File: 1624568025207.jpg (136.41 KB, 576x720, 5cb869ab959063fc3f8572ea53942b…)
No. 837766
>>837734Such a nice idea, thanks
nonnie.
Something that's helped me with my Youtube habit on desktop is getting the addon "unhook" which gives you the option of removing the sidebar next to videos and hiding the home screen suggestions. It's kind of the same idea as putting your phone on black and white, you can still use it, it's just less addictive.
No. 837768
File: 1624573008874.jpeg (333.93 KB, 750x1418, 911B6526-5F88-4365-B31C-CB6A53…)
>>837757Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters
No. 837854
>>837843I think it's upposed to make it less stimulating to waste time on- I also inverted my colors, looks super dark and ugly af, ty anons
Anyone have problems with constant youtube/streaming in bg 24/7? I can't feel "normal" and do something unless I have junk media playing in the bg at all times (I live alone and have for years), can't listen to legitimately enriching media because then I concentrate on that instead of whatever task Im trying to (badly) do
No. 837868
I use an app called Freedom that blocks websites. It works well when I turn it on but if I don’t use it I spend around 7-8 hours a day on my phone. Seeing screentime makes me cringe but I get so distracted reading the news, checking my email or using my phone to read. And having unlimited data on my phone means I can download or view whatever I want, too.
>>837850Lolcow looks awful in greyscale, this will probably help me
No. 838050
>>838041Also it's important to focus on what you want to do instead with your free time, instead of feeling like you're denying yourself something.
I want to be able to concentrate on
a watching a movie with no distractions, reading an irl book again. Picking up language learning again.
No. 838290
>>838275Some light exercise?
I've been surfing a lot despite grey scale but I'm going to have a screenfree evening today. Baby steps!
No. 838673
I wanna try detoxing, maybe limiting just my internet connectivity in general. but maybe at one point minimize overall screen time. i don't think i'd be able to fully commit. i love video games and music, and the only way i can find new music is through the internet. like, the internet in general has made it very easy for me to obtain free stuff and struggle less as a poorfag with no local IRL friends.
if i reduce my screen time i'm probably going to have the urge to leave my house more often (and potentially consoom, which i want to avoid spending). the neighborhood i live in is a giant cul de sac surrounded by highways, not really much of a nature walk. and the people i'm closest to have all left the state, and my family members live about an hour away.
i think i'll stick to focusing on limiting internet connectivity, like treating browsing like a grocery list, obtain list of things i want and i'm done for the day/week. no catching up on livefeeds or anything, which i've slowly started doing already so i'm on the right track.
i think i'll work on sewing, i recently obtained a handy stitch. also try to get into golf… probably learn some dances, and have the motivation to deep clean my house, compose some music, maybe try to make some local friends??
No. 838991
>>838989Sure, it can be enough. Why be satisfied with just "enough" though? Makes no sense. Indulge while you can. Tomorrow may not bring the same opportunities.
t. civil war took me by surprise
No. 839020
>>839009nta but I like to put on study music or soundscape ambiences in the background to focus, but I use youtube. This means I could be tempted to look at other stuff on there.
Does some know a good free alternative for streaming such music/background sounds?
No. 839321
>>839020spotify is the best i've ran across. there's a few mods out there that can block ads if you want to use the desktop version or smartphone app on the go.
>>839130i've been using it for over 2 years, no issues with my 7+ year account so far.
>>839150i think there are options you can set for your phone, depends on how old the phone is though, that you can set daily limits on certain apps to use, via the Digital Wellbeing app. i have an LG G8 with these options.
No. 839424
>>839321>>839108>>839045Thanks nonnies, I'll try Spotify. Which adblock do you use with it, does it work on android?
I would be okay with paying for a good service but wanna try it out first.
No. 839454
>>839424For Android, get this apk:
https://forum.mobilism.org/viewtopic.php?f=1332&t=4325145You'll have to delete the Spotify app installed before installing this one, but it works.
No. 839669
File: 1624813836844.jpg (67.7 KB, 1155x954, 61L0nve8K1L._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
>>839150https://bemighty.com/products/mighty-vibethis is basically an iPod but connects to your Spotify. I'm tempted to get one, it has really good reviews!
