The Science of Self-Help

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Day 241 and Dynamic Meditation and Willpower/Endurance

Day 241 Record Keeping
Day 209 Fixed Meditation 
Day 155 Bodyweight Exercise  (3 bridges, 3 dragon lifts)
Day 82 Writing = 60
Day 255 Eating = 63
Day 12 Work = 41
Great sleep, great wakeup. Still having problems getting into the rhythm.

Dynamic Meditation and Willpower/Endurance
I was talking to Lydia about the collapse of my will and endurance after coming back from my travels. She suggested using my dynamic meditation protocol of writing and “catching” all negative thoughts, anxiety, etc for the day. In her mind, my doing this raised my mood.

I responded saying that I agree that dynamic meditation will help all of my other habits - but so many of these initial habits are like that. Working out affects multiple habits, writing is foundational for all my work, etc. I can’t do it all because my endurance and willpower are depleteable resources that are expended on habits until they become super habits.

Her response was that it isn’t necessary to inculcate a full habit - maybe there are some actions to use as bandaids during this process. In her mind, my one day of dynamic meditation has a mood lifting affect for the rest of the week - significantly helping me out with my other habits and my schedule.

I think I might agree.

In this way a greater exertion of willpower on one day contributes to greater endurance for the rest of the week. If this really is how it works, it would be an interesting instance because up until now now I’ve envisioned endurance as simply being willpower over time. In this case exerting more willpower during a day would result in the opposite of would should be happening …I think. I really need to talk to a mathematician about a formula for all this….

Lydia sees negative emotional states as a leak in the tank of willpower or endurance. And exercises that plug it up, like dynamic meditation, tend to make discrete habits easier, both during the day and for future days.