Radical lifestyle change

[TempestNB]

A new year has come and I found myself lacking for motivation. Having suffered from depression on and off for most of my adult life, I know what these kind of lulls mean and (for the most part) how to deal with them. But something has changed this year, and I thought I should share my recent goals here with the Brotherhood in hopes of getting some feedback.

Long story short, after looking at some pictures from a recent camping trip, I was struck with a single thought. “When the hell did my gut come back?” Now, I am in no way over weight by any means, but seeing the muffin top creeping out over my waist line got me to really pause and take a second look at what I have been doing. A second year law student, I have been neglecting a lot of my personal responsibilities to myself, and have been nowhere near where I would want to be.

Sure, I have one girl I am seeing regularly, and a couple of girls who I have possibilities with, but not the game I should be playing by now. On top of that, my depression is still with me, no matter how many times I try and get rid of it, it seems to always come back. Even the guitar I swore I was going to learn how to play this year has sat next to my bed doing not much of anything… But the pictures somehow were the real wake up call. I mean, looking through them, no matter how awesome the activity, not a single one would have been good to post on Facebook, let alone PoF or OKC.
So here is what I’ve done to make a real change.

First, Diet; I’ve gone back to juicing. No, I’m not talking steroids, I’m talking straight up fruit and vegetable juice. For those of you who want an idea of what I am doing, check out a video called Fat Sick and Nearly Dead. It should still be on Netflix. I’m on day one of a 15 day detox. For the rest of the month, just liquid rabbit food for me. After that, I’m cutting out fast food completely and going back to more home cooked meals again. Which leads to…

Second, exercise; Here I am in wonderful San Francisco and I am not taking advantage of one of its best resources. Hills, Hills everywhere. So time for me to pull out my running shoes again and jog to the peeks. I’m going to also walk to school instead of just hopping on the bus. It’ll add another 40 min to my commute, but in the end it’ll be worth it. Going back to Krav Maga multiple times a week seems like a good idea as well, I have been slacking there. Need a good ass kicking to get my head back in the game. Speaking of whch…

Third, routine changes; this I’m going to give credit where credit is due, and give a big thank you to the Bravohood here. Mainly, I plan on adopting 2 things I have found on the board; no fapping/porn, and a cold shower therapy. It’s been 15 days with no jacking it or porn, and already I feel the effects. In fact I would be willing to wager that it has helped me come to the realization that I need to change. So that one has become easy. The other one, well I’m going to experiment with cold showers in the morning. A shock to the system to get my motor running again.

All of this is my jumping off point. Wanted to get some feed back from the group. Anything you guys think I should also throw into the mix to really turn 2014 into a year of change?

[Ice]

So it's good you're thinking about what steps you need to move forward


If you are un-motivated, then it is likely a sign you need a higher purpose


what do you LIVE for
what gets you UP in the morning
what do you LOVE doing


Have you checked out our special themes thread DJ and I did awhile back?

[TempestNB]

I was, and I have an overall vision and mission. My main issue is just it's not always easy for me to keep the vision solid when I have a bit of a depression relapse.

Stress and poor life choices normally trigger the relapse, so this is kind of what I've been dealing with in law school.

And thus the changes, an attempt to shock my system back into high gear.

[Ice]

I haven't seen your vision but it doesn't sound like it's at all inspiring to you

If you know your triggers, then what kinds of things are you doing not to trigger them?

[TempestNB]

Well, that's why I am doing this to begin with. My main trigger is stress, and so this is all a change of lifestyle to reduce the amount of stress that stays in my system (so to speak).

And you actually commented on my vision before. The issue isn't that I don't have a vision, it's that it becomes deluded and foggy when I am stressed, thus killing my motivation to achieve it.

However, I can say that so far the experiment is going well. I'm already seeing a marked increase in energy and just hunger for more. Working all weekend, so I wasn't able to go out (though a couple of fun stories still). However I plan on making up for the lost time this week.

[fiercestallion]

It's good to voice out what is violating your mindset into depression. Use this forum ad a soundboard to get feedback and suggestions to help you get out of your rut. Stress is a killer! I am glad you are taking positive steps to get yourself balanced and back out on the field. I feel your pain. I have been through a rough divorce, child custody battle, unemployment, scrutiny from my family, financial issues, etc. I managed to work myself out of that quicksand. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Just create a detail plan of attack and work on yourself daily. You will make it through.