Seeking stimulation, not entirely sure where to start

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My therapist put a proposition before me a couple of days ago. Essentially, his theory is that the reason I turn to whiskey and naughty pictures on the Internet is because I am terminally bored with how my life is. He had me go through a couple of IQ tests, and both of them came back with numbers close to 160, and I spend that brainpower looking to escape from my circumstances in the most base ways imaginable.

He suggested that I seek out intellectual stimulation. Such as taking college courses, reading intellectually stimulating books, attending civil debates, etc. I cannot afford to take college courses, so it looks like the other two may work out somewhat alright.

I am posting this here because I am looking for ideas that I can do in the short-term, to avoid another slip into habits that have done me no good whatsoever. I need to keep my brain well-fed. Of course, this is not the only aspect of my problems with life, but it is a very large piece of it. I do not deal with idle time all that well, and I have way too much f*****g idle time for my own good. So, I am grasping for ideas.

One idea came to me as I was typing this - volunteering. Find a position where I can put my brain to good use and help somebody else while I'm at it = WIN!

Any other ideas you have to share? I am ready to consider anything within reason at this point.

Always have a goal...or several goals that you are working to achieve.

Always have a goal...or several goals that you are working to achieve.

Hi KagamineLen.

What about free online courses taught by professors from reputable universities? I don't think you can actually get course credit for it, but you might get a certificate if you complete a certain amount of classes.

EdX: https://www.edx.org/

Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/

Good luck!

I had this problem (and often still do) I just stick to what I'm used to. I've picked up new TV shows to watch and new video games to play (in excess) the problem I have is I can do both of those things while drinking whiskey.

Getting out of the house is the best course of action, I know nobody likes to exercise so I'm not going to suggest it because I know you won't, but it's always nice just to get out and ride my bike. I've taken golf lessons, too. The more distracted you are the less you'll resort to such things.

Thanks for the links. I am getting excited at the possibilities. I also decided to start abusing the iTunes U app to stuff my head with interesting topics instead of stuffing it with my usual iPod filler, which consists mostly of gangsta rap.



I actually DO like to exercise. It is just when I am feeling like a victim, self-care goes out of the window, and doing the things that I know enrich my life and make me feel better just does not seem that appealing. Anything that contradicts the "perpetual victim" mindset and affirms my worth as a man does not seem worth it when I allow myself to descend into that pathetic state that I lived in for most of my life. The whole idea here is to cut that s**t out.

Distraction is good, but I will eventually have to face who I am and who I have allowed myself to become. But as far as distraction goes, stuffing my brain with intelligent content and taking care of my body seem like the way to go.

I have started eating better, and I feel less depressed. I eat 90% Paleo Diet, which consists of lots of meat and veggies and few carbs. I also like to get out and drive, I live in an area where people drive like maniacs so a bicycle or scooter is out of the question, so my mom lets me use her car. Also, you might take up a hobby, mine is electronics-a longtime special interest-so I bought some soldering equipment and intend to assemble kits and fix up old tube gear and flip it on Ebay. I am on SSDI and while it's good that I don't have to worry about kissing the butt of some a**hole for a tiny wage it still makes for some real boredom. I used to fill the hole with junk food and sugar. I no longer eat burgers and I have really dialed down the sweets. A lot of people don't know this, but booze is "empty carbs" and it's made with grain, so it's like a continuous OD on cheap carbs, thus the "beer gut". Somebody told me that when England couldn't import wheat during WW2 that psychiatric illnesses went way down.

Good point, pezar. My diet for the last few months consisted mostly of fast food and pizza deliveries. Along with copious amounts of beer and bourbon.

If I start going to the Y again, I know a lot of my stress will decrease immediately. The same with eating better and not drinking alcohol.

f**k it. I am going to go for it. I am worth the effort. I do not have to continue being who I was for years.

There is a lot of old math books on Gutenberg Project. https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Mathematics_%28Bookshelf%29
I am trying with one of them, but it seem I'm not smart enough to really get into it.
It should pose no problem for you though.

The guys in my particular area of recovery do a fair bit of volunteering (we're working on the new guy to get out some) and we go to the science museum when there's a particularly interesting exhibit but we also try to meet up for karts or a movie now and then. Ebooks and podcasts are good resources for input but sometimes it helps to have something more kinetic

The guys in my particular area of recovery often show up at my place to eat pizza, drink root beer and play my XBox One. Well, "often" meaning "twice a week", which is good.

This morning, I utilized the Y membership that I have paid for over the last year, but have only used a few times. I did a half-hour of running on a treadmill, followed with fifteen minutes in the sauna. I ate a healthy breakfast afterwards, and I feel ready to tackle the work day that is ahead of me. This feels great. I wonder why I don't do this more often.