No. 840605
File: 1624908707790.jpg (260.91 KB, 1200x1200, pepe running from computer.jpg)
What are some applications I can use for windows 10 that limit my screen time. When I said I wanted to do the family account thing, my techy uncle told me many times about how this would 'reset' my computer or something, and just told me to measure it myself, but I can't do that. What application can I get to alert me about my screen time usage, and notify me when I've gone over my limit?
No. 843895
File: 1625192706584.png (7.78 KB, 400x400, 1313613920045.png)
I think I've reached the end of the internet. There is really nothing left for me to see online anymore, I keep coming back hoping to find something interesting but I never do.
No. 845730
>>845729Ganbatte anon-chan!
I've had success with my now gray and boring phone. I rarely use instagram and youtube these days. Still using LC too much so will have a day off (block it) tomorrow.
No. 845735
>>839669>paying 100 usd to not look at your phonehave some self
respect control
No. 846478
File: 1625503749408.jpeg (873.89 KB, 1526x2096, 91ywK4E1ygL.jpeg)
I went to my local dollar store and purchased some word search and sudoku books. Also bought some adult coloring books, and used puzzles from the thrift store. These are good low-effort activities for people who have no motivation to start any other hobby at first due to fried attention span.
No. 850392
>>843895Same. I keep going on 4chan, because it's still active and not completely controlled by corpos/overrun with ads/(overtly) stealing my info, but it's mostly either bots or the same scrote retards who infect my brain with their mental illness
I'm just addicted to the imageboard format at this point, and because the "culture" affected me as a teen… I'm going to be 30 and still on 4chan if I don't actively try to stop it
No. 850403
>>849896NTA but data cleansing and organizing files is so satisfying. I love sorting things out like that for easier browsing. The other day I got rid of 30GB of files.
Have any anons tried doing paid gigs like taskrabbit to get out and do something? I'm thinking about throwing down the $25 and getting to work and getting paid to do them, but I just don't wanna be working for other people all the time.
My town is so boring. I recently tried doing something fun that wasn't using the internet and it cost money. $5… but the more I want to do IRL things, those funds adds up, along with gas I have to pay to get to these places. I live in a small apartment.
Like, I understand why some people just decide have children, because in many places, there's nothing to do IRL that doesn't cost money. Obviously I'm not gonna plan on having a child any time soon because of course they're expensive, some people just don't think that through hard enough… lmao
There's a bar nearby that does free karaoke nights once a week, but even the fact I'm going there I have to drive and probably will want to buy a meal or some water while I'm there, I want to avoid consuming.
I'm just so stumped. Having a computer and homebrewed consoles is unfortunately one of the least expensive lifestyles I could have. My internet bill is $45. Why is the real world so materialistic and expensive? Ugh. Like, even if I made friends, they'd want to do things that would require me to spend.
No. 850555
>>850403Yeah, it sucks. I haven't really figured out a way to avoid just consuming even when I go do stuff that's technically free, and when I go out I feel like I just blow a bunch of money. The library can be nice because you can pick up a bunch of books and just read while you're there, even just hauling my laptop there and doing what I usually do but in the library can be a nice change of scenery. I hike and take walks regularly too, but it's annoying that those feel like the only two things I can do outside the house for free.
A few of my friends take advantage of things that normally cost money but which they make free for a night to get new customers, like life drawing classes, which can be fun, but I feel like if you want to do something with other people you have to spend money. I get that venues and places have to earn money somehow, but it's such a pain because I feel like half the time I'm at work making money, and the other half of the time I'm spending it on unnecessary, fleeting things. It just feels like such a hassle.
No. 850594
>>850403>>850555How about hobbies that are practically free or low cost after an initial investment or very low cost per hours of enjoyment? Here's some ideas:
-reading books: pay one or two euro per book at the thriftstore or used book store and you get hours of use out of it.
-Biking or yoga/stretching is basically free after the initial investment of a bike or yogamat.
-Baking or cooking, yes costs money but you're spending money on food whether it's your hobby or not anyway.
-Sewing, it costs money but you're spending money on clothes anyway.
-Geocashing, you only need your phone.
-learning a language with free
(pirated) online resources
-gardening. Has some initial costs on tools and seeds but is pretty lowcost if you collect your own seeds to re-sow. Look into garden allotments if you don't have a garden.
