Stimulating Activities. Empowering The Brain

[jaywills]

As the title suggests, what are some activities that stimulate a sense of meaning and purpose, provide the brain with stimulation and provide an all sense of wellbeing?

I feel I have a massive void of interest in my life so much so that I would say I am unfulfilled and simply bored. I want to take up new activities, take some time off reading about health and nutrition and gain happiness in my day to day. I feel a void that needs to be filled and I think you can see this is common on this forum. The minute I forget about self diagnosis and which next supplement to buy to fill my overflowing cabinet the minute my health will truly return.

 

[jyb]

Computer programming is creative, stimulating (you need to think), useful (you can make an income) and no need for any previous knowledge just read online tutorials.

 

[jaywills]

Thanks jyb. It's interesting, that was what I initially thought and begun researching online. Problem is, my work is office based and I spend a lot of time in front of a computer so am looking for other alternatives.

I started walking in nature months ago and initially it was liberating. But I have reached a point now where it's kind of taken over and I walk around 10 miles a day. My mind also begins to wander even with music. I cannot help but begin thinking about diet, food and other worries.

I wonder if this is a common problem. Am keen to hear how others have mitigated or cleared these 'no interest' mindsets.

 

[squanch]

I think some kind of art/craft hobby might be best.
Painting, wood carving, pottery, model building ... something like that.
Maybe some gardening if you have a place to do it? Fishing?

I personally always found those types of relatively monotonous and repetitive activities to be relaxing and meditative and generally a lot more beneficial than over-stimulating activities like playing sports / video games / paintball / go-karts etc..

 

[Makrosky]

Computer programming is creative, stimulating (you need to think), useful (you can make an income) and no need for any previous knowledge just read online tutorials.

It is true. And also prevents you of many hours of sunlight, puts lots of strain on your eyes, isolate you (or even worst, makes you think you aren't isolated because you chat with people on forums), make you more sedentary and... do I need to go on ?

Go to nature and do whatever activities you can do there : hiking, trekking, climbing, kaiak, scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, etc.

Or just contemplate it. Serenely. It fills the void because you see we're part of something bigger. The old cartesian bull**** that the world out there is a dead thing and it is only our minds and our inside that is animated it's one of the reasons we feel the overwhelming anxiety of the void. And that is one of the reasons we turn into maniac/obsessive/compulsive way of doing things. Wether it is an obsession for supplements on the cabinet or job alcoholic or sex dependence, consumerism, obsession with scientific papers, obsessions to consume "experiences", to do things. Endlessly. That won't fill the void.

Another option : Do something for others. Think what you're good at doing, and help others. Just small things, don't pretend to save the world or something. Don't impose it to others. Just become helpful to others o to your surrounding.

Easily said than done. We're all junkies.

 

[Makrosky]

A bit of humour for you, buddy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAJPdenxVlw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYwV0fqEQrw

 

[jyb]

Computer programming is creative, stimulating (you need to think), useful (you can make an income) and no need for any previous knowledge just read online tutorials.

It is true. And also prevents you of many hours of sunlight, puts lots of strain on your eyes, isolate you (or even worst, makes you think you aren't isolated because you chat with people on forums), make you more sedentary and... do I need to go on ?

What you wrote could have been written about reading also, and basically just about almost every activity that requires a bit of autonomous thinking. Why on earth would programming prevent you from going outside and go scuba diving? It gives you a lot of flexibility to organise your day.

 

[Makrosky]

Computer programming is creative, stimulating (you need to think), useful (you can make an income) and no need for any previous knowledge just read online tutorials.

It is true. And also prevents you of many hours of sunlight, puts lots of strain on your eyes, isolate you (or even worst, makes you think you aren't isolated because you chat with people on forums), make you more sedentary and... do I need to go on ?

What you wrote could have been written about reading also, and basically just about almost every activity that requires a bit of autonomous thinking. Why on earth would programming prevent you from going outside and go scuba diving? It gives you a lot of flexibility to organise your day.

You're right jyb. Sorry for being sarcastic, and I mean it. From the OP message I got the sensation he needed more outside/social/sunlight things than being in front of a computer or a book. And less rational and methodic thinking (like you do in programming).

 

[jyb]

You're right jyb. Sorry for being sarcastic, and I mean it. From the OP message I got the sensation he needed more outside/social/sunlight things than being in front of a computer or a book. And less rational and methodic thinking (like you do in programming).

Reading diet forum has negligible methodic thinking in my opinion. I know you may disagree but it involves very little thinking compared to other activities. I don't mean this forum specifically, I also include much more technical texts and blogs about physiology. Unless you're really going deep in the topic, which in this case necessarily involve reading physiology textbooks in parallel to really understand the topic. Merely reading a few study abstracts and forum opinions is interesting, I do it every day, but it doesn't require half a brain so it remains under stimulated.

 

[Such_Saturation]

You're right jyb. Sorry for being sarcastic, and I mean it. From the OP message I got the sensation he needed more outside/social/sunlight things than being in front of a computer or a book. And less rational and methodic thinking (like you do in programming).

Reading diet forum has negligible methodic thinking in my opinion. I know you may disagree but it involves very little thinking compared to other activities. I don't mean this forum specifically, I also include much more technical texts and blogs about physiology. Unless you're really going deep in the topic, which in this case necessarily involve reading physiology textbooks in parallel to really understand the topic. Merely reading a few study abstracts and forum opinions is interesting, I do it every day, but it doesn't require half a brain so it remains under stimulated.

The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.

 

[Peata]

Ideas - Paint, write, garden, exercise, learn an instrument.

 

[tara]

Ideas - Paint, write, garden, exercise, learn an instrument.

And
Learn another language
Learn how to balance soils and build a biodiverse permaculture garden/forest/window box to produce food lots of minerals.
Join a band/choir/theatre.
Take a dance class.
Design and build a useful thing - take requests here if you can't think of anything.
Learn about something new.
Teach
Have children in your life and play with them.
Take a look at the state of the world, consider what you would like to change, join others with related goals, figure out how to get there and how to get lots of other people along with you. There are any number of challenges - pick one or two you care most about or can see way to move forward. eg world peace and justice;
establish an economic system that serves all the people and the bioshere; work/play to eliminate poverty/racism/sexism/homophobia etc in your circle/workplace/town/country; make your local block more beautiful/social/safer
Get really good at making people laugh

I know, no challenge there. Such boring world, nothing to do. :)