[Steven Stahlberg]

There was a question in the Digital Discussions, about what to do in a slump, and I answered:

One way I found helps me is to vary some activity in your daily routine. Like taking a course in something random, or getting some books from the library on subjects that you'd never get normally, or go out jogging...
I've read somewhere that varying your activities as much as possible will actually delay onset of senility.


Ok, so what would you guys recommend? (You can leave physical fitness stuff out, I got that covered).
It's not easy, it has to be easily accessible (something you can do like 5 - 15 minutes each day), and interesting, and... different.

Any suggestions? Needlepoint? Learning Swahili? Mastering the Kama Sutra? What combination of activities would exercise our brains the most in the shortest amount of time?

[Sukhoi]

-A rubiks cube.....
-Pasta

eh, can't think of anything else, hehe!

Sukhoi

[xXxPZxXx]

-Learn an instrument I guess it is supposed to be good for you even if its just a harmonica or something.

-write a short story

-drink really weird chinese tea

-Master the art of the air guitar to 80's butt rock.

[Lunatique]

Musical instruments.

Guitar, keyboard, drums/percussion, violin, sax, trumpet...etc.

[Daijoobu]

-Tai Chi

-Learning to juggle

-Learning Japanese (and practising those pesky Kanji's :P )

[deimus]

Contact juggling! (ever seen Labyrinth? What David Bowie - actually it was the hands of Michael Moschen - does with the crystal ball is contact juggling. Search online... there is some stuff that'll just make your eyes bug out.)

Dance - it always clears my mind when I get frustrated.

Pull out pubic hair folicles (spelling?) and implant them into the tips of your fingers. (ok, maybe not...)

[wayfinder]

flirt.

[a_sh]

crosswords, chess and other stuff that require strategic thinking... stuff that is really analytic and logical, very left-brained stuff in other words.

socialize is a good one too

[Giant Hamster]

Yes:

- Cook something new...O_o

- Make a song... o_O

- Study your genitals... O_O

Try mixing activities...Such as showering and eating, cooking and exercising, color your toenails pink and masturbate while talking to your boss, make a 4 course meal only to put it on the hood of your car and go for a ride................................................................................................................................................................................ .................................................................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................

[Steven Stahlberg]

Lunatique and Deimus, guitar and contact juggling seems like good preventative medicine for carpal tunnel, too.

Tai Chi - great!

Giant Hamster, LOL

a_sh, chess is an amazing game.
I think first person shooters work too, I think that activates a lot of the brain (since much of it was evolved for hunting). Like laser tag or paintball, but that's a bit expensive to do every day I guess.

On that note, I'm gonna go and see if I can find Max Payne for the Xbox tomorrow.

[ February 18, 2002: Message edited by: Steven Stahlberg ]

[jr]

i close my eyes and try to draw a ninja turtle. and knit and bind books. btw, i got my painting class to draw those blind ninja turtles today.

[Lunatique]

Steven- games will give you more carpal tunnel. They are eviiiiilllll....

But I play them anyway.

[Gimbal8]

What part of our brain should we excercise?

I used to try and figure out the math problem like proving pythagorians A^2 + B^2 = C^2 but not necessarily in other configurations. (There is a stroy behind all that but I'm sure I'm the only total dork interested). I used to think of 2 differnt numbers (2 or 3 digits in length) to multiply in my head while I was doing other things to see my concentration limit (I've decided I have a one track mind).

I think the musical instrument thing would be really good. Or maybe it would be better to starve yourself of any creative outlet for a while and see if the need to create builds up enough to finally burst out of the slump.

[edraket]

Well..any sports usually help me clear my mind from mindwaste and get focused again.
Gee I sound sporty. Almost like I got any exercise in the past month.

Recently I tried my hands at yoga. It worked great. That is definately good stuff to get your mind and body in shape.
After the third time something weird happened and while asleep, in the middle of the night, I pulled a musle and spent the next three days in bed like an invalid. Missing a big deadline in the process.

Anyways..I plan on picking that up again.

[Tron]

forget women
----- or -----
get a woman

just make a change!!!

[Frost]

They don't make those "Ab Masters" for brains yet, but, I can feel it coming. Slap a few electrodes through your skull and jolt yourself into mental fitness with no effort! (comes with Super-Hairball(tm) wig for a discrete workout at the office) =)

Really, there are endless of things to learn... woodworks, mechanics, electronics, chemistry, programming, cooking, sea-monkey training, ... it's nice to work out the brain a little on different subjects than the ones we always deal with (art, etc.). Or you could always take the challenge of teaching me (or some other half-witted being) a few things... =)

You're watching the Family Learning Channel.

[Snorkles]

Here are some things that�ll change your life drastically:
Start doing drugs
Commit suicide
Acting CP a whole day(seriously, that would be fun, i saw that in a movie)

[Rat]

Actually finishing a story
Taking an electronics course
Listening to *gasp* Elvis
Having an actual face-to-face conversation with a real human being (not my family)
Doing my homework

[klaivu]

Get stuck in front of computer, consume alcohol.

[Ninja]

*Write haikus.

*Flip open a dictionary and find some interesting words.

*Make conversation with the quietest person in the room, or a total stranger.

[Poxin]

-Take acid
-Take shrooms
-Smoke a joint
-or eat a weed cookie if yah don't like smoke.

Drugs dissrupt our normal brain patterns, often alowing us to see things from a more objective angle. Your state of conciousness is largly based on the chemical balance currently effect in your brain. Drugs tip you off for a short and safe period if you know what your doing.

For those who have never used drugs. Theres a good and bad to everything, keep that in mind before jumpin on the d.a.r.e. wagon. Your more likely to die or become seriously injured by driving your car then by a hit or 2 of acid. I can safly say the number one reason behind all drug related badness is due to ignorance. As one would expect if you went sky diving, know what your doing. Same goes for drugs.

Now on to the rest of my suggestions.

-meditation is really good and humans have been doing it since we can remember(there are many kinds, sitting, walking, drug induced, ect.)

-I find music to be really good (listening to or playing it)

-question your very morals or beliefs, theres no solid right or wrong way to do or see things, play around with reality, it's not as black and white as it's made out to be. Mabye more of a rainbow =)

[Steven Stahlberg]

Heh, lots of creative suggestions here. Some of them are actually quite good.

Poxin, I agree with most of what you say... On the subject of drugs: I've used some when I was younger, and not just alcohol either. But I think the alcohol did some damage... I have no idea how many irreplacable braincells I killed, but I sure as hell would like them back today.

The biggest difference between sky-diving and experimenting with acid is that with sky-diving we know exactly what is happening, and what can go wrong. It's simple mechanics. But the brain is the most horrifically complex object in the known universe; in fact most of it is outside what's known. So be careful ok?

btw, does anybody have any examples, like how a transcendental drug experience has helped an artist become more creative or something?

[jome]

Over here, in the Lowlands (The Netherlands and Belgium) the poet Jotie 't Hooft is well known for creating remarkable poems on drugs. He didn't live too long (21 years), but his life was a flash in the darkness, ending with suicide.
And what about the Beatles?

My big help is to listen to music that I don't completely understand. For example, Frank Zappa's orchestral works, or Mingus's orchestrated jazz.

[Dr. Bang]

- Again, go to the grocery store and buy something different and try it out

- If i have too much time, i'll try to get lost in my city and find the way back home.

- do homework.

[zaar]

I've heard that not taking the same way to work/school every morning is good and makes your brain wake up faster or something like that.