Welcome back to Redeeming Disorder. Happy full "supermoon." May we make it to May. π
Jonas Otsuji competed on Survivor: One World a decade ago. The deep depression he recalls, however, became a challenge for him long before reality TV, and continued to challenge him after the show. Jonas speaks to the factors that made the challenge even harder β junk food, consumerism, social mediaβs distortion of reality β as well as the factors that were healing, like practicing gratitude.
Through practicing gratitude, Jonas practices happiness, and views happiness as a state weβre fully empowered to enter. I generally consider βhappinessβ to be a terrible word, because it represents about ten things at once (excitement, pleasure, connection, fulfillment, contentment, etc.), but I consider Jonasβs notion of βhappinessβ to be a realistic one, emphasizing gratitude, equanimity and peace. Choosing this peace over consumerism, digital escapism and the many trappings of the modern world can be tough, but in this interview, Jonas shares how heβs managed it.
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Children of the Dump β Bless the Children
Books Jonas Mentions: Sugar Blues by William Duffy Attacking Anxiety and Depression by Lucinda Bassett Feeling Good by David Burns
Project MKUltra on Wikipedia Operation Mockingbird Video about politics from my email to Amanda Rabinowitz Century of the Self Film β BBC
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#39: Practicing Gratitude β Jonas Otsuji