When You Are At Your Wits End...Where's Your Happy Place (Refuge/Retreat) ?

[Anatta]

KIa Ora,

Many religious/spiritual trans people have some form of coping mechanism in place when the s#@t hit's the fan, they have a mental refuge/retreat where more often than not they can find some form of relief....

So for those atheists (who are perhaps somewhat nihilistic in nature) ...Where's your safe haven ? Your place of retreat ?

Metta Zenda

[LordKAT]

Home and internet, gaming.

[Anatta]

Home and internet, gaming.

Kia Ora LK,

It would seem it's a common form of escapism that many people(trans and cis) are drawn to...taking one's mind/focus off unpleasant things and escaping into one of many different worlds....

Metta Zenda

[alabamagirl]

It depends on how bad, or perhaps more accurately stated, what type of bad, my current situation is. Sometimes I find comfort in just being around my friends when I'm feeling down. Sometimes I cope with my own sadness by trying to help others in some way. Sometimes just going for a walk and letting my thoughts drift for awhile works, too. Sometimes I cuddle my teddy bear...

I don't think I'm nihilistic... Just because I don't believe in an afterlife or any outside force watching over us doesn't mean that I think things have any less meaning or importance.

What about you, Anatta? What's your personal way of dealing with the hard times in life?

[Anatta]

It depends on how bad, or perhaps more accurately stated, what type of bad, my current situation is. Sometimes I find comfort in just being around my friends when I'm feeling down. Sometimes I cope with my own sadness by trying to help others in some way. Sometimes just going for a walk and letting my thoughts drift for awhile works, too. Sometimes I cuddle my teddy bear...

I don't think I'm nihilistic... Just because I don't believe in an afterlife or any outside force watching over us doesn't mean that I think things have any less meaning or importance.

What about you, Anatta? What's your personal way of dealing with the hard times in life?

Kia Ora AG,

By just going with the flow of things, by remaining aware of the true nature of all things (including situations one tends to find oneself in) that"Nothing is Permanent ! " ...The universe (of which we are part and parcel of=our body-thoughts words deeds etc) is in a constant state of flux (in a sense the universe is not really "in" a state of flux ...it "is" the state of flux)...

Sadly because of one's past conditioning, one tends to cling to things, (be it, thoughts, feelings, objects, what is said, etc) if one can learn to drop things-by just let them go...life will become less of a challenge...

"Just go with the flow-don't try to fight against it !" (easier said than done I know-but not impossible to do)

Metta Zenda

An after thought  (one of many) 

Most of us are aware of the mundane truth of the universe being in a state of flux,(scientists have known this for many years) but not many of us take into account that we too are part of the same evolving universe...
From a 'non theistical' Buddhist perspective, the psycho-physical phenomena that we call the 'self' ie, body, consciousness, sensation, perception, mental formation, is not a separate entity, independent of/from the universe, we are part and parcel of the same fantastical event as it unfolds( we have ringside seats so to speak)...
But more often than not, our ego, which instead of being the analytical device evolution had in 'mind'-it has now taken centre stage and this self cherishing nature tends to block the right of passage( going with the natural flow of things)...