173 posts shown.
briskraven28 said:This kind of inhibition stifles imagination, which effectively traps a person in a state where they can't see any alternative solutions.
Landing in that state wasn't an accident; it's teaching you something. Accepting the doctor's diagnosis of a "sensitive structure" offers a bit of comfort, but it isn't enough—it just keeps you hovering on the edge of a total collapse. You need to lean into that frustration until you hit your limit—just make sure someone is there to hold your hand, because even your therapist can't do more than that. That process teaches you how to prevent that structure from being so "vulnerable," helping you find the balance between being creative and losing your mind.
A friend of mine—a gay guy—hit a wall of total depression after a few disastrous breakups, only to resurface months later with this self-deprecating grin: "I eventually grew to loathe myself for all that self-pity."
It really comes down to finding a way to flip the script.
That extreme approach doesn't work for me, but it’s also a mistake to confuse an explanation with a solution. An explanation is actually part of the problem, not the cure.
Ultimately, I have to strengthen my core personality through medication and other methods alike, working as hard as possible to increase my stress tolerance and learn to manage and resolve tension effectively.
I have to give everything I've got to find that strength. After all, if I can't find my own inner power, that is exactly what medication is for—to act as a temporary crutch.
Right now, I need to focus on pulling myself out of this slump. Whether I'll bounce back remains to be seen.
In the end, I've been through this before; things were even worse then, and I made it out.
There's an old saying where I'm from that a kick in the pants is a step forward. I had a bit of a breakdown yesterday, but I've picked myself up.🙂
I am a fighter, too. 🙂
Whatever. It's either living or just surviving, and it's worth fighting to truly live.🙂
Lisa Morales4 said:I know... Ronald Rogers27 was just picking a fight with me, and that quote was actually your reply, briskraven28; that's my point, you didn't quote me (😢). Honestly, this obsession with "success"—that "raw nerve" of yours, that sensitive need for validation—it feels more like being spoiled, if you ask me (but hey, Vertigo knows you best).
I read it, but there clearly seems to have been a double misunderstanding.😲 It happens on forums sometimes. Success isn't my Achilles' heel; it's my own struggle with anxiety and depression that I'm dealing with.
Vertigo is a smart woman.
Thanks, dear Lisa Morales4. 🙂
P.S.
Just so there's no confusion, nothing Ronald Rogers27 said actually bothered me. I see his behavior as part of the forum's dynamic—it's more entertaining than anything else. What actually got to me was what I said myself; it hit a nerve regarding Vertigo m, simply because it touched on a very sensitive subject for me.
Peter Phillips32 said:Honestly, it doesn't matter if you're stuck in the middle, at the bottom, or hitting the heights... as long as you're putting in the work and doing what actually works for you, rather than just chasing what you think you *should* be doing.
I'd say there’s definitely a baseline level of "size" that acts as a threshold—whether people are satisfied or not, that part is one thing, but anything beyond that is really just down to individual tastes, physical capabilities, and whatever else comes into play...
Like, take a 2.7-inch guy (that's the bare minimum), he can still satisfy a woman; anything beyond that is just playing into visual preferences or specific sensory stuff...
🤔
7 cm
Where did you get that figure from, and what state are we talking about—7 cm flaccid or erect? 😕🤷
Ronald Rogers27 said:You're just too sensitive.
"Kruzne" isn't really the right way to put it. "Cyclical" hits much closer to the mark. 😬
Ronald Rogers27
The correct term is "feedback."😛
Furthermore, using "cyclical" is problematic because it brings to mind bipolar disorder—where mania and depression cycle back and forth—whereas this is a constant condition without healthy phases. 😬
slymaker9, not Ronald Rogers27😉
Surroundings
I am searching for the right environment,
to dive into the depths?
To soar to new heights?
Or just stay centered in the middle?
If I dive too deep,
I might fall into a void
where neither mountains nor valleys are in sight.
If I take flight toward the sky,
I could crash or burn out;
it’s better to keep my feet on the ground.
Staying in the center feels comfortable,
yet somehow remains empty.
