How much more affordable would US Open tickets be for actual tennis fans if they adapted The Masters no phone rule?
Half of Arthur Ashe every night is filled with people who want to be seen (on IG) at the US Open instead of actually enjoying the sport.
I’m a retired brain surgeon and I wanna tell you why you feel like life is passing by. I just need one minute to explain this to you so hang in there.
Repetitive daily routines stop the brain from recording clear detailed memories. When every day looks the same, your brain does not track time the same as a clock does. It tracks change. If nothing new happens then days, months, and years start to blur together.
This is know as Time compression. When life lacks variety, your brain compresses past days together, making it feel like time is sped up.
To stop feeling like life is passing you by, add new experiences to your life. Break routine habits, like changing your daily home routine, taking a different route to work, or trying a new hobby.
Schedule small trips or plan new adventures so your days do not blend together.
Practice mindfulness by staying fully focused on what you are doing right now and not trying to race off to the next task.
Keep a journal and write down happy memories or memorable parts of the day before you go to sleep.
Take deep, calm breaths when you feel anxious or rushed to return your focus to the moment.
You can and you will retrain your brain to not feel like life is passing you by by following these few simple measures.
in my decades managing my mental health, i have found that your mind is a compound protected by guards. those guards are the neurotransmitters which defend your mind from intrusive thoughts and negative narratives that promote depression, anxiety, ocd.
the guards rely entirely on your real world habits to stay alive and stay sharp. every time you get poor sleep, you kill a guard. when you abuse substances, you kill a guard. when you break a promise to yourself (‘don’t cheat’, ‘use a condom’, ‘don’t get mcdonald’s late at night’), you kill a guard. miss a workout, kill a guard. eat like shit, kill a guard. doomscroll for hours, kill a guard. and so on.
eventually, the hole in this mental perimeter will allow outside forces to take over your mind until your improve your habits and the guards are healthy enough again to reclaim the border.
this may seem obvious to some, but i give this example to those of you who, like me, have tried to drink, smoke, inject, fuck, eat, or gamble your way out of your problems. there’s no running away. your best hope is to give your guards the ammo they need to protect the sanctity of your mental compound.
this isn’t me telling you that you HAVE to do anything. do whatever you want, as long as you want. but if you’re curious why you’re stuck in one place day after day, this is why.
fix your habits to fix your mind.
fix your mind to fix your life.