[AnthonBerg]

For me:

Lift weights and perform intense physical activity to exhaustion.

Don’t smoke tobacco or cannabis. Don’t really drink either.

Meditation.

12-step work.

Wellbutrin (bupropion) has helped me out of holes.

Have close friends to confide in.

Say what you’re thinking. Don’t say what you’re not thinking.

Follow pointless dreams in some measure. For me, being able to buy a legendary Husaberg FE 570 motorcycle was an impossible dream, until I tried going for it. Managed to do it on a startup salary over the course of a year. It has brought me deep spiritual satisfaction.

Help others.

Be humble. Ask to be humble. Ask for your ego to be smashed.

Read books. Listen to music. Make music.

[Jaruzel]

A good list.

> Say what you’re thinking. Don’t say what you’re not thinking.

But I Love this one. :)

[cjauvin]

I also find it interesting, but I'm questioning its (possibly not-so-obvious) meaning: could it be that you should try to distinguish what you really think from what you merely think (in order to avoid saying spurious things maybe)? I find it often surprisingly hard to determine what I really think or feel..

[jgrowl]

I don't know why, but I was really taken aback when I realized that there was this other side to "Do not lie." It's not just avoiding telling falsehoods, but also speaking up about important truths as you see them.

[nascar_is_bad]

could you elaborate on what exactly it means?

[AnthonBerg]

I guess it’s hard to pin down exactly :) I guess it’s a variation of ‘To thine own self be true’. For me, I think there tends to be a background process running which attempts to find the correct and socially acceptable thing to say. This is often not related to what I find to be true and important myself. It’s kind of a simulation of a simulation: I-perceive-that-what-I-perceive-are-people’s-intentions-is-answered-by-this-pattern-I-have-observed. It’s a habit and it’s a relief when it can be tuned down a bit.

[2dollars27cents]

Awesome bike! Exploring on a motorcycle (and meeting people along the way) has a huge return on investment in my experience.

[donquichotte]

It is! To everyone who is considering doing a long range motorcycle trip: just go for it!

Even reading about other people's trips on ADVrider lightens my mood, and my own trips have brought me priceless memories.

[AnthonBerg]

Sincere thanks for your understanding! it really is an amazing machine.

[jedimastert]

When you say "12-step work", do you mean AA kinda 12 step? May I ask what kind of addiction you would be going through?

[AnthonBerg]

It was Al-Anon. The theory was that there were maladaptive communications patterns in the generations before me, as well as alcoholism (as a coping mechanism?). The result was a more effective locus of control over life, as captured by the phrase about serenity to accept what I cannot change / courage to change what I can change / wisdom to know the difference. There are two sets delineated in this: what I can change, and what I cannot. I can change my thoughts and actions. Nothing else. I didn’t know that, or wasn’t aware. Maladaptive communication patterns in families seem to revolve around a misguided but understandable attempt to protect oneself through control of others. If that makes sense? :)

I did it without a classical God btw. The steps say to use a God such as we understand one. I used a non-deistic definition. God is in our capacity for trust and intimacy and altruism as a species, perhaps? Hard to pin it down. It worked.