Once I build a little cabin, somewhere between heaven and earth,
that is where I will settle down and invite all my friends
to come and build a community around me.
Now, I know this isn't exactly creative; if I were graded on four main criteria, I'd probably get a 5 out of 100. 😂
And hey, feel free to ignore these verses; they aren't exactly "The One," but they kept me entertained. 🙂
Brian Foster3 said:😍
.
.
.
☕
That law isn't man-made for people to just go around tweaking; it's how reality itself functions.
So, if you've got a problem with it, you can take it straight to the CEO of Reality. That’s usually where you end up anyway. 😍...and as for those "evidences," He already settled that—in advance. 😍
Where am I supposed to find that kind of environment? When I talk to my friends, everything is fine, but in daily life, I mostly run into nothing but trouble,😳 so I might as well just buy them a drink.
It wasn't meant to be a poem; it just turned out poorly on the fly.😍
It would be quite the spectacle, for instance,
court order
The motion is granted—wow, just wow.
Rationale
Given that your creation
has met every single requirement that should
be outlined in this rationale.
This court order is hereby issued,
to both our great delight.
Notice of right to appeal:
If any part of the proceedings was flawed
or if you find any part of this court order unsatisfactory,
you may contact the Department of Creation
to file an appeal.
However, $17 you must include the necessary filing fee,
and they aren't playing around when it comes to those fees.
🤣
dustyskipper3 said:Look, let’s say you’re just calibrated a certain way. You even mentioned it yourself—it’s about intensity. Some people are calibrated for high intensity, kind of like pneumatic jackhammers used for breaking up asphalt or those massive jet engines on a Boeing. Then there are others who are more like tiny jeweler's hammers used for delicate gears, or perhaps those little electric motors that drive highly precise mechanical devices.
Why has modern life evolved toward increasing the intensity of pleasure while sacrificing refinement? Well, I imagine it's because intensity is easier to mass-produce than quality. It’s much simpler to churn out something like a Red Bull than it is to craft a fine Champagne that needs to age for a century to reach its peak flavor. Even modern perfumes seem raw; they either hit one heavy note or create a bouquet of mismatched scents that, frankly, just smell bad. 😉
And, interestingly enough, progress isn't possible without creativity and creative individuals. In a way, creativity is similar to psychosis—just a thought. A high IQ alone isn't enough for true creativity; you also need high LI (latent inhibition) and SM (fantasy proneness). Of course, IQ matters, but people with high IQ and high LI tend to see everything the exact same way, even if they are brilliant, so they aren't truly creative since they don't question things from multiple angles. The downside of low LI—that tendency to constantly question everything as if seeing it for the first time—is that the same trait exists in psychotic individuals. The same goes for fantasy proneness.
So, there’s this thin line separating geniuses from the mad. It seems that rapid progress through reducing latent inhibition would lead to general madness rather than advancement, which might be why society needs a larger number of inhibited people to keep things from spiraling. It’s possible you are intentionally inhibiting yourself as a sort of shield against psychosis, but if you overdo it, you might end up suppressing your own creativity and inviting melancholy or depression... well, we shall see.
Yes, I am calibrated exactly as I am, through the big things and the small.
And what would I even do with creativity? Write solutions in verse?🤣
By the way, a client once told me that my response was dry and stereotypical; he wanted a "human" answer from me. Get this: I gave him a 15-day deadline, and he had the nerve to give me one for 7.😂
I know you mean well, and I truly believe your intentions are good, but sometimes the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
That said, I have to admit that when I was responding to Vertigo regarding whether a certain success would help me, I actually broke down in tears.
This is just who I am, and I don't see any reason to justify my nature to people who, thank God, possess healthy and resilient nervous systems. My situation isn't even that extreme; seeing the absolute chaos and the walking dead in hospital waiting rooms puts things in perspective. I am not looking for hospitalization, nor will I do anything to cause myself harm.
I won't lose my mind in the sense of experiencing psychosis. However, it isn't simple, even with medication. It is a completely different experience when you are genuinely okay versus when you are relying on medicine.
