Use states of being as temporary buffs

A state of being is your current condition, your emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual well-being per say.

It's a concept I have been getting interested in recently as some states of being can act as a positive buff throughout the day, while others will cripple you.

Positive states of being

An example of this would be meditation before sleep. You clear your mind, relax your body, have engaging and deep dreams, then you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to hit the next day.

Another example would be doing something physically shocking, such as a cold plunge, a hard sprint up a hill, diving into the ocean and being tossed about by the waves, or something as simple as 20 pushups. These all jerk the mind and wake it up, telling you how you are alive.

Me writing this article is another example of a positive state of being. I write this article in the early morning with no distractions, knowing that writing is my future goal, and due to actively working and making progress to achieve my dream, I will leave this cafe in a happy, proud, and contented state of being.

Negative states of being

Spending the whole day at home with no social interactions, no sunlight, no walking, no exercise, no change of scenery - will leave you in a dismal depressive state of mood.

Scrolling on the phone for hours being sleep until 3am, will have you waking up feeling exhausted, depressed, and with sore eyes.

Putting off all your tasks and assignments will build up internal pressure and put you into a chronically stressed state of being.

Eating terrible food may leave you feeling bloated, guilty, and hating yourself.

How to use states of being to your advantage

Willpower exists but it's not reliable. It's finite and cannot be counted on to save the day every time, its source can be exhausted and therefore leave you with nothing to call on.

Use states of being as temporary buffs.

Purposely aim to put yourself into the right state of being, so that all following decisions flow more smoothly.

This way you'll also exert less willpower, and be able to conserve this precious resource for when massive decisions come up.

Using willpower to put you into a state of being is also more bang for your buck than directly aiming for the goal.

For example, using your willpower to meditate, stretch, and go to bed earlier without screen time - will reap 10x benefits the next day.

The next day when you are feeling recharged and refreshed, you'll be able to make 10x better decisions in all domains in life.

You'll be able to workout, work on your passion project, go on an adventure with friends, do chores and errands, and so much more.

But if you disregard states of being, and you only focus on using your willpower the next day to force yourself to go to the gym, to force yourself to do chores and errands, then you will not only be exhausted but you will also be miserable and perform more poorly.

This will create a terrible state of being that could carry over to the next day and the next, until you start hating life.

Take the time to consider what puts you into a positive state of being and what puts you into a negative state of being.

Then deliberately control this using your willpower and discipline. Use it as a buff. It will then make everything else easier.

TLDR

Positive states of being are temporary buffs that can allow for better decision making throughout the day.