Brainstorming

[Scott 2]

The impact on your housing costs is incredible. That's less than I was paying for a 1 bedroom in 2003. And I wasn't in the city.


Ever work with a therapist? That's the catalyst for my weekly analysis and subsequent conversation. I didn't bite the bullet until my 40's, even though it would have very affordable with corporate insurance. I wish I had. Neglecting professional investment in my mental health was one of the bigger mistakes I made during accumulation.

I find accountability to the external observer invaluable, especially since they have the education and obligation expose my blind spots. The selection process is challenging. Not all can peer with you intellectually, which can become a waste of energy.

[brainstorm]

- What have I been procrastinating on lately? Why? (e.g. the point of the question is not to beat yourself up about it but to get curious about root issues. It may just be because you haven't clarified what it really is, could be because its not in alignment with values, because it implies facing a conflict you haven't acknowledged...)

- Any thoughts or emotions I've been repressing or not fully embracing? Any opinions/feels that I half-consciously think are 'inappropriate' and haven't owned up to?

- What would make today/this week / this month really, really great? (Careful with this one... not all days/weeks/months need/out to be omg-totally-awesome!! but it's good to check if you trend kaffic at all.)

- Any relationships I've been neglecting? Why? Should I boost them, cruise them, or ice them?

(I have these prompts in my weekly review template...)


I just caught up on your recent updates - exciting stuff! An autumn/winter fixie bikepacking trip on singletrack! Whoa! Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the great prompts! Especially the last one – I do journal about those I'm interacting with, but not those I haven't been interacting with lately. I think I would do better to check in more with a few friends. I wish I had journaled more when I was younger – it wasn't even on my radar until like the last year or two. Could have provided some valuable reflection. Not as hardcore as you

Interesting point about kapha/Ayurveda, I've never heard of it before! I think I'm a bit more pitta than kapha, but anyways the day/week/month-dreaming exercise will be pretty useful since...I've mostly just done whatever other people told me to (the school/W2 special)

[brainstorm]

The impact on your housing costs is incredible. That's less than I was paying for a 1 bedroom in 2003. And I wasn't in the city.

Yeah it's really accelerated things! I'm now a lot more interested in my exit strategy and extracurricular activities, since it's not a decade away. That's part of why I want to journal more this year, to just spend more time thinking about it and experimenting. Also...feels like the pressure is off since I don't need to bring in the big bucks to afford a <20K lifestyle. Not to mention the other social/personal/location/lifestyle benefits of the change too.

Ever work with a therapist? That's the catalyst for my weekly analysis and subsequent conversation. I didn't bite the bullet until my 40's, even though it would have very affordable with corporate insurance. I wish I had. Neglecting professional investment in my mental health was one of the bigger mistakes I made during accumulation.

I find accountability to the external observer invaluable, especially since they have the education and obligation expose my blind spots. The selection process is challenging. Not all can peer with you intellectually, which can become a waste of energy.

I've worked with a few therapists before! Overall I think it can be very useful if it's a good match.

My first one was in grad school cuz I was feeling anxious in a fairly high-pressure program + interviews for internships + my dad had recently passed away. It was pretty good, not revolutionary, but it was my first introduction to mindfulness, breathwork, and basic awareness / check-ins of how I'm feeling and why. Useful skills.

I graduated and got off that sweet student health insurance plan (visits were only $20), and after a while tried out a few through my workplace – got 6 free visits through SpringHealth – but was disappointed in the few that I met with.

My most recent one (that I'm not currently seeing) was *super* helpful. I got a concussion last year and got pretty emotionally unbalanced, very anxious and depressed. The depressive symptoms kinda went away on their own, but together we worked through some CBT exercises and discussions that I still find helpful to draw upon. And she also got me into unguided meditation, which I've done almost every day since then. It was expensive, around $150? per session, but it was outcome-driven so we stopped after around 5 months when things were going much better Hard agree on the search being difficult and that the accountability is great. Something for me to keep in mind.

I guess my current perspective on therapy is: I'm going to try to practice the skills on my own, and to learn more about myself and the techniques that are out there (particularly CBT and DBT to start). There's no substitute for doing the work yourself, even if you do see somebody regularly. But I'll plan to talk to a professional if I'm feeling significant distress or disruption in my ability to function and/or I want to expose some blind spots. I think I can improve in awareness a lot, and I can do at least some of the work myself (feelings wheel etc).

[TrailMix]

Hey Brainstorm, read through you journal. Congratulations on going from x6 to x22! And in less than one year, that is very impressive.

+ Gave up coffee for green tea instead. I do really miss coffee at times…but with tea my energy is higher and much smoother. Not sure what's in this stuff!! Anxiety seems down too (although it’s tough to tell where the baseline is right now with the moving stressors). In general I’d like to build and maintain habits that help me feel better and do more things that I want to (reasonable, I think), and on that criteria this passes. So I don’t have any plans to go back. Decaf coffee is an easy option for cravings anyways.

It might be L-theanine. You can buy it in powder form, maybe you could add that to your coffee? (Not sure if L-theanine has any taste to it)

So, I would love to hear any journaling prompts that you have found particularly useful.

I started journaling as a new years resolution for 2020 (an apt year too). One thing I can't recommend enough for those just starting out is a prompt deck. There's plenty of free prompt lists on the internet, but you can buy dedicated card decks too. During the first year of journaling, I found out that it's not that hard to figure out what to write about. The difficult part is writing in the quality and quantity that you desire. The prompt decks help you develop the ability to write and keep going. If you can write ad hoc about anything, you will be able to answer the really important prompts, like the ones you quoted, more to your liking.