-volunteering, especially something like volunteering at a shelter to socialise cats or something could be really fun
-journalling or writing
No. 850663
File: 1625946893904.jpg (114.48 KB, 700x836, 30398dae46a6a07c91aaf929b19486…)
some days i dont have the attention span or energy to even look at my phone, i could spend the entire day just lying in bed or staring at the ceiling doing nothing except having a blank mind. i can think of things to do, but i just think "whats the point" and continue doing nothing. later i think of how much i could have accomplished if i just worked on anything, even reading a book… then other days i feel like i absolutely inundate my brain with surfing instagram, tiktok, youtube, lc, etc until my brain is totally crammed with useless stimuli, its like a junkfood binge for my brain…i really want to heal from this and find more satisfying ways to spend my free time. i read and journal sometimes but i daydream of a version of my life where i live in a cottage with no internet and i just read and write and garden all day and appreciate my life and live in the moment, lol. i want to try a tech "cleanse" and see if it helps my attention span. (im also diagnosed adhd) also i realize being on lc is a paradox to this whole ideal but has anyone here had any luck with any of this?
good luck everyone <3
No. 850757
>>850739The younger ones drank and went to pubs a lot. Pubs never used to be completely unaffordable, the price of buying alcohol wholesale today is the same as buying the same amount of alcohol at a shitty bar. So they'd go out drinking at least twice every week. At least here in New Zealand. You literally cannot do that now because beers are $7 each.
Once they have kids they still went to pubs but didn't spend as much time there. Then once their kids left home they'd move onto the more older, sports bars and frequent more often. The boomers are now the last people in that habit. The poor fuck ups that make up the other section of bar frequenters just can't afford the alcohol prices anymore.
No. 850785
>>850780A glass/handle was $5 at a cheap pub last year, which would be about 3Eurobux, and went up to $6.50 NZ after Covid. There's a lot of alcohol tax here and there's lowered demand now the boomers are starting to retire/die, so the prices have gone up to compensate.
Most normies now just buy a box and drink in a garage.
But the point remains that drinking back in the day everywhere used to be a cheap form of entertainment. Before TV and the internet, many people would knock off from the factory, have a few drinks at a pub and talk shit, then go home.
No. 861691
File: 1627094609777.jpeg (441.7 KB, 2121x1414, socialmedia.jpeg)
I made a big mistake downloading apps on my phone again thinking I could handle them. It's scary how quickly I get sucked in and can waste hours scrolling through apps compared to desktop.
No. 861701
>>850739Smoke illegal drugs, wageslave, make kids, suck up their country’s resources dry so the future generations can’t have any of those sweet, sweet benefits, be colorblind, have eating disorders in the 80s, go to concerts, do drugs and drink a lot, rollerblading and hiding sexual activity from parents, books and comics, go to parties, just wanted to grill goddamn it
No. 861845
File: 1627114525781.jpg (46.99 KB, 540x540, c68f12c70b07bb3981d0575abe9494…)
i don't use any social media much, except twitter where i mostly just check gaming related news and follow some artists. but man, i think i am addicted to tiktok. i can just scroll literally all day. sometimes i get distracted from what i'm doing and just start scrolling for hours. a while ago i accidentally cleared the cache and it logged me off and i couldn't remember my password so i went a whole week without it because i was lazy to password reset. i had the lowest screen time in my life that week fr. i don't even use my phone much at all otherwise.
it's so hard to uninstall that goddamn clock app because it feels like if i'm not on it i will be missing out on something, plus i see so many educational videos and book recommendations too. i found so many great plant and gardening tips there.
i am going on a 2 week vacation soon and i won't have internet access for the most part so i am really looking forward to detox from the internet and everything.
No. 861865
>>861845I never use tiktok and I can tell you that it's possible to find book recs and plant advice elsewhere.
The struggle is real though, all those sites and apps with their delicious info and instant gratification makes it hard to stay away.
I'm actually envious that you will be on vacation somewhere without internet, in the past when I have been on those it's been great for clearing up my brain and be able to focus on the now.
