I need more problems in my life.

[QuickTwist]

I've become complacent and I am no longer growing as a person. I don't know if this is attributed somewhat to my age or if it is that I am simply not challenging myself enough. I should note that I am extremely lazy and the only things that I really put effort into are my interests.

What are some things I can do to null the decay of my mind if only for a little while?

 

[Sinny91]

Lol, your thread title made me laugh.

That's actually a feeling ingrained in me, an underlying anxiety. I find it almost impossible to settle, I'm always on the move. When I have no problems, I panic and create some, but of course I'm never aware of it in real time.

... Take some risks, make bold decisions, gamble, do something stupid.. but most importantly, have fun... there's always some hilarity to be found in hindsight.

 

[QuickTwist]

Hmm...

I am not a huge risk taker. I really only do that sort of thing when i am putting my intuition on the line, often to my shagrin.

I will give this some thought.

 

[The Gopher]

I think it's Chagrin. However I only know that because I didn't know the word and googled it.

See that's your problem. However you don't need to take risks to be motivated or create problems. Try taking on other peoples problems in area's you want to improve for an easy fix.

Speaking of I have some work and need a slave....

 

[Happy]

Bluff your way into a new job you have no idea how to do? That usually snaps me out of a rut.

Or move to a different part of the country on a whim. That works pretty well too.

Another good one is to get rid of the computer. It's a crutch that when removed, reminds you how interesting the real world is.

 

[QuickTwist]

Bluff your way into a new job you have no idea how to do? That usually snaps me out of a rut.

Or move to a different part of the country on a whim. That works pretty well too.

Another good one is to get rid of the computer. It's a crutch that when removed, reminds you how interesting the real world is.

That seems a bit drastic. Have any smaller changes that can help me to not feel so static?

 

[Happy]

Drastic? The third one wasn't even drastic at all.

The only other suggestion I have is to drop some acid and go on a life changing trip.

Beyond that, these are the only things that seem to have had the power of breaking ruts for me in the past.

I guess a less drastic thing you could do is change your lifestyle to a lesser extent than my previous examples. You could move house or something. I'd suggest share houses. That's a fairly rut breaking experience. Or even just changing jobs can do the trick.

Anything that will put you in a position for different experiences.

Personally, I'm more on the drastic side though. I advocate major life changes. The best rut breaker for me was probably when I got rid of all my shit (I had a fully furnished house) and downgraded to a backpack. Kinda forces you to go and seek experiences more because you can't just find solace in surrounding yourself with glorified garbage.

 

[The Gopher]

QT BAYBE THIS IS THE PROBLEM.

 

[QuickTwist]

I think I need to work on making small attainable goals rather than leave my home and live off a backpack.

Thanks for all your feedback.

 

[Turnevies]

Start studying something new?

Start going to work by bike?

Go socializing with homeless people?

do some random volunteering?

 

[QuickTwist]

Start studying something new?

Start going to work by bike?

Go socializing with homeless people?

do some random volunteering?

These suggestions actually are not bad.

Studying something new is always a good option.

I get enough exercise since I have a workout routine that I do 4 times a week.

Homeless people are interesting and have interesting stories. I might learn something there.

Volunteering is another good option, if for nothing else to get a change of scenery.

Thank you for the suggestions.

 

[Grayman]

Start studying something new?

Start going to work by bike?

Go socializing with homeless people?

do some random volunteering?

I agree. Typically I go #1.

Socializing with homeless is often more frustrating than it is helpful. At least where I live they commonly suffer from psychological disorder that makes real discussion difficult. It is how I discovered how the lack of support people get in dealing with mental disorders.

 

[Bad Itch]

What do you eat normally?

A few years back I started making an effort to be more aware of the foods I eat, where they come from and the things those foods (or non-foods as it happened) tend to affect my body and mind.

Like, mindfully choosing local whole foods when possible or trying to reduce the amount of sugar I consume.

This can come with all sorts of sub-challenges... like learning to enjoy or appreciate what a vegetable really tastes like, and embracing foods which aren't all about "sweet" (I don't eat things with artificial sweeteners so reducing sugar lead to an appreciation for raw almonds over candied peanuts and I drink my coffee black).

Also there could be challenges around availability of certain foods seasonally, or how you plan your grocery list. It might even require changes to your budget.

I suppose this isn't a very lazy undertaking, but if you can hack it the changes can be rewarding and some of the challenges involved can give you a bone to chew on.

I sucked at this, by the way. I'm way more mindful/aware of what I eat and what it does to me but I still flip out occasionally and eat a whole lot of garbage. Suuuugarrrrr. It hasn't been without some reward.

 

[EditorOne]

How about a real but quite doable challenge, one to make you get outside your INTP and outside your head?

Meet one new person every day, engage them in conversation, and find at least one interesting thing about them.

Guaranteed to stimulate your mind, both learning how to do it effortlessly and then all the catalyst effect from new, interesting things.

