A Guide to Your Mind [Part 1]

Doing this in parts so I can write when I have the time.

This guide is meant to shed some light on how people work so that people that read it can improve their mental state. I don't accept any responsibility for any outcome someone has after or because of reading this. I'm giving you a chainsaw- use your best judgment and exercise caution and skepticism with anything someone presents as a solution. I don't have the solution to every problem, but I believe in my model.

The topics covered in this guide will range from philosophy and morality to physiology. I will talk about religion, trauma, basic human psychology, the ego, pride, love, and more. I'll include content warnings where needed. If you have any suggestions or concerns, you can reply to this thread. I also welcome discussion and questions. I will be using AI to help me write, but I won't generate whole sections.

To start, let's talk about instincts. Humans have a bunch of basic instincts, often called the five Fs: fight, flight, freeze, f***, feed. As an adult, I noticed that these basic instincts tend to inform most people's vices, addictions, hobbies, and communication style, myself included. Some are healthier than others. There's actually a sixth instinct associated with depression- or maybe it is depression. More on that later.

Knowing about our basic instincts and where they come from is paramount to understanding our behavior. As I said, these instincts shape even our communication style. Say someone was dealing with a work conflict. If they were used to engaging conflict using basic instincts, they might argue, shut down, run away, M in risky places, or consume more food in their off-hours. They might also become hopeless and quit their job. The real solution to resolving conflict is not to utilize basic instincts to guide and inform our decisions. The real solution is to take responsibility for every aspect of the problem.

Unfortunately for many, taking responsibility away from our basic instincts that have worked so well for millions of years is a daunting, difficult ask. Just ask any teenager. The first step to taking responsibility away from our instincts is to acknowledge our emotions.

Emotional regulation comprises awareness of the emotion and surety in its root cause. Many people I have met who were in the grips of their instinctual mind could not answer very basic questions about what they were feeling (myself included). This was either because they did not know what theh were feeling or they did not want to know, or they felt nobody would care. This is normal. Being able to acknowledge what one is feeling is a skill that takes time to hone, which often goes hand-in-hand with knowing why they feel it. If using complex words to describe one's feelings is too much, it might be easier to just qualify things and situations as "good" or "bad". However, be aware that emotions often relate back to how well humans are satisfying basic instinctual urges, among many other things.

By acknowledging and having awareness of our emotions, we are taking responsibility for them. The only measure for maturity is how well a person is able to take on and accept responsibility. That's why kids are not expected to be mature: they don't have the capacity to take on responsibility- literally.

As for depression, depression is part of a normal functioning person. As I understand it, depression is like another instinct that exists to make humans take a break and relax, recuperate from injury. You can see how the brain may misapply this instinct when the brain considers emotional pain and attacks on the ego to be the same as a physical injury. Perhaps it was useful for ancient people to become depressed and take time to reflect on their mistakes, returning better and healthier. However, it can be difficult to work up the courage to take responsibility again and bring oneself out of depression. This is especially true when someone's ego is very attached to the idea of deserving pain and suffering, or not deserving good things. But I will save that for maybe part 3.

Why do all these instincts exist- what they are for? Instincts are like biological goals- eat food, reproduce, protect, hide, run away. The reason we are so prone to them is because of our evolutionary history. Our brains misapply them in situations that are more complex than instincts are able to handle. Being aware of instincts helps us to stop applying them where they don't belong. I want to stress that there is nothing wrong with giving in to vices- everyone has their coping tools. But learning about yourself and how you work will help you grow. To do that, one must be willing to change and take responsibility, especially for their emotions. Emotions will be covered in part 2, why they exist, what their function is, how they relate to instincts and the ego.

I realize I didn't write very much today, but I feel this is a good stopping point. Part 2 will be posted in 1 to 14 days. Good luck and happy breathing!