No. 861887
File: 1627123894980.jpeg (26.63 KB, 275x182, 1624681707777.jpeg)
Thanks op! I think this thread could be really beneficial for a lot of people. I noticed I've increasingly gotten myself sucked into technology so much I don't have any real hobbies anymore and it's beyond frustrating. I could browse the threads here for hours just reading bullshit. I think now that I personally don't see any interesting cows it's died down a bit, but I immediately substitute it with scrolling through instagram and playing video games (though I'm not too upset about playing games, I've always wanted to play the really fun ones from back in the day and I finally have that opportunity). There are so many things I could be doing in the meantime like improving my art, which I haven't done consistently in over 2 years even though I constantly think about how I should. I wanted to learn to sew, I wanted to learn about jellyfish, and I did absolutely nothing because I'm too busy playing on this STUPID FUCKING PHONE.
No. 861939
>>861845I downloaded tiktok out of curiosity and though I didn’t get addicted, I could easily see why people would. So glad it wasn’t around when I was younger.
In terms of books I use goodreads and storygraph to find recommendations. Goodreads recommendation system isn’t great as it seems to work by suggesting books read/highly rated by people who have read the same book as you. Often these will be totally irrelevant to your interests. However, if you follow people with similar tastes (find them through reviews of your favourite books) it’s a good resource.
Storygraph is better in that the website categorises things very well and can make better recommendations on the precise type of books you are interested in. New users can import their data from goodreads so it’s easy. I really like it.
I think both websites would yield better results that tiktok and as they’re both simplistic they’re not very addictive. I never find myself spending more than a few minutes on them a couple times a week even though they’re among my favourite websites.
I watch YouTube videos about books (and other subjects) while I’m doing chores so I don’t feel like it’s wasted time. Making that association helped me stop procrastinating by scrolling through YouTube when I should’ve been doing other things. Also makes chores more appealing.
No. 862363
The worst thing about internet addiction is trying to do normal things and "forgetting" how. Anybody else get that weird discomfort when you try to just exist without a screen in front of you? I've been trying since before covid to reduce my internet time, sometimes going as far as to box up my computer, but I always come back to it. I do art as a hobby and I'd still like to upload it somewhere so I can't fully pull myself out of the internet. I would leave it all behind if I could though, it would be the best thing for me at this point. I deleted all my social media except pixiv, which I haven't used in months, but of course lolcow always sucks me back in, even though this website is so dead now. I have a feeling that the real problem is within, I've been depressed since I was a teenager, and I've been terminally online for about a decade now, so I think this is just my way of coping. When I was doing really well a few years ago my internet usage was much less restricting on my life, I actually enjoyed the things I did online and had no problem living offline. In a way it feels like there's nothing left for me online yet I keep coming back everyday. I start college in a month so I'll have something to do with myself, right now my life is kind of in a state of limbo and maybe that's why I'm feeling so shitty. Sorry for retarded rambling, this thread came at a relevant time for me
No. 864344
File: 1627344245918.jpeg (7.11 KB, 302x167, download.jpeg)
I spent a full year in my bedroom, spending 14-16 hours a day on my computer. Only going out once a day to buy a coffee from the coffee shop.
Then around December 2020 I took a crowbar to my computer and smashed it into many pieces. Then I took a hammer to my smartphone. I went to the store and got a $20 dumbphone to do me.
I spent the next few weeks pacing the house and basically detoxing. It didn't take long for my attention span to return, I was able to easily read books for long periods at a time after a few weeks. I found myself other hobbies, got out working again and reorganized my life.
I still browse the internet, but now from the public library around the homeless, the old and the special needs. Funnily enough, with a total of three months completely spent offline, I didn't feel like I missed anything. It's strange, when you're addicted, the internet feels like the most interesting thing with constant new content. But when you step away you realize how repetitive and samey it all is.
Anyways. I'd recommend anyone that was in my position of total NEETdom and isolation to just do it. Just make the jump. It's done in two seconds, there's no taking the action back and you're forced to do something else. What do you have to lose? Just open the case and start smashing the components. Smash your smartphone. It works.
No. 864425
File: 1627351053486.jpeg (42.31 KB, 300x300, 72480042.jpeg)
One of my worst habits is booting up my computer in the morning. After a few hours of surfing I start to get a headache and what feels like "brain pollution". My brain feels like it's rushing but also I have no energy to really do anything. It's hard to explain, but it's like the screen just sucks up all my energy. The only thing I can do to feel better is stare at the wall or read a trashy book that requires little mental capacity for a few hours.
