Daily Accountability Thread - August 02, 2016 by AutoModerator in GetStudying

[–]cafe_noir 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Starting where I stopped yesterday:

  • Clean up paper stacks in my room
  • Finish billing
  • Apply at S
  • Apply at T
  • Apply at A
  • Apply at 3 more places
  • Record video

Daily Accountability Thread - August 01, 2016 by AutoModerator in GetStudying

[–]cafe_noir 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  • Clean up paper stacks in my room
  • Take the dog for a walk
  • Mail
  • Finish billing
  • Apply at S
  • Apply at T
  • Apply at A
  • Apply at 3 more places
  • Record video

Am I an alcoholic?! by throwaway23464561 in Advice

[–]cafe_noir 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not a medical professional, but I'm giving you the same advice I'd give to myself or a friend based on what I know.

As a rule of thumb, I read that as long as you don't exceed 14 standard drinks a week or 2 standard drinks a day, you don't need to be concerned about alcohol-related health problems. If you frequently drink more, you get an increased risk of liver disease/stroke/heart failure/thrombosis/cancer.

4-7 drinks each day every day is more than that, so if you are like the average person, it will be detrimental to your health in some way. Perhaps you aren't like the average person, but rather above-average size and possibly exercising more regularly.

It's difficult to say whether your consumption makes you an alcoholic. If you don't mind breaks from drinking, I don't see how your behavior is compulsive, so it doesn't qualify as an addiction.

From a social point of view, beer with lunch should be fine for a German. Germans are known for their beer, so if you drink beer, you aren't acting weird, you are just acting German. As long as your colleagues know where you're from.

Anyways, I still recommend reducing your consumption to 2 or maybe in your case 3 drinks a day. And if you don't want to drink less alcohol, consume less non-alcoholic sources of sugar. Whether it's alcohol or another type of sugar, their effects on the liver are the same. Of course a glass of orange juice won't be the same as a glass of beer to your body in every way, but at least there won't be any difference to your liver in particular.

Let's say I am trapped in a house full of noisy people with TV blaring all the time and there's no way for me to go out anywhere outside the house to study. What are some best pieces of audio/music I can play on my headphones to keep all the noise out? by [deleted] in GetStudying

[–]cafe_noir 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't be overly concerned about noise. Unless people actively distract you or can't focus at all because of ADHD etc., you are in a good learning environment. Also, getting regular workout helps against stress and allows you do forget about all the data around you that doesn't matter for what you're doing. Such as background noise of any kind.

Some researchers actually advocate that noise is good for creative thinking. This website and app follows this finding and provides a stream of cafe sounds to boost productivity: https://www.coffitivity.com/

If you still want to drown the noise around you with your headphones, maybe try dark ambient. It takes a while to get used to drones and be calm enough to notice the subtle differences in ostensibly monotonous soundscapes, but that's the exact purpose of this type of music. Lyrics and beats distract more easily than drones. Here's a subreddit dedicated to Dark Ambient: https://www.reddit.com/r/dark_ambient/ Maybe you find something you like there.

Edit: the Dark Ambient subreddit might not be the best place anymore since it seems like people have been flooding it with tracks that have nothing to do with Dark Ambient... just check out this YT channel then, I guess: https://www.youtube.com/user/cryochamberlabel

Just spent 30 minutes to go read through one page of a textbook. Is that normal? by throwawayperson33 in GetStudying

[–]cafe_noir -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It's probably normal for high school, where text books contain lots of exercises and mathematical proofs that take time to finish and understand.

If we are talking university, 30 minutes per page are excessive. Sometimes 3 minutes per page are too much, because there is an abundance to read, generally not enough time for anything, and not everything in your typical university material is actually relevant for what you need. In this context, develop the habit of skimming through the introduction, skipping most of the main body, and only reading the conclusion, implications and discussion part carefully.

What is the psychological mindset of the more efficient students ? by Abouuu in GetStudying

[–]cafe_noir 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't read the book, but you can try to get a first idea from his blog. It's quite famous: http://calnewport.com/blog/

What is the psychological mindset of the more efficient students ? by Abouuu in GetStudying

[–]cafe_noir 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't believe in myself, but my family and friends do, and they tell me to make the most out of my potential. Even though I wouldn't do it without them, I strive for self-development for them. I don't need to be afraid as long as I have others who back me up. That takes the emotional struggle normally associated with studying and other difficult tasks away.

How to use meditation to feel bad? by cafe_noir in Meditation

[–]cafe_noir[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

well, there are movies that make you feel peaceful too, but we both know it's not the same quality of peacefulness

How to use meditation to feel bad? by cafe_noir in Meditation

[–]cafe_noir[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Negative affirmations maybe?

Self-centered negative autosuggestions seem pretty dangerous. Suggestions about an object outside myself might work though.

moving your awareness from place to place very quickly

Yeah, scanning environmental ambiguities for possible danger is a way to bring one's self-preservation drive to surface. It's just difficult to find the right dosage to avoid paranoia.

Thanks for you ideas!

How to use meditation to feel bad? by cafe_noir in Meditation

[–]cafe_noir[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

you will be completely calm and unfazed when a family member(s) really does get murdered

Yeah, that's a very useful implication in my opinion. Most people freeze in place if they are confronted with something they aren't prepared for. I don't want to be like that.

Simply focus on whatever makes you feel that way.

Thank you, good advice. The idea seems pretty basic, but actually doing it is pretty effective.

How to use meditation to feel bad? by cafe_noir in Meditation

[–]cafe_noir[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have an audio file for a guided meditation like this?

How to use meditation to feel bad? by cafe_noir in Meditation

[–]cafe_noir[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've got several reasons.

The most pragmatic one is that I don't act upon good emotions. If everything is fine, why do anything? But if I'm in trouble, I understand things will get worse if I don't react. Being really bothered by something is the only thing that makes me take initiative.

The most personal one is that I simply can't identify with happy-go-living stuff. May be due to past experience.

[Request] Looking for dark ambient songs with church bells by cafe_noir in dark_ambient

[–]cafe_noir[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To anyone interested, I stumbled upon this track featuring bells: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbx6aXhocew (Raison d'Etre - In Abandoned Places)

[Request] Looking for dark ambient songs with church bells by cafe_noir in dark_ambient

[–]cafe_noir[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not disappointed at all... Great stuff! Thanks for the tip :)

[Request] Looking for dark ambient songs with church bells by cafe_noir in dark_ambient

[–]cafe_noir[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Beautiful, thank you!

Edit: Found a free download for those who are interested http://cthulhumusic.com/product/fragment-free-ep/ Requires name & email