Looking at my first journal, the entries seem short and underdeveloped. At the beginning I had to force myself to write a page, then two pages, etc. Now I set a timer and write for however long I have to spare that day. It takes no effort to write to a certain length anymore, and its all about how I write it, even if its about the clouds or weather that day. Using random prompts definitely helped me improve.

Edit: Forgot to mention this. Workbooks are not for everyone, but it sounds like it might be worthwhile for your DIY-leaning goals. They have another version for stress and relaxation that is great too.

[VolcanicAsh]

Thanks, ertyu, for the thoughtful suggestions. You raise some good points!

I haven't heard of the separate spending card approach before, but it certainly makes sense. I think what I like is the immediate feedback of it, that I can just log in and see my balance without doing any mental gymnastics – it acts as a good ledger for me. The approach you describe would preserve this while still creating separation from my "main" card/account, which seems great. I wouldn't like to lose those funds by fraud or theft! But I've also been wondering what exactly I need that feedback for. It helps with identifying surplus funds, which either get invested on top of my recurring transfers (majority) or perhaps also for getting a pizza when I might not normally have (minority). So, net positive? It's not a large sum that gets spent, but I still need to reflect more on why having $X "left over" means go ahead with buying something. How am I feeling when I am most inclined to spend frivolously?

About cars, I certainly can! I've realized that a good part of it is my own impatience, not theirs, despite what my internal narrative said. Observation without judgment and loving-kindness are very common practices, but it feels like I've largely left them out of my daily life. So lots of room to improve in this area, but since realizing this my rides have been much more positive.

I picked up a pamphlet at the Buddhist temple and of their six Right Livelihood guidelines, several stuck out to me:

There's a lot more good stuff in there, which I'll try to sit on in the coming weeks.

On another note, I enjoy baking and this weekend made my first whole wheat loaf. It turned out great! It had a moist crumb with a subtle flavor and fairly soft crust. I'd definitely like to make it again.

I too recently stopped by my local Buddhist temple, I find Zen and other similar schools of thought such as Daoism incredibly insightful. They've really helped me step out of the INTJ over-analysis and into just experiencing reality a bit more. Are there any other philosophical influences that you enjoy?

[FunkyFreedom]

Hi Brainstorm,

I just caught up on your journal. I’m pretty new to journaling here too. Thank you for sharing!

I am in my mid-40s and live in a HCOL area with my partner. I’m inspired by you folks who are able to spend so little! My savings rate is about 50% or so, and I will be trying to find places to reduce expenses this year and might be able to cut $300 or so. But my needs/wants for shelter plus higher expenses in the HCOL area probably mean bigger savings will be harder to find. And so, probable more years to FI or semi-FI. I like the power of reducing that annual expenses in the NW/AE ratio and am looking forward to learning what I can do there this year!

@VolcanicAsh — I too recently stopped by my local Buddhist temple, I find Zen and other similar schools of thought such as Daoism incredibly insightful. They've really helped me step out of the INTJ over-analysis and into just experiencing reality a bit more. Are there any other philosophical influences that you enjoy?

Yes, internalizing Eastern philosophy, “letting go” and wu-wei have helped me step out of my original INTJ mode somewhat. Eventual RE or semi-RE will help me step more out of that mode (which I don’t dislike per se!) and into my creative side that enjoys being present, going with the flow, exploration, networking, and being open to serendipity.. I’m more of an XNXX now overall. Probably more of an INTJ at work. It will be nice to see who I get to be with FI.

I’m looking forward to learning what’s next for you!

Sincerely,
Funky Freedom

[brainstorm]

@TrailMix

Thanks! It surely has been an interesting year with lots of change.

I've actually taken L-theanine before, and it helped to smooth out the rush (for a while at least). Still, it feels simpler to just use tea (or no caffeine at all), so I'll probably take a break once my current stash is used up. I guess I'm in my monk era. But who knows, maybe I'll get off the wagon in the future and grab some as supplements.

Appreciate the prompt deck and workbook recommendations! I'll check them out – I've enjoyed doing morning pages in the past, albeit promptless.

@VolcanicAsh

I'm glad you found them useful! I also enjoy the "experiencing" time quite a lot. The Zen temple here is very nice, if you haven't already visited. I had a Christian phase in middle school, although I didn't really believe all of it and just because I worked at the church, but otherwise haven't explored too many philosophies. Buddhism has remained interesting to me in a way that others haven't, so I give it whatever time I can manage.

@FunkyFreedom

Welcome! Keep it up! Saving 50% of your income is great, and it's also what enabled me to make some big strides in the past few months. The thing I'm learning is that there are lots more opportunities out there than you might initially think. Like for shelter, you may have communities, co-ops, vehicles, or work-for-room and board relationships. They tend to fly under the radar though, so it just takes some investigation and an open mind.

It's helped me to identify the high-leverage points too, like housing, transportation, and food. Some can even be crowbar'ed at the same time, like downsizing into a cheaper place nearby your work/grocery that enables car-free living. Big changes have big impacts. And temperamentally, it helps to be able to just kinda go for it it's been said before (somewhere) that people can look back and be amazed at how much their life has changed in the past 5 years, but when they predict 5 years from now it looks quite similar to the present. Why can't the future change just as radically as you've already observed it can? I guess that boils down to taking things one day at a time and being open to change. So I try to keep that in mind.

Anyways, nice to hear from you all

[FunkyFreedom]

The thing I'm learning is that there are lots more opportunities out there than you might initially think.

It's helped me to identify the high-leverage points too, like housing, transportation, and food.

@bainstorm - True! And reading through here is giving me ideas and pointing me towards best practices. A 60% SR by the end of 2025 might be achievable for me, with the biggest opportunity lowering food expenses via not just shopping at the 10-20% lower priced grocery store but also using a mix of low cost per calorie foods that meet nutritional needs. I hope to get that habit change started soon!