No. 865405
>>864556>overstimulationNta but it makes sense that most of us in these days of social media suffer from it.
In Jujutsu Kaisen there is a special move called Infinite void where the enemy is overwhelmed by info from the entire universe. It paralyzes them. I think about that sometimes.
>>865318>But also since I deleted Instagram temporarily I was “punished” by having my engagement go way down (I post art on there sometimes and no one is seeing it nowDamn what, are you saying instagram does that on purpose?
Also how do you like having a dumb phone, can you still use maps and camera or did you have to go totally analog?
No. 865423
i barely use my desktop and laptop anymore, but i'm mostly on my phone. however, i did pick up teaching myself how to skate, but that's only 15 to 25 minutes of my day i go out. besides that, i'm still connected via music apps and youtube videos and some social media. i'm starting to get bored of discord and tiktok.
>>861691one thing that helps me not to use these social media apps so often is to not organize them or put them on your home screen. basically if you wanna get to an app, i'll have to scroll through the other apps i have. i'm less compelled to check them for that reason.
>>850656those people don't really think things through lmao
No. 865954
>>865405I don’t have it yet, I lost the eBay bid on the one I was trying to get. The type I want (light phone) is like back ordered until October and impossible to get, too much demand.
I can’t imagine any other reason why my engagement would go down, I didn’t deact my account and I was still using the desktop version everyday to heavily send dms to my friends and watch stories. I just didn’t shitpost the way I usually do. Try to convince me now these fucking companies care about your “mental health” smdh
No. 866614
File: 1627559889375.png (4.27 KB, 581x58, freshhorrordevice.png)
That's it, I'm going to stay away from the farm, social media and news for the rest of the day. I need some real rest, not info overload.
No. 867719
>>867714Sewing is fun and you get cute new clothes out of it, and it's very good for training patience (when you start out you most definitely will fuck up your seams multiple times and have to sit and unpick that shit for hours.). I'd recommend watching how to set up a sewing machine just because it's easier and maybe watching a few tutorials for beginner patterns and after that you can just rely on books for patterns or draft your own (mostly easy unless you want very construction heavy clothes).
I recommend the channel made by yaya because they make cute wearable clothes and have upcycling videos and ideas, if you already have a sewing machine lying around with spare shirts maybe you'll even be able to start straight away! I enjoy getting compliments on clothes I made myself, it feels nice.
If not sewing, my friend recently picked up punch rugs and she is enjoying it, she said it's pretty easy to pick up and she made me a cute sonic coaster. Hope this helps, anon!
No. 867742
File: 1627663244624.jpg (121.58 KB, 736x733, 7e24cb80756a6a8dc4a8ba5d389c1a…)
When I have endless free time (for example, summer break) I'm glued to my phone, it can get to +10 hours of use. It's honestly scary. I feel exactly like this, so useless and brain-fogged
>>864425 >>864518
Even when I'm on classes (they're virtual) I'm not paying attention to them and just lurk on forums and social media. I actually almost fucked up this entire semester by doing this, I couldn't study or be present in class because I was on the internet.
I really want to get all of this from my system and get my life together, because it is the root of many of my problems: stress, anxiety, inability to create and truly process information, attention and focus deficit, overthinking and so much more. My strategies are:
> Having the phone far away from the bed, so I don't pick it up as soon as I wake up > Leaving it on airplane mode on another room when I want to dedicate myself to an activity > No lurking while listening to music, it's too stimulating > Setting alarms at night to stop using it and go to bed > Not having it on my pocket or my hands Honestly, simply not having it on sight is the best method to me. Because when I see my phone it
triggers the habit to pick it up
When it comes to brain health:
> Mindfulness meditation Truly recommend it to everyone, it's life changing when done consistently but the relief is instantly after a few deep breaths
> Being in nature It can be something as simple as going to a park or to your backyard but we as human beings need to be in touch, daily, with nature
> Working out Also great for cognitive faculties, mental health and the best replacement for social media
> Reading, playing board games, being with people, trying new activities, painting, etc No. 868310
It's both ironic and fitting that we are having this conversation on an imageboard, home of the neets, they have the addicting structure of constant new content and replies.
I'm having health issues so I can't do that much right now. It's so easy to get stuck on LC and other websites.
