Feeling pleasure

[antihero]

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Hi folks. I had a few thoughts and questions about experiencing pleasure. Take a personality with strong needs of admiration or attention. The need for superficial attention constitutes an enormous drive for this person, whether we are talking about swimming several hours a day, working 24-7, aggressive behavior, etc. Now say that this person gains insight. Say that this person questions why he needs all this attention. Say that he finds coping mechanisms to deal with not being the superstar, not being the best. The guy becomes more relaxed. But simultaneously, when you swim that many hours a day, it is a major part of your life. You are stripping this person of goal-driven behavior. His drive. You have successfully abolished the need to live for attention, but have you given him something new to live for? Achieving goals is an important part of feeling pleasure. But you can analyze every goal intellectualy, just like the goal of becoming world champ. Why do you want to be a good doctor, can't you be a good person as a bad doctor, why do you need to make more money, can't you be happy with less, why do you need a new car, can't you be happy without a status symbol as long as your current ride works, etc. You could go as far as to fatalistically say, what is the point in ANY goal, the sun will eat the earth, and until then, all we do is eat, fock, **** and sleep. It seems to me that psychiatry gives some very good tools to rid people of their demons, but bad tools of implementing new driving forces of living. So perhaps you cure the patient of the headaches of not winning tennis matches against his son, but simultaneously, you cut his d*ck off. What do you think?

 

[38689]

i was thinking like this once. i was like whats the point of playing sports anymore or showing off in life. im in med school now i should just work hard and get rich and fat like everyone else right?

then a friend said: its fun di*kin on people

you're a guy, you're made to compete. just be healthy about it. you're always better than some people and some people are always better than you. just make sure you make your own progress and you should be happy.

 

[antihero]

i was thinking like this once. i was like whats the point of playing sports anymore or showing off in life. im in med school now i should just work hard and get rich and fat like everyone else right?

then a friend said: its fun di*kin on people

you're a guy, you're made to compete. just be healthy about it. you're always better than some people and some people are always better than you. just make sure you make your own progress and you should be happy.

OK, now that is interesting. You have to find a hobby where you can improve. Improving makes for a sense of meaning, and creates pleasure. I/you/one would just need a hobby where steady improvement was possible, and setting goals that were achievable. But that has got to be harder in sports, because the body isn't getting younger day by day. I remember loving chess myself, but I had to quit cos I couldn't stand losing. Any other aspect of life where I could experience steady improvement and winning, whilst minimizing the losing problem?

 

[38689]

OK, now that is interesting. You have to find a hobby where you can improve. Improving makes for a sense of meaning, and creates pleasure. I/you/one would just need a hobby where steady improvement was possible, and setting goals that were achievable. But that has got to be harder in sports, because the body isn't getting younger day by day. I remember loving chess myself, but I had to quit cos I couldn't stand losing. Any other aspect of life where I could experience steady improvement and winning, whilst minimizing the losing problem?

you know what your problem is?

you lost your mojo

if you hate losing then win more. thats the only way to do it. or don't compete in anything in life, but then you end up a loser anyways, you dig it?

go find that mojo bro. you sound like you need an adventure...

 

[antihero]

you know what your problem is?

you lost your mojo

if you hate losing then win more. thats the only way to do it. or don't compete in anything in life, but then you end up a loser anyways, you dig it?

go find that mojo bro. you sound like you need an adventure...

A professional cycling coach once said: "as a professional rider, you have to be able to handle losing. You compete in so many races, but most of the time, you don't win." Even Lance Armstrong got pwnd in the spring classics. I am not too fan of the athletic shoe ad dichotomies, be a winner or be a loser- I believe any winner any day saying that winning is a GREAT feeling, but most people don't win stuff most of the time, and they still don't walk around with anhedonia. Anticipation of winning is one sense of gaining purpose. When you take away the pathological need to win, what do you replace it with? Your reply seems to be along the lines of: you shouldn't reduce your competitiveness, just change field and start winning, or be a loser. Hmmm.. that is interesting. A new therapy trend? 😉