Stoic Bodywork News Letter - May 2025:
Dear Honorable Fellows of the Human Genome,
Dopamine.
Dopamine dear reader.
We lowly humans — progenitors of memes, creators of puns, pontificators of depression — are addicted to the stuff.
C8H11NO2 that wonderful contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine.
I have been attempting my best Icarus impersonation these last few weeks. In some ways seeking out those dopamine path ways. I can report that I have achieved that which I set out to do.
I have exceeded my limits.
I do best behind the scenes unless in the capacity of working verbosely in the eyes of the society. Teetering between fatal flaw and superpower, I can be highly entertaining in a social (work related) capacity, or fairing much better in contemplative solitude, working on a manuscript or new invention. The technical term for this is ambivert. Except my social side is strictly work related, so perhaps workivert?… Work in progress.
Healthy? Doubtful… Productive? Immensely.
To paint the scene for you:
It’s about 8:22pm on a spring evening, odd cloud structures forming into puddles in the sky, just waiting for a childish breeze. The kitchen light is on, illuminating a few too many dishes in the sink and a stove top that hasn’t been wiped down. The laundries done, the bed not made just kept, but the trash probably should have gone out to the bin yesterday. The burgeoning signs of one too many late nights at the office.
An amazon box, like an indoor tumble weed, sits idle on the living room floor for lack of feline companionship. A new dish awaits its return to the collective as dinner nears its end. Flickering colors cascade the room as simulacrums of strangers tell tales of majestic adventure.
There’s a uniformity to the routine. The same warn spot on the couch, the same call to action on synaptic lines. ‘Dinners done, best get back to it.’
Yet movement is halted, exhaustion freckles the mood. Deep aches from old injuries bolstered by throw pillows and postural awareness. ‘Perhaps enough has been accomplished today?’
‘Perhaps.'
The progenitor of long winded newsletters makes for the solace of high thread counts and curated bedding. Cotton, weaved through knitted interlopes, provides a warm comforting weight. Sleep upon the horizon, the synoptics fire anew ‘a few more edits, finish a few more chapters?’
‘Best to be about it, there is much to do.’
Colors long washed to dull shadowed red, cursor flashes, lid closes, ocular shutters draw the scene to a close. The clock reads 11:43pm. Illusory crafting of strange tales weaving through lurid whispers will soon give way to jazzy tunes that provide a subtle alarm.
7:22am, right before those sweet melodies rouse curious suspicions of new dawn. ‘Up you get lad, more to be done.’
‘Yeah, I suppose.’
A yawn followed by a subtle sigh sounds the washing of cortisol into waking light. Dopamine stabilized by serotonin bolstering the mood.
‘Yes… much done… much to do.’
End scene.
Thank you for subverting yourself to that small literary accomplishment. I will check it off the always growing list. I will admit I feel pompous in talking about how much I do or don’t. What I actually aim to express is we sometimes need to push our limits to see where we stand.
Perhaps the boundaries are too tight and we need room to move. Or, perhaps they are too grand and must be redefined to better accomplish our goals.
I pushed recently to find new boundaries and as that scene shows my home life has begun to suffer. Not a hive of dismay and clutter as a much younger me might have let go, but a resounding statement of ‘time to reign it in.’ In the end I’ve found new outlets and found my new capacity for output.
I’m still working on my very small social battery, one often drained by the end of the day. But, there is always work to be done is there not? (insert appropriate emoji for that deflective statement here, what? I’m bad with emojis, or is emoji already plural? Oh well moving on.)
I write this to show my own struggles with dopamine and the effect of the four major chemical interactions.
Dopamine, Serotonin, Cortisol and Norepinephrine.
They, when unchecked, can cause all sorts of mayhem, so it is best, in my humble opinion, to check in on them now and then.
I do this through taking on too much to see what I can accomplish before things go awry. Often times over secluding myself into my research or creative tasks. I then wait as patiently as I can for the normalcy to crack. One too many tasks at home unfinished or pushed off for a little too long. I however do not wait till the place is a disaster zone, that would be unwise. Balance is what I seek.
Balance my dear reader.
Balance.
Always remember my ad nauseum disclaimer: I am not a doctor, medical or financial professional, and none of this is medical, financial or professional advice of any kind. Also, any affiliate links below will be noted with an asterisk ‘*’. Enjoy.
News:
Stacey has new Friday hours! - You can now start your weekend right with a solid workout. Don’t wait to start achieving your fitness goals. Book a session today.
