What have you recently tried, and failed at?

Emile

Kaj Sotala said:

[I]f you punish yourself for trying and failing, you stop wanting to try in the first place, as it becomes associated with the negative emotions. Also, accepting and being okay with the occasional failure makes you treat it as a genuine choice where you have agency, not something that you're forced to do against your will.

So maybe we should celebrate failed attempts more often ... I for one can't think of anything I've failed at recently, which is probably a sign that I'm not trying enough new things.

So, what specific things have you failed at recently?

Kaj Sotala said:

[I]f you punish yourself for trying and failing, you stop wanting to try in the first place, as it becomes associated with the negative emotions. Also, accepting and being okay with the occasional failure makes you treat it as a genuine choice where you have agency, not something that you're forced to do against your will.

So maybe we should celebrate failed attempts more often ... I for one can't think of anything I've failed at recently, which is probably a sign that I'm not trying enough new things.

So, what specific things have you failed at recently?

not hitting anything > hitting a punching bag > hitting a human

The danger of the "punching bag therapy" applied uncritically is teaching you that when you feel angry, the correct reaction is to hit something. So if possible, self-control is the first choice. Only if not possible (or not probable), hitting the bag is the safer option.

That's certainly true (related). But hitting a punching bag is orders of magnitude better than hitting yourself.

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What have you recently tried, and failed at?

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What have you recently tried, and failed at?

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