keninabu!

Pain

It sounds sick and melodramatic.

But I need pain in my life. Maybe not sharp physical pain, but discomfort of some sort.

It's a weird thing, but there is something about discomfort, which pushes me and urges me forward in a progressive way.

To give you an example, I've had some of my best insights immediately after running. It's as though the rush of blood to my brain catalyzes a whole spate of ideas.

In any case, I concentrate best when I have some sort of pain or discomfort. I get insights literally out of nowhere when I'm exercising, or making myself eat some really hot food, or forcing myself to sweat it out in the sauna (and my heartrate goes up to 108 or so...).

Maybe I'm an endorphin addict (and I'm not making this up: apparently there really are people like this. Check this link out.).

I get the same rush of insights when I sit and meditate, and empty out my head, so I'm not exactly sure this is due entirely to endorphin addiction...

posted by keninabu @ 12:19 PM