I find the idea of not expecting too much of oneself can be extremely liberating. Just let go of the stress, relax and enjoy life.
What do you do about people who obligate you otherwise though?
I seem to find myself under managers like this all the time for example—unending, "I want you to rise up to the occasion"-types. Largely because they just yes-man whatever their bosses ask for without further consideration.
I've had some dark times. Especially when I lost my religion.
Existential crisis is depression's brother. They often travel together.
Figured out that my purpose is taking care of my people.
My people are my immediate family, friends, people in our small alternative subcommunity, pets. It's sort of like a tribe and is small enough I can wrap my head around it instead of the world and society at large. It appeals to the pagan inside my inner atheist.
Find someone or something external to yourself to care about that you can meaningfully help and take care of. I'll give my wife a hug for you.
nothing cosmic about it. And not dust at all, just a human typing on a screen. There's a purity to dust that we shouldn't reclaim. Is the moon full tonight?
Everything heavier than lithium was created either in the heart of a star over it's lifetime, or during its death in a supernova. We really are cosmic dust, or as Carl Segan called it, "Star Stuff".
I felt that a lot when i was on antidepressants - like a tiny ant on a little trail just doing my thing until I'm done, then poof. I like thinking that in 120 years the whole earth will have entirely different people. We're just dusty blips.
They have a few songs where they do a great job of painting how small we are and yet we are made of the greatest things the universe has every made.... We are.
Yup. We are just some timespace consisting of some miles and some decades. Ive had my go and if there is more good but if there is not it was still good.
I feel that. For me it's more of the more I believe I'm not in this world, not anchored to it. More of thoughts I'm just in a simulation. The better my mental health is. The grounding techniques people use to center them selfs into reality cause me extremely bad panic Attacks. I have to believe this isn't real or I can't handle life mentally.
So yes nothing matters where all just space dust floating around, life's meaningless and pointless. So might as well live it up and make the most out of it.