Gavin Slo’s Reviews > The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking > Status Update

Ch8, death. The ultimate fear, but fearing it doesn't make sense. It's inevitable, we cant feel it, you don't worry about the emptiness before your life, & in an attempt to avoid it, we pursue often ego-driven immortality projects that can cause good things, but also war. We should regularly confront death to remind ourselves that life is finite & make the most of our time, like the Mexicans. He lists an exercise

Ch7, failure. Museum of failed products seems interesting- most brands don't hold onto their failures & go there to see their own. You obviously need to embrace failure for success, but there are plenty who did that & never succeeded (survivorship bias). Europe celebrates failure, America doesn't. Failure is grounding, honest, & healthy- just an indicator you're not there yet. Success is delusional & uptight

Ch6, trying to chase security makes us feel insecure & unhappy- there is no end. We isolate ourselves, reinforce the ego, & attempt to shut out change in a world that is constantly changing & unstable. African slums seem to be the most happy & secure feeling, whereas the most developed countries are the opposite- it's an inverse relationship. Accept that change is not just inevitable but fundamental to life. Quantumm

Ch5, sense of self, which is intrinsically a recipe for unhappiness. Bits about descartes getting things "completely backwards" according to eckhart tolle, the ego being dependent on compulsive thinking & drama & the future rather than the present, more emphasis on merely observing your thoughts. People are happier to do things that help others than themselves. The line between self and other is impossible to define

Ch3, meditation & shit. I especially struggle with acknowledging my thoughts on a regular basis rn, but it seems pretty invaluable to be able to slow down, observe your thoughts non-judgmentally, & detach from them. Good science behind it too- & most anti-procrastination advise is bad cause it reinforces that you need to feel motivated to work, which you don't- you just need to do it. Concrete goals, consistent work

Ch2, recap on stoicism. Positive thinking & visualization leads us to put less effort in because we've already convinced ourselves that things are fine- we need to confront the bad directly, & when we do, we see that things aren't so bad at all. Suggesting a person's fear is unlikely only amplifies it. He gives 2 stoic exercises- saying which stop a train is at aloud, & acting like a lunatic/asking what year it is

Ch1, try not to think of a polar bear & you'll think of one. Trying to calm yourself down will freak you out more, and trying to be happy will place more emphasis on how you're not happy- especially cause we're always looking for things that affirm our sense of self, & things like affirmations make us aware of the gap between what we tell ourselves & who we are. Pessimism is often as healthy & productive as optimism