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> I wish I had that perspective earlier in my life. It completely changes the solution space from trying random productivity tools to focusing on one's emotions

> I wish I had that perspective earlier in my life. It completely changes the solution space from trying random productivity tools to focusing on one's emotions and possibly getting into therapy. Hear, hear. For me, it was also figuring out how to cut out unneeded aggravations from my life.

vladvasiliu 6y ago
I think there's a case to be made for cutting out those things, especially ones that aren't directly visible, such as ambient noise. Many people think you get used to it, and maybe you don't consciously notice it anymore, but I think that the permanent background noise to which many people are exposed in cities contributes to their stress levels. Pretty much everywhere they go, there's constant noise: * random chatter / noises in the open office * AC hum / vibrations / etc at the office * traffic noise, while walking around or taking public transport * random traffic noise / honks / etc at home if the apartment is close to a street and badly soundproofed
- yowlingcat 6y ago
  You read my mind! I moved out of a big city after lockdowns, and I realized that many of these little ambient noises or mental frictions which I had grown accustomed to -- it turns out that once I cut that out, it reduced my stress levels. I think there are a lot of parallels to draw from there to the workplace or other walks of life.
- lolinder 6y ago
  Yep. I work with ear protection on (of the sort you'd use for mowing the lawn) most of the time for precisely this reason. I've found my anxiety levels are much lower after several hours of wearing them.
  - yowlingcat 6y ago
    Even before lockdowns, I found that my sanity levels went up significantly once I started moving to using Etymotic in-ear monitors. I used a fairly cheap pair for commuting and work [1]. The nice thing about them is that even if you don't have any music playing, they're effectively earplugs. And then if you do have music playing, you don't have to turn it up very loud to hear it well, so it's kinda a win win all around. [1] https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones/mk5.html https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones/mk5.html
laurent92 6y ago
> cut out unneeded aggravations Some people? There is a thin line between cutting out people who step onto you, and becoming misanthropic/associal. Since lockdowns I went from 60 friends to ~4, because I can’t stand them and I’ve come to realize their politics directly harm me. But now I’m alone. Working on this, but it is a very thin line.
- morlockabove 6y ago
  You pay the price for your politics.
  - DaniloDias 6y ago
    I see you getting downvoted for a profoundly true statement. These are sad times.
  - lolinder 6y ago
    I don't know if this person is saying they disagree with their friends on politics or if the vitriol in their friends' political speech is harmful to them. If the latter, I sympathize: most political conversations today are so filled with hate that "direct harm" to listeners is not unreasonable to claim.
    - morlockabove 6y ago
      Most of the time, when someone's said something like "their politics directly harm me", it's something like "the policies implied by the positions this guy's professing (or directly advocated for) would have bad effects for me". Could be wrong, obviously- it's a pretty vague phrase. But I'm sympathetoc- if they hold a certain position, and cultivate a certain identity, and that makes certain other positions disgusting to them to the point they cut out friends- good for them, I guess, and I get that being alone isn't pleasant. But that's the price you pay for being the kind of person who responds that way. I guess presumably he would have gotten new, less offensive friends if the governments of the world hadn't made it illegal. (How'd he end up friends with these people in the first place?)
- 6y ago

vladvasiliu 6y ago

I think there's a case to be made for cutting out those things, especially ones that aren't directly visible, such as ambient noise. Many people think you get used to it, and maybe you don't consciously notice it anymore, but I think that the permanent background noise to which many people are exposed in cities contributes to their stress levels. Pretty much everywhere they go, there's constant noise: * random chatter / noises in the open office * AC hum / vibrations / etc at the office * traffic noise, while walking around or taking public transport * random traffic noise / honks / etc at home if the apartment is close to a street and badly soundproofed

yowlingcat 6y ago
You read my mind! I moved out of a big city after lockdowns, and I realized that many of these little ambient noises or mental frictions which I had grown accustomed to -- it turns out that once I cut that out, it reduced my stress levels. I think there are a lot of parallels to draw from there to the workplace or other walks of life.
lolinder 6y ago
Yep. I work with ear protection on (of the sort you'd use for mowing the lawn) most of the time for precisely this reason. I've found my anxiety levels are much lower after several hours of wearing them.
- yowlingcat 6y ago
  Even before lockdowns, I found that my sanity levels went up significantly once I started moving to using Etymotic in-ear monitors. I used a fairly cheap pair for commuting and work [1]. The nice thing about them is that even if you don't have any music playing, they're effectively earplugs. And then if you do have music playing, you don't have to turn it up very loud to hear it well, so it's kinda a win win all around. [1] https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones/mk5.html https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones/mk5.html

laurent92 6y ago

> cut out unneeded aggravations Some people? There is a thin line between cutting out people who step onto you, and becoming misanthropic/associal. Since lockdowns I went from 60 friends to ~4, because I can’t stand them and I’ve come to realize their politics directly harm me. But now I’m alone. Working on this, but it is a very thin line.

morlockabove 6y ago
You pay the price for your politics.
- DaniloDias 6y ago
  I see you getting downvoted for a profoundly true statement. These are sad times.
- lolinder 6y ago
  I don't know if this person is saying they disagree with their friends on politics or if the vitriol in their friends' political speech is harmful to them. If the latter, I sympathize: most political conversations today are so filled with hate that "direct harm" to listeners is not unreasonable to claim.
  - morlockabove 6y ago
    Most of the time, when someone's said something like "their politics directly harm me", it's something like "the policies implied by the positions this guy's professing (or directly advocated for) would have bad effects for me". Could be wrong, obviously- it's a pretty vague phrase. But I'm sympathetoc- if they hold a certain position, and cultivate a certain identity, and that makes certain other positions disgusting to them to the point they cut out friends- good for them, I guess, and I get that being alone isn't pleasant. But that's the price you pay for being the kind of person who responds that way. I guess presumably he would have gotten new, less offensive friends if the governments of the world hadn't made it illegal. (How'd he end up friends with these people in the first place?)
6y ago