I haven't done anything wrong; this is simply how my nervous system functions. It has always been this way.
Just as someone with poor vision needs glasses, someone else might have a more sensitive nervous system.
I don't understand why people fail to see the parallel. You wouldn't tell a blind person to just take off their glasses and "try harder" to see; no matter how much willpower they exert, their vision remains blurred.
Compared to a diabetic or someone with severe visual impairment, I actually have an advantage because I have periods where I feel fine and don't require medication. For me, this condition acts more like seasonal allergies.
I have only fainted once, 😛 which was due to a sort of neurological circuit breaker. When the stress becomes too much, the body essentially pulls a fuse to protect itself. Consciousness simply cannot handle the load, and the person collapses. It is a 100% defensive mechanism.
As for my attempts at exposure therapy and similar methods—we aren't living in some hyper-sensitive bubble where everyone runs to a therapist the second they feel a bit down. To put it briefly, without getting into the weeds, those methods didn't work; they were actually disastrous.
Some people claim that the pain of a depressed person can be compared to the physical pain of a quadriplegic. I won't claim that is my specific experience, but what I deal with is a legitimate illness just like any other. I refuse to apologize for it, nor am I ashamed to speak about it. If anyone wants to stigmatize me, let them. If I had high blood pressure, I would simply say, "I take medication for my blood pressure." I don't have high blood pressure, I have a low tolerance for stress, and when I need pills, I will take them. Once I don't need them anymore, I'll stop. I certainly won't behave like a primitive by just lying in bed and giving up, especially since some people struggle to grasp that I need external serotonin to function, go to work, and live my life.
Again, I know your intentions aren't malicious, but unfortunately, those methods simply do not work for me.
Ronald Rogers27 said:And I'm not Stella either. 😂
Ronald Rogers27
Thank God we could actually agree on something.🙂
briskraven28 said:It’s a matter of simple fact. Can you actually envision a level of success that permanently cures anxiety, depression, and such? If you claim you can, then why haven't you reached that state already, starting right now?
Certain anxieties are universal. No one escapes them because they are baked into the human experience. No amount of achievement can erase that; to suggest otherwise would be to suggest we aren't human. Therefore, total eradication is impossible—it's really just a question of intensity.
Life is a constant cycle of struggle and joy for everyone.
As for why my nervous system overreacts to stress, who knows? A doctor calls it a "vulnerable personality structure" (which is just a clinical way of saying I'm sensitive). 😉 By that metric, I'm definitely not average. I once actually fainted from sheer distress. 🤣
Does success make me stronger? It does, which is why my bouts of anxiety and depression are cyclical; they are fundamentally reactive.
Could some massive success eliminate them entirely so they never feel overwhelming again? I don't know.
Success might suppress them for a significant period of time—that much is proven.
But life involves stress. Period. For everyone.
When things are as intense for me as they are, someone who hasn't experienced it simply won't understand.
You don't even have the strength to give up.
briskraven28 said:That is precisely my point—it is a fear of success that far outweighs the fear of failure. It is why humanity struggles to handle what it actually achieves. It is easier to just hide away... If you fail, you can always wallow in self-pity; but if you succeed, then what? You might as well just end it all.
And yet, in the end, you admit you are nobody. 😁
I don't buy that. There is nothing better than experiencing success and truly shining. Finishing a project you started or finally getting that college degree—those are great things.
What is there to actually fear? Standing out? Being judged by a society that tends to tear down anyone who rises above the crowd? Dealing with envy?
Why should someone be afraid to step into a role they've earned?
And why would success lead to an end, rather than simply providing the momentum for the next goal?
briskraven28 said:And you view yourself as a mere number just to make the digestion easier—since everyone else is chewing along blindly, I suppose?
No. However, I don't view myself as some holy icon that is too special to be categorized or simplified into a standard group.
I am no nobody.
briskraven28 said:Do you honestly believe a Gaussian curve can define you? I’d love to know who convinced you of such a thing.
Not fundamentally, no, but statistically speaking.
