former king of the pirates on Nostr: basically despair is a habit your brain does because it gets some kind of reward, ...

basically despair is a habit your brain does because it gets some kind of reward, usually a license to indulge in other vices like alcohol or porn or simply to avoid the pain of labor and the discomfort of uncertainty

it's easier to replace habits than erase habits

the stimulus (despair) is the same. the goal (remove this pain) is the same. but the habit is open to modification. can swap in lifting, hiking, calling a friend, reading philosophy, reviewing your plans, they're all just as acceptable to your brain as substitute drugs to deal with the feeling your brain doesn't want to feel

and of course unlike the usual despair habits they build you up towards your goals and make you more resilient to future despair episodes