I discovered this long ago when a fellow reporter at The Press of Atlantic City, a new guy, got the beat nobody wanted, a series of farm and forest townships on the outer ring of our coverage area. He kept finding great stories, and that's how he did it. For instance, there was a roadside produce stand on the White Horse Pike that quite a few people knew about but didn't think much about. He went there, bought some veggies, but also engaged with the elderly couple that owned it. Turned out they'd fled Russia to avoid Communists, fled Poland to avoid Nazis, fled East Germany to avoid Communists again and finally landed on a farm in New Jersey. It was a great story, hidden behind a veneer of humility and self effacement they adopted just to stay low and not have to flee again. After 25 years in the U.S. they loosened up.

Lots of people are far more interesting than they present. You just have to chat them up a bit.

 

[QuickTwist]

How about a real but quite doable challenge, one to make you get outside your INTP and outside your head?

Meet one new person every day, engage them in conversation, and find at least one interesting thing about them.

Guaranteed to stimulate your mind, both learning how to do it effortlessly and then all the catalyst effect from new, interesting things.

I discovered this long ago when a fellow reporter at The Press of Atlantic City, a new guy, got the beat nobody wanted, a series of farm and forest townships on the outer ring of our coverage area. He kept finding great stories, and that's how he did it. For instance, there was a roadside produce stand on the White Horse Pike that quite a few people knew about but didn't think much about. He went there, bought some veggies, but also engaged with the elderly couple that owned it. Turned out they'd fled Russia to avoid Communists, fled Poland to avoid Nazis, fled East Germany to avoid Communists again and finally landed on a farm in New Jersey. It was a great story, hidden behind a veneer of humility and self effacement they adopted just to stay low and not have to flee again. After 25 years in the U.S. they loosened up.

Lots of people are far more interesting than they present. You just have to chat them up a bit.

Interesting stuff. I don't know what you mean when you say "got the beat that nobody wanted". What does that mean exactly? Also, you said they "loosened up". Does that mean they basically told this guy their life story? I don't mean to press, but if you could answer I would appreciate it. I am just curious.

 

[QuickTwist]

What do you eat normally?

A few years back I started making an effort to be more aware of the foods I eat, where they come from and the things those foods (or non-foods as it happened) tend to affect my body and mind.

Like, mindfully choosing local whole foods when possible or trying to reduce the amount of sugar I consume.

This can come with all sorts of sub-challenges... like learning to enjoy or appreciate what a vegetable really tastes like, and embracing foods which aren't all about "sweet" (I don't eat things with artificial sweeteners so reducing sugar lead to an appreciation for raw almonds over candied peanuts and I drink my coffee black).

Also there could be challenges around availability of certain foods seasonally, or how you plan your grocery list. It might even require changes to your budget.

I suppose this isn't a very lazy undertaking, but if you can hack it the changes can be rewarding and some of the challenges involved can give you a bone to chew on.

I sucked at this, by the way. I'm way more mindful/aware of what I eat and what it does to me but I still flip out occasionally and eat a whole lot of garbage. Suuuugarrrrr. It hasn't been without some reward.

I've been trying to eat more protein lately. I admit that I take in too many empty calories. I am trying to get fit so eating right is in fact a priority. I will try and do this. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Ponderer]

Learn a new skill like public speaking. Learn a musical instrument.
Join an organization which fights for some kind of cause. Join politics. Join a club which shares your interests.
Try to go on a date. Try to find a person which could be a good supplement to your life.
Find a purpose of life. Find a meaning, which would make you fulfilled and content.

 

[Pyropyro]

Travel to another state/ country. It's more enjoyable if you have a trusty buddy with you to enjoy it and to watch each other's back.

 

[EditorOne]

Interesting stuff. I don't know what you mean when you say "got the beat that nobody wanted". What does that mean exactly? Also, you said they "loosened up". Does that mean they basically told this guy their life story? I don't mean to press, but if you could answer I would appreciate it. I am just curious.

At that time and at that paper, reporters were assigned towns to cover, and were responsible for finding interesting, important, entertaining, significant or whatever stories. The towns you got were called your "beat." Nobody wanted the townships Anders Gyllenhaal got because they were perceived as dull, with not much happening, at least compared to Atlantic City, which got gambling about that time, and other larger towns. Anders proved everyone wrong. He is an exceptional journalist, now heads up McClatchy's Washington, D.C., news operation and prior to that was executive editor of the Miami Herald.

"Loosen up" : Drop their reserve. Yes, they pretty much told him what they'd been through, because he was pleasant, engaging, nonjudgmental, and an excellent listener, that is, he heard the words and the message and had perfected the art of repeating what people said back to them in the form of a question, which quite often seems to trigger them to repeat what they said in new words and perhaps add some insight or elaboration.

Did that help? :-)

 

[QuickTwist]

At that time and at that paper, reporters were assigned towns to cover, and were responsible for finding interesting, important, entertaining, significant or whatever stories. The towns you got were called your "beat." Nobody wanted the townships Anders Gyllenhaal got because they were perceived as dull, with not much happening, at least compared to Atlantic City, which got gambling about that time, and other larger towns. Anders proved everyone wrong. He is an exceptional journalist, now heads up McClatchy's Washington, D.C., news operation and prior to that was executive editor of the Miami Herald.