As they say, statistics is just a precise sum of inaccurate data.
Maria Hughes52 said:So, do you think the human race survives in the long run? 🙂
Because even the scientists aren't so sure...
I don't know. In the long term, it doesn't seem likely, though I think we'll stick around for a decent while longer.
I'd like to think we might evolve. But hope is a fickle thing. ☕
briskraven28 said:Progress won't "crush" us—we'll be crushed by our own inability to adapt, which is far more likely than anyone actually stepping up... self-pity is easier than growth. And genius is purely relative; compared to some cosmic intelligence, we're just basic idiots, even if we feel brilliant compared to the bottom of the barrel. We'll probably go out because of something trivial—an asteroid or the sun burning out—rather than tech itself. If we kill each other, it won't be because of progress, but again, due to sheer incompetence.
Evolution isn't about reaching a destination where everything is handled; it's about the struggle itself—the spirit of the challenge.
eros equals longing.
I find it hard to believe you actually aim for being an "average" person. Who even defines such a category?...
It’s what happens when you plot a person's traits and abilities on a Gaussian curve and they land right in the middle.
briskraven28 said:Progress won't "crush" us—we'll be crushed by our own inability to adapt, which is far more likely than anyone actually stepping up... self-pity is easier than growth. And genius is purely relative; compared to some cosmic intelligence, we're just basic idiots, even if we feel brilliant compared to the bottom of the barrel. We'll probably go out because of something trivial—an asteroid or the sun burning out—rather than tech itself. If we kill each other, it won't be because of progress, but again, due to sheer incompetence.
Evolution isn't about reaching a destination where everything is handled; it's about the struggle itself—the spirit of the challenge.
eros equals longing.
I find it hard to believe you actually aim for being an "average" person. Who even defines such a category?...
So, stupidity is the real threat. There is no evolutionary leap where we become super-geniuses capable of anticipating and solving every existential crisis. This brings us back to the original point: as a species, we have definitely bitten off more than we can chew.
So, Vertigo, let’s speculate for a second. What’s your take? Is technological progress going to crush us, or will we somehow evolve into geniuses capable of handling it all?
Personally, I consider myself an average person with average abilities. I approached this topic from that standpoint, which is also where most people sit. After all, those who know more are naturally better equipped to make accurate predictions.
briskraven28 said:My point is that people who label themselves as "spiritual" often discard anything that doesn't fit their preconceived notions of spirituality—for instance, when Shakiri claims she isn't spiritual, I actually find her quite so because of her intellect. They tend to pivot to "rationality" the moment they realize they can't win an argument logically—it's similar to how Quincy writes, though I'm only drawing that parallel to clarify my thought process, stripping away the parts that remain obscure to me and turning that fuzziness into something vaguely defined as "intuition." But intuition isn't fog; it's clear, piercing, and perceptive—and when it's truly pure, it can actually be shaped into a form of expression.
Painting isn't necessarily any easier—beyond years of mastering the tools, you need more than just sight; you need to know how to interpret what you see, since you can't cram every single detail into a canvas without losing the point. That's a much longer process than just talking—unless, of course, you're writing a novel.
Ultimately, I agree with Shakiri that humans need more; we need a challenge to truly grow. You can't achieve that if you think you already have everything you need or if you're completely satisfied—which is exactly what this kind of spirituality aims for: total contentment or peace. It’s like taking a sedative; you aren't actually at peace, you're just numb—or perhaps you've just offloaded your restlessness onto some higher power, sweeping the problem under the rug rather than actually solving it.
I suppose all of this depends on individual traits. We all possess varying degrees of different types of intelligence, but almost no one has them all highly developed.
When someone struggles to articulate a thought, there are two primary possibilities:
1. They don't actually understand the concept at any level.
2. They grasp the abstract idea perfectly fine but lack the ability to translate it into linguistic symbols or find the right words.
I also believe that everyone possesses some form of spiritual dimension.
The same applies to how much challenge a person requires. It is entirely individual and, in my view, has less to do with spirituality and more to do with personality traits—specifically, one's level of ambition.