I’m sure some of you practise meditation, and am more certain that you are all ‘mind people’ regardless of the specifics, or else you’d likely not be here lol
I’m going on an 11-hr flight and would really appreciate any advice to help make the time seem shorter - as time is relative and doesn’t follow the same rate in my head at all times, I know this can be done but the Google-able answers I’ve been getting are all standard fare most likely copied/pasted from elsewhere in the name of good SEO
So does anyone have any neat ways of thinking in one’s head for making time go by quicker?
Get as comfortable as you can (impossible, but try anyway) close your eyes and focus on the sounds of the engines (or hydraulic pumps, or just some steady sound) Also focus on any steady vibrations you feel. Then let your thoughts wander freely. I doubt if you can make it last 11 hours, but in between bathroom trips, honey roasted peanuts, and several strong drinks, you can practice this process several times. It will ‘shorten’ the time considerably. I used this on red eye flights and it worked nicely. The alcohol helps.
Right now, I have an extremely tedious job. It’s an 8 and a half hour shift. I find it helpful to mark my progress. I just keep track of the time, I embrace it. I write down the time in five minute intervals, and cross off each interval. I figure percentages of my remaining time. It helps a little.
On a eleven hour flight, 10% is 66 minutes, of course. 25% is 2 and three-quarter hours. Try to find an activity that takes 2 and three quarter hours, and another that takes 66 minutes, or use whatever intervals you like. Bring a few NYT crossword puzzles. Memorize a list - US presidents, state capitals, the top ten home run hitters in baseball history or maybe a recipe. Whatever. Reward yourself only after certain intervals or accomplishments - take that piss only at 66 minute intervals, or have a snack only at every quarter.
You’re bored when you have nothing to look forward to - so give yourself 11 things to look forward to. You might be surprised at how trivial that reward can be, but someone who has done time in the joint would not be.
Accomplish 11 things, or four things, or whatever number works.
I can kill an hour by making a list - everything needed in a bugout bag, or the full names of every woman I have had sex with, or the names of all the teachers i have had in school (I would not be able to complete either of the last two, but I could kill an hour trying).
Find a book that doesn’t have an index and make one for it.
Bring some graph paper and design your dream house, or construct your own crossword puzzle.
Origami.
All this can be done with a pencil and some paper.
For me is thinking about some useless fact, which I would not not much about, and then trying to find it. It is like when you like a song in a commercial and proceed to to find out who sings it…pointless search for a useless fact but it sucked three hours without me feeling them.
I wont have internet access Omar, but good idea if i did
Faust - best post so far.
Good tips tentative, thanks
Unfortunately I can’t drink alcohol (medical reasons)
Unfortunately because of my condition boredom is extremely painful to me because my mind isn’t distracted away from the pains in my body (sorry i should have said i am an ME/CFS sufferer)
That would help for some Im sure but for me its not an option
Might give this a go if the plane’s not too crowded or noisy - otherwise i may find it difficult to concentrate
Good tip though thanks
Actually i do medicate with cannabis but i made a point of stopping a week or two ago so I’d be as clear-headed as possible in order to arrange things and get everything done in time.
Can’t argue with that advice in general though as it helps my muscle pain, stomach pains and sleeping a great deal
Perhaps try some far weaker solid/resin instead of weed, but mostly keep away from caffeine as much as possible ~ it kinda has the opposite effect mentally at least [imho that is].
Naturally meditation is always good though perhaps difficult on a plane. The simplest meditation [as you probably already know] entails gaining unfocused spatial awareness; feel your immediate surroundings, your legs on the seat, the seat, the floor beneath it, the vibrations of the plane. listen to all the sounds near then far [this has the effect of expanding the mind into a cavern like space ~ or a space-like space if you will]. Then allow the mind to stay in that far space as if listening to surround sound classical music, but without focusing on any particulars. You should now be in a kind of trance, try to stay there and as much as you can is as much as time will vanish from your experience.
Thanks Amorphos thats a great post (great username too btw)
Ye i cant drink caffeine or alcohol at all and even sugary/dairy drinks i have to keep to a minimum as it affects me - so on the plane i’ll be drinking water only (unless the cabin crew allow me a cup of hot water to dissolve my ginger in to make ginger tea which is lush and very good for you)
As for resin i’ve found it depends where you are but where I am the resin is very poor and is often brought into the country underneath diesel trucks, not to mention the plastic one often finds inside it - needless to say i avoid it as it usually gives me a nasty cough whereas i find weed actually helps my respiratory system
Thanks for the tips on meditation tho
Ideally i find the best way to pass time is to talk with someone interesting but most people find me eccentric and so would likely not want to be in a conversation with me for any significant period of time lol
I tend to talk about history/politics etc… when all most people want is smalltalk which I seem pathologically incapable of lol
There is an antidote, you will know within a sentence if people are like that or not, I find that if in your first reply [if you can get one in] you talk in metaphor, that’s it, their gone.
Agreed lol - for me it’s analogies which are my forte - and they are often deliberately extreme to make a point hit home a bit harder. Some call this Godwin’s Law; I personally rue the day that stupid concept originated as if we stopped doing this anaolgies would be far less powerful a tool in philosophy
Negative tricks:
don’t keep checking the clock
don’t count the whole time
avoid too much novelty - like travel
avoid too much repetition
don’t kiss anyone new a lot - that’s a long intense day, further developments along this line are also to be avoided
don’t get into a car accident - at least during the accident time will slow down, shock might speed up time after - I call this one neutral
don’t try to stay awake or avoid the urge to naps
don’t go the dentist
avoid commuter traffic
