My study program

So looks like I’m going to fail to do more than one days worth of reading a chapter of my book each day what with my current fatigue. Does it matter, well I set myself the challenge of seven days, so in that sense it does. But on a wider level, is book reading worth it, it can be relaxing, it can be strenuous, but is it always academic;?; I have several books I want to read, two books on diagnosis and change, and one on travel. The book on travel is the lightest book and the one I’m starting with first. I also have a technical book on contemporary health economics for the NHS with respect to clinical research which may be becoming obsolete, for the time being though, I’m reading the travel book. Thank you.

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So I’m studying the science of the purification of the heart at the moment, which is designed to discipline you against putting your attention and intention into useless things. I’m starting Shiatsu classes again in May. Thank you.

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So disciplined study is eluding me at the moment. I need to watch some videos on how to run a laughter yoga group. I need to install whatsap so I can watch some videos of the shiatsu lessons I missed. But more than this, I need to study some maths. Sometimes I think maths is a waste of time, but what with the Corona virus, I am thinking that I need to understand the maths behind the periodic table and the Earth-Moon theorem. I also probably need to learn some physics. At the moment, all I am doing is reading the science of the purification of the heart, trying to improve my conduct. This is probably enough. Thank you.

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So I’m still reading the science of the purification of the heart, I’m about half way through the book. I’m also reading a book on the five aspects of spirit in TCM. This is probably enough at the moment. Thank you.

So I’ve started a third book on top of the purification of the heart and five aspects of spirit. Today is day five of reading on consecutive days. I need to keep it up. All the books are interesting. I’m doing much better now. Thank you.

Good job! When you feel like not doing anything you can apply the 5 minutes rule: You start your activity for only 5 minutes and if you are able to continue you just continue.

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So I finished the book on the purification of the heart, I think I’d like to read it again some time. Am reading several books on five “phase” theory in TCM and traditional Chinese cosmology. I want to return to reading about pulse diagnosis in TCM as well. This is all part of my attempts to become a shiatsu practitioner. Hopefully the classes will start again in May but that might be a bit optimistic. I kind of feel that my reading in these areas has come to an end at the moment, and that I should return to studying maths. I still want to publish a mathematics paper. I’ve written something which I need to copy out neatly again, but I might need to study some more theory to advance to the next level. Proceeding in a very undisciplined way at the moment, but that is often the best way to study naturally as opposed to by rote. Still rote learning is important too. It is a balance at the end of the day. Thank you.

So I need to do some study of a new mathematics topic that I haven’t studied before. I’ve downloaded the lecture notes and now need to read through them, ideally copy them out. I read some more five “element”/“phase” theory today, but still need to read the mathematics lecture notes. Thank you.

Thank you @anongoodnurse for you kind reply and thank you for sharing your journal posts. I’m not sure I’m addicted to my phone, or rather, I know I am, but haven’t found it detrimental to my mental health yet, indeed talking to people on the phone is the only thing that keeps me sane. However your notes on the power of now are really helpful. I’ve read the book before, but don’t remember any of what you’ve written explicitly. Are they your own words? They’re really good quotes. I’m particularly taken by the negative self talk like “I must”, “I have to”, “I should” which implicitly means “I don’t want to”, and that procrastination saves us from anxiety. I make myself anxious by trying to fight procrastination with the negative self talk. So thank you once again.

Today I read some more on five “element”/“phase” theory and researched some maths relevant to the paper I want to write. I’m going to try and write a draft this evening after I’ve had a rest. Even saying this is making me really anxious. It’s so ingrained in me to fight procrastination, even setting targets makes me anxious :frowning:

I think I feel anxious about any task that I consciously or unconsciously fear I will fail at. I have an extreme fear of failure due to some formative events in my life. I think the way you overcome this is a stricter routine. If you’re anxious about homework, do it at the same time every day and set a timer for the amount of time you want to work on it. Maybe that would help though I don’t do it myself. I’m still trying to get self care in place, then maybe I can move on to structure and routine.

