing what we have to do, day by day, regardless the conditions.
I am very much in the Camus camp. I still have to get up and keep going no matter what. So, I still need to exercise/move. I still need to eat a healthy diet. I still need to take care of myself - because I need to get up tomorrow and do it again.
Yup! Was looking for what to say, and that pretty well sums it up, for me.
As the Bee Gee's sang :"Stayin' alive, stayin' alive"0 -
I will admit that the state if the world is about as upside down as I seen it in my lifetime. I'm trying to focus on the positive things and stay away from the negative. The negative has a way of creeping in on it's own no matter what. Diet wise I pretty much have enough frustrations with figuring out myself much less the rest of the world. I do know one thing. I can't change other people and I can't change the world. The only person I can change is me and that is a darn out right challenge.1
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The defining state-of-the-world event for me personally was the Vietnam War. I served there for 9 months with the U.S. Navy, and even though on the periphery of the land combat, we had plenty going on just offshore with the biggest offensive of the war happening for most of 1972. In many ways, I've gone thru life like a tourist ever since, and while I'm not immune to the bad or worse news going on, it doesn't affect my desire to live a healthy lifestyle. I feel sad, angry, and discouraged by what is going on in the world, but I believe that most people are decent and selfless.1
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I tend to be an amature historian which leads me to compare things in the world today with things in the world of the past. So when ever I hear someone talk about how things are worse than they used to be my mind tends to go with the thought that I am glad we are not living with the conditions that existed during Vietnam, WW1 or WW2, the great depression, the civil war etc. It helps me to realize that things could actually be worse, and to be grateful for the things I do not have to deal with now.1
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I have lived a blessed life. I was raised to value education and hard work, and invested in both. I married a wonderful woman with similar values, and we celebrate 44 years next Friday. I saved money while working, and have a pension and investment accounts that mean I’m not worried about shelter, next meal, etc. Despite living most of my adult life significantly overweight, my health is impacted only by normal issues of aging so far.
So I’m less impacted by the price of gas or a loaf of bread or how busy the emergency rooms get than most people. I try to pay attention to the “outside world” that exists beyond my little moat, but only to be aware of trends and potential hazards. I read the Boston Globe and the Manchester Union Leader (liberal and conservative, respectively) to get a more balanced view over the ramparts. But I don’t watch TV new or news shows, don’t use Facebook or Instagram or Twitter or WhatsApp or TicTok. To me, they're all just a “selfie” view of the world - an image polished and published to make someone else feel good about themselves.
And I tend to agree with @Cakeman21k that while things seem bad, it’s still valuable to keep perspective. No members of Congress are shooting each other or beating each other as they did in the Civil War. I’m concerned that the political divisions today are eroding the idea of a common good that we can all strive towards despite different ideas about how to get there. I do, however, remain optimistic that things do change for the better from time to time.1 -
I can’t control the world. I can manage my weight.
My life has been a miracle by historical standards. I frequently think of my grandfather. A coal miner. Married at 16, a father at 18. At over 6’ he was a tall man for his times. His concerns about calories were the exact opposite of mine.
Its just strange to me that as a group we’ve found so much misery given our blessings. I don’t understand it, I try to keep the “everything is bad now” noise out of my head.1 -
I can’t control the world. I can manage my weight.
My life has been a miracle by historical standards. I frequently think of my grandfather. A coal miner. Married at 16, a father at 18. At over 6’ he was a tall man for his times. His concerns about calories were the exact opposite of mine.
Its just strange to me that as a group we’ve found so much misery given our blessings. I don’t understand it, I try to keep the “everything is bad now” noise out of my head.
The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings(Eric Hoffer)1
