Satisfaction

Enough #

You can drive yourself crazy trying to constantly improve every aspect of your life. You need standards - enough is enough and not enough is not enough. Here are some that I think are sensible; if you've met them already, then there's no reason to worry, fixate, or make them a significant part of your psychological landscape.

• Health: be able to put in a full day of work (physical or cognitive) without pain or impediment; no medications
• Fitness: strong enough to open any jar lid, carry furniture when moving, remove lug nuts to change a tire, or carry a friend a mile when out on a hike; able to run up and down as many flights of stairs as exist in your city.
• Money: enough to ride out 1 year of forced unemployment and/or enough to cover all foreseeable but irregular expenses (car and home repairs, gifts, replace broken electronics, taxes, cover your health insurance out-of-pocket maximum).
• Appearance: attractive enough to get a mate that satisfies you, clean and professional enough to get a job in your field.

Adaptation-Proof Pleasures #

Some things will never get old, so it's probably worth figuring out how to insert them into your life on a recurring basis. This provides fun and enjoyment without accelerating the hedonic treadmill and forcing you to up the ante the next time you seek out the same thing. Here's a partial list and some advice on how to incorporate each into your life.

• Good food. Fatty meats, tubers, sweet fruits, cheese, and dark chocolate are always going to taste good. These do not require ever-increasing doses in the same way that chips and soda can.
• Looking good. Lose fat, gain muscle, experiment with different haircuts, develop your facial structure by chewing Falim gum, and buy clothes that fit you properly.
• Sunlight and warm weather. When moving, make this a consideration. When the weather is nice, make plans to take advantage of it. If you're stuck in a lousy climate, purchase quality outerwear (parka, lined pants, etc) and set up some lamps inside so you have pleasant lighting.
• Beautiful environments. If you're going to live somewhere for a while, spend some time figuring out how to beautify the space. Buy a painting, hang it up, meditate on it for a month, rinse and repeat.
• Deep breathing. Five or six second inhales and exhales through the nose seem to be about right. This is nice to do when reading or commuting.
• Sports and exercise. Find something you can do everyday (that fits into your daily routine without too much extra expense of time and money) and perhaps something else that you can do on the weekends.
• Massage and sex. You'll want a partner for these.
• Time in nature. As with weather, this one is highly impacted by where you live. If you live in an urban area, consider planning outdoorsy vacations instead of trips to fancy metropolises. Find a nice park that you can visit on the weekends. Adopt a plant or two for your home.
• Playing with domestic animals. Dogs and livestock are a fair amount of work; if you're not up for that then consider a cat, hamster, or hedgehog.
• Chatting with friends and family. Frequency is key here. Either live near the people you care about or take a hobby where you'll be forced to see the same people on a regular basis.

Relief #

The human body seems to be wired to reward relief, or return to homeostasis. Get really cold then cover yourself with a blanket and drink a warm beverage. Work hard and then lay down. Stretch and then let your muscles contract again. Go pee after a long car ride. Walk away after a date or job interview. Sit down after hiking for miles. Drink some water after working outside in the heat. Eat dinner after a day of fasting. Crack a joke after an embarrassment. Hug someone after being away for a long time. Concentrate on something for hours and then stare at the trees. Save your money for something you'll love and then purchase it.

This cycle of exiting homeostasis and then facilitating its return is good for you, as it expands your homeostatic range. And your body rewards you for this good work by producing this feeling of relief after you have completed the cycle.

If you know that this is the cycle that typically occurs, then it can change how you view certain intermittent stressors. Instead of dreading the stressor itself, focus your attention on the sense of accomplishment and relief you will feel after overcoming it. It may be possible to embrace mild stressors in this way rather than avoiding them.

If there is a particular class of stressor that consistently causes you mental distress, it may be the case that you don't have a sufficiently good routine for ending the event and celebrating your return to homeostasis. If there is no high-fiving, positive feedback, or joking about your mistakes after you speak publicly, you are much more likely to dwell on the ways you erred or could improve than you are on your increased capacity to buffer the emotional disturbance caused by public speaking.

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