I wish I could write journals, I loose focus after writing some words without finishing a sentence.
At university I was good at c/p to learn. Its the hard way. I would copy everything in books and it worked I had high grades. I felt I was cheating. My long term memory is very good. Short-term memory and everything else is very bad.

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So today I read some more five “element”/“phase” theory, did some work on my maths paper, practiced some t’ai ji and studied in more depth the first disease of the heart from my book on the purification of the heart. It’s been quite a productive day. I want to have a similar day tomorrow. Thank you.

So I read some five “phase”/“element” theory today and practiced some t’ai ji. It’s still only 16:34 but I feel satisfied with what I’ve studied. I might try and work on my maths paper a bit. Thank you.

So I’m still quite tired, but managed to do my t’ai ji practice. I have read some more five “phase”/“element” theory. One of the books on that subject I am reading is split into two parts, how the theory crops up in philosophical texts and how it crops up in medical texts. I want to at least finish the first part before I move on to reading something else. I’m also trying to take one disease of the heart from my book on spiritual purification of the heart, and analyse it in writing each day as an exercise. My maths paper is pretty much on hold for the time being, but that’s ok. Thank you.

So I am happy with my progress today. I practiced my t’ai ji, read my five “element”/“phase” theory book finishing the first part of the book (as I said in the previous post, the book is split into two parts) and analysed in writing a disease of the heart from my book on purification of the heart. This is certainly enough for today.

There are of course many other things I would like to be doing, at least when and if I feel comfortable doing them. Having finished the first part of the book on the five “elements”/“phases”, and having become a bit uncomfortable trying to absorb and process the amount of information in it, I am wondering what to apply my reading to next. There are a couple of completely different subjects which I have books on which I’d like to make time to read, physics and economics. On the other hand, I have a book that goes more slowly through the five “elements”/“phases” describing them in couples, in terms of the five zhang (organs) and five wu shen (spirits). I have already read the section on the first couple, the lung and the liver and the “hun” spirit and the “po” spirit. I could move on to reading the next couple, really one in this case as five doesn’t divide by four, the heart and the “jing shen” spirit.

So I haven’t decided what I’m going to read tomorrow, will make the decision on the day I guess. Thank you.

So it’s 12:43pm and I have completed my routine study for the day. I have practiced t’ai ji, written an analysis of one of the diseases of the heart from my book on the spiritual purification of the heart, and read a chapter of a book on physics. I opted for physics instead of continuing with the five “phase”/“element” theory of Chinese philosophy and medicine.

The book on physics I have is short, only 79 pages, comprising of seven chapters, so I can easily read one a day. After that I think I will return to Chinese philosophy and medicine.

I actually combined three diseases of the heart that I had already analysed in part, in my written analysis for today, and this exercise of daily contemplation is going well.

I now have another nine hours or so in which to do as I please.

Thank you.

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Hi Gagis, i’m trying to read a book atm but it is difficult, it is broken down into small parts but still difficult,

Good Luck with your endeavours

Thanks @Resilient1 reading can be tough with this condition, hope you get through it.

I’ve done my t’ai ji, reading of my physics book and written contemplation of a disease of the heart today. I still want to do some maths revision (15 minutes). I’m keeping to my routine at the moment which is good. I’m pleased. Thank you.

So I did all the things I wanted to do today and more, reading both my physics book and a chapter of a book on TCM, as well as doing my t’ai ji and fifteen minutes maths revision and written contemplation of a disease of the heart. Things are definitely going well, still nowhere near a full working day, I’m not really capable of that at the moment, but progress nevertheless. Thank you.

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Managed to do all the things in my study program today, maths, t’ai ji, physics and spiritual contemplation. Spent a lot of time worrying about my aims in life, or lack of, what I should be doing, whether the things I am doing are of any value, etc. This was brought on by trying to think how I could please my parents, after writing that people pleasing is ignoble lol I need to take my own advice to heart, I wrote it because it is a major failing of me sometimes. Thank you.