@Colin: Thanks ma dude
Sup guys, this post is gonna be long winded as I'm on monkey tilt atm and there's a few things I need to get off my chest.
So this week has been really good so far. Got off on the right foot by getting to the grocery store and loading up on some healthy foods and doing a little meal prep. Not to mention I finally got back to my normal gym and have been putting in a valiant effort there. Went to my second counselling session on Wednesday morning and feel like I made some nice progress with gaining strategies to aid my end goals. All in all motivation is quite high and my overall confidence and moods seem to be really solid.
ANYWAYS, I was prob in the latter 10% of my workout tonight doing dumb bell shoulder press on my last set when I decided to really push out the last few reps, and my shoulder buckled in the process. Was I lifting likely too much weight? Yes. Was I likely pushing myself too hard? Yes. So yeah, my shoulder buckled forcing me to drop the weights behind me in a really awkward position and forcing me to end my workout prematurely.
The good news is that my shoulder seems to have somewhat regular movement capability atm and is only in moderate pain. Not sure if something is torn or if it is just sort of in a "state of shock" and things will be back to normal in a few days. I'm quite upset that somehow I seem to think I'm still a 18 year old kid playing AAA hockey who is in peak physical condition as opposed to a withered old man poker player who has neglected his health for years now. Also completely tilted that when I sign up for soccer intramurals I break my thumb the first game, then as soon as I get back in the gym again I find a way to mangle my shoulder.
Hopefully I get lucky here and there isn't any tears or w/e and things will be back to normal in a few days. Either way, it's a good lesson to take care of myself and stretch/go easy when getting back into the gym.
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Something that's much more important than my personal injury whines and complaints is that yesterday "Bell Let's Talk Day" happened. This is a charity created by a Canadian phone company that raises awareness for mental health on January 1st every year.
I guess I just wanted to shed some light on this charity and raise a little awareness for whomever stumbles upon this thread. Maybe a small amount of people read this thread but if it can help them or someone they know this post will be well worth my time.
So why all this talk on mental health in recent years? My guess is that there is a few reasons for this:
-People have begun to realize and take awareness that mental health is vitally important for quality of life and society.
-The stigma of struggling with mental health meaning you are "crazy" or "psychotic" or "weak" has been diminished over the years. People are more at ease with talking about their struggles and realize that mental health is just as important as physical health.
-Society is generally unhappier imo and has more mental hardships than in the past.
Why are people unhappier? There has been a lot of studies that overall happiness levels in people are much lower than in previous decades. Why though? We live in one of the most economically prosperous times in history, even the poorest North Americans have more access to things than even Kings and Queens did in the past, we live in one of the safest times in human history, we have more access to technological advancements than any previous generation.
So why do people struggle to find happiness today? One of my theories is that humans are extremely social beings and that we find happiness in the quality of our relationships with other humans. In a time where everyone is so artificially connected via phones, facebook, instagram, twitter, skype, 2p2 or whatever else...we become disconnected.
Those amazing in person moments, affection, and conversations simply do not have the same effect through a screen. As people become disconnected they become lonely and withdrawn which dissolves one of our most basic instinctual needs.
In an age where communication skills have been diminished to the point that it's not uncommon to walk 20 minutes through a crowded city and not have one person acknowledge you exist, or an age where everyone you know posts the top 1% of their lives on social media, or an age where dating relationships are fostered primarily from online dating apps...it's no wonder people feel inferior/withdrawn/disconnected.
Why else don't people feel happy? Again, this is just my theory. Humans are genetically designed to be eating a certain diet that we grew up on for thousands of years, and living on a schedule that we grew up on for thousands of years. Humans would eat a basic diet of organic meat, vegetables, nuts, fruits, and various things that naturally grow on the earth. Humans would wake up in nature somewhere around sunrise, go hunting, walking, or whatever else people did without cars, computers, pornhub, and Xbox. Naturally, people would be giving their bodies necessary foods and nutrients whilst maintaining regular exercise levels.Their hormone and chemical balances would follow suit.
Here we are in 2018 where Americans eat the SAD (Standard American Diet) where they pump themselves full of probably 3x the calories they need per day, massive amounts of sugar, preservatives, steroids, and processed fats. Our bodies aren't meant for this garbage...no wonder we feel like it. Not to mention, our energy outputs have never been lower.
In a time where people are conditioned to think that the happiest person is he who has the nicest car, or the hottest girlfriend, the most poker winnings, or the most instagram followers and not he who treats other people well, takes care of himself/his family/his body, and his mental health...there is a problem...a problem in which we have yet to realize the magnitude of.
If you or someone you know is feeling unhappy or having any difficulties with mental health, here is some of the best advice that I can offer (a lot through personal experience and experimentation):
1. Seek help from a professional. Guaranteed someone has experienced similar problems to you and professionals are trained to give you the best help and advice.
2. Exercise. They say 4 sessions of exercise that elevates heart rate for 30 mins each per week has similar effects to SSRIs (anti-depressant drugs). Your confidence and happiness will improve drastically. If you don't feel comfortable with going to the gym right away just force yourself to at least get in the habit of doing a 30 minute walk or jog 4x per week.
3. Eat healthy. This has been the most difficult for me in the past haha.
4. Talk to a friend and plan to go out and do stuff that forces you out of your comfort zone. Do crazy/stupid stuff when you go out in public. For example go sing karaoke or go walk through a busy street clapping and marching lol. Seems stupid af but when you realize other people find it funny or just don't care it's very free-ing.
5. Meditate a few times per week. Do some research on this yourself!
6. Read a self-help book or two. I recommend "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ****".
Anyways guys, sorry I got pretty carried away there but I really wanted to put in a solid post to raise awareness for mental health on this day. Especially in the field that we work in (poker), mental health issues are very prevalent compared to other fields. Hopefully this post shed some light for you.
If you guys enjoyed the post and want to make a difference towards charity I would love it if you donate to this charity:
http://getintouchforhutch.com/
You can read about his story on the site but this guy grew up playing in the same hockey program as me and ended up taking his own life in his first year @ University.
-If there is anything I can do that would make you guys more inclined to donate please ask. Maybe I can review one of your hh's or hands or w/e. I'm open to suggestions.
Phew! What a long post. Thanks for reading and GN.