mental downloadables

the adventure log for to git gud in acting 'n stuff

"Yeah, the rule is don't relax, recover."

Joshua Voiles · Writer | Artist | Performance Expert

The Main Event

Allow me to save you a nervous break down ... or two.

When Getting What You Want Backfires

Sometimes you can get exactly what you want and it can annihilate you.

I burnt myself out doing the very thing I dreamed of doing most of my life.

I tried to put out the fire out with a blow torch.

I wanted to be Epic.

But are epic journeys inherently unhealthy for us mentally?

What's the difference between resilience and masochism?

What happens when your dream come true ...

... becomes a nightmare?

Who knows how to really recover the hijacking of our attention?

How do we build up our careers without burning up our health?

We (ideally) spend a third of our life sleeping. That's a significant clue into the importance of rest.

Unfortunately, the screen that you are reading this very message on, has confused or deluded us into thinking we are recovering when in fact we are reducing our capacity to get back into the fray stronger.

Relaxation (in its modern iteration) is not RECOVERY.

And according Rían Doris and the Flow State Collective, true recuperation lives in active oscillation, not passive vegetation.

My biggest mistake …… I wasn't doing much of either.

So how does one recover?

Sleep is the G.O.A.T. (That's why I advocate napping in my system of memorization)
Extreme temperature variations (saunas, hot showers, or ice baths ... pick your pain)
Looooooooooooooooong walks (a personal favorite)

Vegging out in front of a screen for several hours is not relaxation. It's a hijacking of your attention, and using the power of dopamine against you ... aka rewarding bad behavior.

(Plus social media and Netflix shows are designed to create open loops in your brain and that causes you to crave resolution and watch "just one more show" ... It's called the Zeigarnik Effect. It's use in addictive entertainment is kinda diabolical.)

With active recovery, hint: the list I gave above, you can reset effectively after doing your day job, so you have the energy to chase your dream more effectively.

See you next week!