For example, I sometimes will listen to sports radio in my vehicle. I don’t particularly care for the hosts or what they’re going on about. But I listen to them anyways when my mind doesn’t want to listen to the music on the ipod.
I like sports, but I just find all formats of sports talk boring and dragged out. But it’s something sometimes that I’ll turn to, to make me feel like as if I’m with everyone else when I know I don’t care.
Another example is when I watch late night shows, like Letterman’s or Conan’s. I know the scene is different now with Fallon and Kimmel and all. Whenever I watch a single clip or an episode of them, it feels like I’m just getting into the window of what’s going on in the world that’s being covered while I spend way too much time ignoring the world in general.
I do human things such as eating food and walking on my leg
Take LSD.
I try to see as much live music as possible (within the genres that I at least somewhat like). There’s something about being just another face in the crowd dancing to the music that makes me feel like I’m a part of something greater than myself. Everyone there at least has the common ground of liking the music regardless of their political stance, sexual preference, etc.
Yes, this is literally a mental-health component for me. Lack of shows during the pan really made it obvious how much I need them. Just last week I was telling my therapist how I was looking forward to a show that has since happened and I still feel the benefit from it five days later. I try to go to as many as possible (which works out to roughly one to two per month when averaged out).
I just don’t focus on it. Instead, I focus on what I can control, how I can help those in my community.
What do you do to feel like you’re part of everyone else and in a way cope with some of the pressures of life around you?
I stopped giving a fuck about everyone else. I do what makes me, my wife or my kids happy. The rest of the world can go stuff a sock in it. Sure, I like to keep up on news and politics and will go read related sites when I have time and energy. I also listen to several podcasts and follow several Youtube channels. But, those are all things I do because I want to do them. If I’m not feeling like doing one of those things, I don’t. I also work and so have to keep up on the aspects of life related to that; but, I don’t pretend to be interested in things just to make coworkers happy. I am employed to do a job, they are employed to do a job. Sometimes we do a job together and I focus on the work at hand. And yes, I do socialize a bit with my coworkers as we have some shared hobbies and interests. But, if they start going off about basketball, I let them say their peace and then move on. It’s not my cup of tea and I feel no need to engage with it.
One of the most important secrets to life is learning to set boundaries. Don’t let other peoples’ wants become your needs. Be who you are because it’s who you want to be. If other people can’t deal with that, then they can go put their problems somewhere uncomfortable for them.