"Loosen up" : Drop their reserve. Yes, they pretty much told him what they'd been through, because he was pleasant, engaging, nonjudgmental, and an excellent listener, that is, he heard the words and the message and had perfected the art of repeating what people said back to them in the form of a question, which quite often seems to trigger them to repeat what they said in new words and perhaps add some insight or elaboration.

Did that help? :-)

Yes, excellent. I will make an effort to talk to more new people and broaden what I know about people. It will be difficult because I am not really a people person and I have my share of limitations, but I will definitely make an effort to engage with new people more. Thanks.

 

[Kuu]

More problems? Easy! Give Kuu all your money. You'll have more problems and be feeling better in no time. Also, it will serve as adequate compensation for this highly effective advice. Win-win!

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

Well, there's always the maths thread.

 

[TheAdditional1]

Can you create anything? Can you figure out a way to make any random hobby of yours a successful, relatable enterprise? Even if it's unorthodox - there should be a possible way out there to do it; usually it involves psychological expertise and manipulation - or better known by its slave name, good 'Marketing'.

Considering the fluidly complex, emotional and stubbornly resistant nature of humans, especially crowds, this challenge could be particularly intriguing and time consuming, if that's as you wish.


And otherwise but somewhat similarly, just look out for standards, criteria, or credentials that you can see if you can get yourself to pass (starting from scratch) in X amount of time. And again if you can make it all tie into something profitable, then more money = more options and access to other things to explore, whatever they may be.


And finally, one of the best and most productive things you can do is turn outwards and see if you can solve other people's problems. I feel like the right kind of open-ended consultation job should be a dream come true for us INTP's.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Sounds like you could use a gf.



I intuit you want greater emotional dynamics in your life and not just brute force experimentation like moving or quitting the internet.

 

[Happy]

Sounds like you could use a gf.



I intuit you want greater emotional dynamics in your life and not just brute force experimentation like moving or quitting the internet.

Damnit, I came on this thread to say that.

+1

 

[AlisaD]

From what I understood, you kind of wanted something that will make you both miserable and obsessed, and so help you grow.
What worked amazingly well for me is trying to create art - painting, writing, composing, sculpting, dancing... what ever seems like your cup of tea. It takes a little bit of time to get into it, but once you settle on an idea it becomes a complete nightmare. A part of you desperately wants to excel at it, while another part is terrified that what you create will suck, so you are practically paralysed with fear. You fight the fear of your own inadequacy every day, and most days you lose, but sometimes, if you're lucky you win a little bit, and what you crate is not complete crap, and you feel almost good about yourself.
However, what ever you create is never going to be quite good enough, so it is impossible to get comfortable and end up in a rut again.
It's a miserable solution, but it does work for me

 

[Tannhauser]

It seems more correct to start with goals and the devise problems. Random, arbitrary problems will not amount to anything interesting.

 

[QuickTwist]

Q: What do I mean by problems?

A: simply new challenges.

 

[Not Anyone To Care For]

Try getting yourself into a new hobby maybe? Create a list of goals you would like to reach that develop your intellectual/social sides and keep track of them when you complete them.

Personally, when I try to slow down the decay of my mind I try to help other people solve problems that are related to your interests. If I come across someone who needs help with some Math I try my best to teach them and it's fairly fulfilling.

 

[Kelly]

Hey all, new to this forum.

I like this discussion. I am personally with Happy...I like making big job changes, or moving across the country...stuff like that gets me out of a rut (but has gotten me into debt, so be careful).

I have been thinking about this question specifically for myself over the past couple years. My biggest success has been getting into building and flying RC planes and quadcopters. It has this unique blend of qualities...

• Attention to Detail - I had to learn to solder, how to electrically wire and program circuit boards, how to apply aeronautic principals to homemade designs.
  
• Challenging Learning Curve - I have stayed up countess nights researching things like PID controllers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PID_controller), programming, aeronautics.
  
• Practical Application - Once I have built the thing, I get to actually do something with it. In this case it is a plane or helicopter I get to fly.
  
• Physically Challenging - just like playing a piano or shooting a basketball, I found trying to master a physical activity to be amazingly rewarding.
  
• Endless Growth - Whether I want to continue perusing this hobby or not, I know there are enough facets that I could be entertained for the next 30 years (eventually working up to actually becoming a pilot and building my own real helicopter).

Most importantly...

• Completely On My Own Terms - This has been the biggest revelation for me...if I feel some kind of obligation to others, I will eventually disdain the activity. I go through cycles with my RC hobby where I will be completely consumed for a few months, then I won't touch it for a few months.
  
  I don't have to explain anything to anyone, and it is completely freeing. Now when I am i a rut, I decide to build something new...I already have all the tools and material waiting, so I can dive in whenever I want.