The Diet ‘khor ba (Circling)

“I yearn to be free of pain, but rush straight to it; I long for happiness, but foolishly crush it like an enemy” -Shantideva

‘khor ba, in Tibetan means circling, This “circling” is an endless round of compulsive flight and fixation. We feel compelled to struggle ahead completely blinded by the emotional highs that bring us right back to where we first began.


Optimism- This time is different!!!

Excitement- This is new!!!

Thrill- I’m seeing changes!!!!!

Cockiness- Haters gonna hate!!!!

Euphoria- Look at me now!!!!!

Anxiety- How can I keep this up?

Denial- This can’t be happening?

Fear- What will they think?

Desperation- What will I do?

Panic- No!!!!

Capitulation- I quit

Despondency- There’s absolutely no hope

Depression- There’s nothing left

Hope relief- This sounds interesting?

Optimism- This time is different!!!


“If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth, only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.”
-C.S. Lewis

IT’S NOT THE FOOD!

Personal awareness precedes personal transformation

Tips:

Paradigm Shift - A fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions

The reason we don’t change for long is because we have a set of beliefs that keep us who we are, not who we want to be

Things don’t change…we change


Traditional Method (externals)

What?

What can I do to lose weight?

How?

I’m going to restrict my food, and exercise more

Why?

I want to look better


Transformation Method (internals)

What?

What can I do to get what I want out of life?

How?

Personal awareness of thoughts

-Internals are primary (self-awareness)

- External are secondary (diets, exercise)

Why?

Because I’m important and I want to fully experience all of what life has to give.

“The day you decide you are more interested in being aware of your thoughts than you are in the thoughts themselves - that is the day you will find your way out” - Michael Singer

5 Steps to Euthymia

Eu.thy.mia (yu-thi-me-a) Energetic tranquility


Principle 1: Acknowledge
There is only one person you can change. You can’t change things outside of your control.

“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Be mindful…Recognize/accept the events in your life that you do and don’t have control over. If you focus on events outside of your control, you are wasting energy and fostering negative emotions. You can’t change events; you can only change your attitude towards them. Through this realization our mind can become impenetrable. So long as we can control our attitudes and reactions, we can very well never be negatively influenced by outside events.

Principle 2: Contentment
Don’t fall prey to modern society’s materialistic nature.

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
― Epictetus

You can't buy happiness. Tranquility is something that comes from within.

“There’s no dollar sign on a piece of mind” -The Zack Brown Band

Principle 3: Appreciation/Gratitude
Picture life without the people and possessions you have to truly appreciate them.

“Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess, and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours.”     ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

We’ve realized now that wanting more leads to dissatisfaction…so how do we find happiness? The key lies in gratitude. We must appreciate all that we have and find joy in it. Ironically, in modern times, we already have everything we need.

Principle 4: Do the right thing
Be genuinely cheerful (passion) in all your interactions. “A man thus grounded must, whether he wills or not, necessarily be attended by constant cheerfulness and a joy that is deep and issues from deep within, since he finds delight in his own resources, and desires no joys greater than his inner joys.”― Seneca

Now, utilizing the stoic principles, our happiness can become independent of other factors; we should be cheerful all the time as stoics because we desire nothing more than human experience. If we desired more, we could allow ourselves to be disappointed. This doesn’t mean that stoics can’t enjoy the finer things in life…it just means we shouldn’t think of them as necessary for our happiness. Only providing goodness to the world through helping people and advancing society…something we each are able to do on a daily basis, can make us truly fulfilled.

Principle 5: Embody
Practicing your values beats preaching them.

“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”
― Epictetus

Stoicism must be practiced if you want to influence the world in a better way. Ask yourself regularly, “What’s the best way to act in this situation?” You should be looking to make choices based on your personal values to increase the greater good. Live by your moral code.

To Summarize: 

-Don’t get caught up in materialism

-Let your cheerful attitude (passion) elevate your colleagues to bring them up; perform work diligently and for the greater good

-Recognize and acknowledge what’s in and out of your control…don’t let things out of your control affect your joy

-When frustrating things happen, breathe, recognize your emotion and the reason for it, and let it pass. You can’t do anything about it anyway. All that you can control is your reaction, and all you can do is embody goodness and appreciate all you have, which is something I’m sure we’ll all find joy in.

"You are here for my benefit, though rumor paints you otherwise." And everything is turned to one's advantage when he greets a situation like this: You are the very thing I was looking for. Truly whatever arises in life is the right material to bring about your growth and the growth of those around you. This, in a word, is art -- and this art called "life" is a practice suitable to both men and gods. Everything contains some special purpose and a hidden blessing; what then could be strange or arduous when all of life is here to greet you like an old and faithful friend?”                                             -Marcus Aurelius

Amygdala Hijack (Social media)

Have you ever sent an email or posted a Facebook comment that you've dreaded later? If so, there's a high probability that your brain has been hijacked by an ancient structure in the lower mid-brain area that represents our personal "smoke detector". The Amygdala.

Amygdala hijacking is an immediate and disproportionate emotional response to a stimulus that has triggered it. This is because the stimulus is perceived as a threat to one’s emotional stability. This is produced because the amygdala prevents the activation of other areas of the brain, especially the    neocortex. Emotions end up dominating the individual’s behavior. Also, it shuts off the area of the brain that makes us more rational... more human.

“Intense negative emotions absorb all of the individual’s attention, serving as an obstacle to any attempt to attend to other things.”
-Daniel Goleman

The frontal area of the cortex that is inhibited in the hijacking is the one responsible for our logical thinking and the planning out of our actions. Instead, the amygdala forms part of the most primitive parts of the brain. It’s the one that regulates our emotions (flight or flight). Thus, our logical thinking winds up subordinated to the command of our emotions.

“You have to keep in mind that impulses are the vehicle of emotions and the seed of every impulse is an expansive feeling that seeks to express itself through action.”
-Daniel Goleman