Ms. Kayla Bauer (My wonderful apprentice whom I miss dearly) - Has opened her own location. If you are looking for a great massage practitioner in Doylestown then check out her new website.
Supplements - This is mostly on hold right now as I work on other projects. I have to update all the labeling to be regulation compliant in order to sell outside of just my location. I will continue to carry Stoic Sleep but other products may take more time to start production.
Podcast - Invitations will start going out soon and the recording setup is finalized. Soon you’ll be able to hear my wonderful monotone funneling directly into your auditory referencing devices in a bid to lull you deep into slumber. Stay tuned.
Workshop News - 3D printing has been the major focus right now and much has been achieved. I’ve really gotten into learning Autodesk Fusion 360 (CAD Software). This keeps me a little distracted from some other tasks I probably should be doing. Also laser engraving. There may be opportunity for custom orders in the future, stay tuned.
Current work / Research / Recommendations:
Manuscripts - (my biggest focus right now)
I’m working on a few, but the one that is nearing the editing phase is a bit special. I, once upon a yester moon, produced a podcast about mental health and self awareness. Currently, I’m working on turning that endeavor into a book. I’ll be engaging my wonderful editor in wrangling said work into an approachable and consumable format soon. Although, as of writing this, she has not been made aware. (Hi Κασσιε, talk soon.)
While pondering this section for the month I thought I’d share the idea that it revolves around:
The word ‘Depression’ is derived from an astrological term. That term is used when a sidereal (moon, stars, sun) body depresses below the horizon line. When this occurs that body is said to enter the mental space. We must imagine where that sidereal body has gone and thus it is depressed into the mind.
In this definition, the origin of the word depression, we can see something truly fascinating. Depression (non-clinical) is the unique way in which you see the world. For the world around you must depress itself into your mental space to be processed.
The book aims to dispel the long held myth that depression is wholly negative. In fact, it is the most you thing about you.
And, while being unique to you, is simultaneously the one thing that binds us all together, something we all share in common. Humans, by definition, are depressed, each and every one of us. So thoroughly that your own depression can never be understood by anyone else.
That is not to say we shouldn’t try, for trying in the face of inevitable failure is what I consider to be the definition of unconditional love. Something sorely lacking in the world today.
From this stand point we can derive the understanding of ones own self. A skill so called self-awareness. A challenging amalgamation of effort, will, and struggle. One that forges control of reality itself.
For understanding the self must first begin with the acknowledgment there of.
I define the human system as being made of three health bodies; body, mind and spirit. The very tenets of Stoic Bodywork are built upon this. Three coordinate health bodies all working in tangent with each other.
There, starting in any one of these bodies, we may foster awareness. Which is defined as having or showing realization, perception or knowledge thereof. Something that very much requires intention to do.
To share a sneak peak of what I discuss on the topic of cultivating self-awareness, I’ll give you some questions to challenge yourself with:
What are my intentions for myself?
&
What are my intentions towards myself?
Combining those answers will illuminate a great deal about your internal circumstances versus your external processes. Are you aligned towards your goals or are you in opposition? Are you looking for change in the wrong places? Perhaps not making the choices needed to accomplish it? Working diligently towards something you didn’t realize you were trying to achieve?
Or maybe, like me, you’ve made past decisions that were harmful towards yourself while wishing for something different. These questions can bring awareness to those processes.
To use myself as an example: I like to think I’m now a more balanced fellow, probably because of my beard if I’m being honest. I push myself into the depths of workaholism, carefully monitoring how it is I’m actually treating myself and my reality. All while checking to see if the intentions for the outcome are being met while still getting a good nights sleep.
Always remember that intentions can and do change.
Meditation as defined by its etymology is; awareness of breath. All you have to do to meditate is have the intention of controlling your breathing. From there you take control of something typically controlled by your autonomous nervous system, your lungs. A direct link to your parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system.
My suicidal ideation began to unravel when I realized the body intended to keep breathing, even when I willed it not to. My minds’ intentions were a dissenting view, and I knew little of my spirit. I wasn’t balanced, I was simply fighting with myself, not listening to the other two health bodies opinions or concerns. I had very little self-awareness.
Something, albeit random, that I hope to help others discover for themselves via this book and the work I do.
Product recommendations:
I should write up a shameless marketing plug about Stoic Sleep, but honestly I’m not great with that stuff. I’m also a little too tired to work on this section this month.
My product recommendation then is: Be honest with yourself, It produces great results.
Unrelated:
Stoic and Chan/Zen ponderings:
See self-awareness questions above. Apply to other things.
Thanks for reading. We look forward to seeing you at your next appointment.