I've ordered some books so at least I get some off line distractions soon - if I can concentrate on them.
>>867917I'm sorry to hear that about your friend. Perhaps a schedule could help, just check FB certain times of the day to see if there are any news?
No. 869238
>>867958>>868059Same. I need some sort of digital noise, otherwise I start thinking about
toxic shit in my life and getting even more depressed. I need to look for something engaging enough to distract me outside of the internet, but I have terrible problems with concentrating on anything in the long run. I tried getting back to drawing, but in the end I get frustrated over being shit at it. I used to read tons of books when I was a teenager (easily over 200 per year), but nowadays I just can't commit to reading even one. I regressed so much and it scares me.
No. 869433
Happy to see this thread here. I started cutting down on screen time a few years ago, and I just want to say for the sake of anyone feeling like "oh my god I haven't read a book in years I can't function w/o my phone I'm so far from being where I want to be" – you really can change. I was 100% in this position, and I'm not anymore. It was a series of small things – I tried to go cold turkey a lot of the time, and when that didn't work, I'd feel awful and hopeless. But over time, it got easier, and the little changes added up. Meeting myself where I am has been really helpful – just starting with like, half an hour, or even less, of no-screen time, was important. I'm reading a 1000 page biography right now, which I absolutely could not have done five years ago cold turkey. And that's okay, if that's where you are.
One thing I've found super helpful is remembering this phrase: "walk away from the screen, then figure out what to do next." When I feel that awful brain-fogged overstimulated "I hate that I'm just scrolling but I can't stop scrolling" mood descending, I pretty much yell inside my head WALK AWAY FROM THE SCREEN. You're at loose ends for a minute, but your only directive is "figure out what to do next without a screen." Sometimes I also plan days where I basically pretend I'm living in the past with no smartphone/internet/etc. After a while, it gets a lot easier – when I feel that brain fog misery hit, shutting my laptop is much more of a natural impulse now.
I also found journaling and planning helpful wrt this – I could figure out what I wanted out of less screen time on paper, then break it down into discrete goals per month/week, like "only two hours screen time on saturday" or "wake up and don't look at phone." I never liked journaling before, but once I realized it can just be like, list-making and "okay what do i want out of x" instead of "dear diary, today i did x," it clicked. I made a lot of lists of screen-less stuff to do, recorded progress, etc.
Also, it might feel like cheating, but audiobooks were a big help to me. One of my favorite ways to relax is going on a hike with a good book to listen to. For anyone struggling with negative thoughts that fill up silence, these can be especially helpful. You probably already know that you should look into becoming okay with silence, but these are a helpful bridge while you learn to do that.
No. 901639
File: 1630900986991.gif (613.57 KB, 220x132, tenor.gif)
I uninstalled all my videogames a few days ago, I know I should start a hobby or something but I'm paralyzed and restless at the same time, tried reading a book but got only 1 page in. How do you ease into low gaming/internet? It's like my brain is short circuiting.
No. 911803
File: 1631646018924.jpg (2.66 MB, 5100x3400, Woman-Reading-Book-Outside-Spr…)
I've borrowed a bunch of interesting novels from my library, and at first I couldn't get into reading again. But I went outside to read with no phone and it really worked. I also turn off the wifi at night, it made me sleep better.
Success!
No. 929661
>>929339I hate it too, you cant just choose not to use technology most of the time. like at my work there's an app that they have us use (they use it for group chat and sharing the schedule and stuff) you literally can't opt out of it if you want to work there.
>>929048I'll try that, I need to start journaling again
No. 930453
File: 1633379282387.gif (1010.13 KB, 440x300, 1_h1Nc87N0NlMq6JRb2ct_1g.gif)
>Facebook mysteriously down for hours
>Instagram mysteriously down fir hours
REJOICE! Let's hope reddit and twitter are next.
No. 930549
I've been trying to get off social media for years. Sometimes I do really well and go without it for months. My issue is I like shitposting on Facebook, it's the only way I get to communicate with people. Now that Facebook is down I'm thinking maybe I'm strong enough to delete it again. I have a timer on my phone to limit me to only an hour on it a day, but still. I get so frantic when I see my time is running out. I started using Instagram again after not using it for a year, to try to promote my writing and gain a following. No one fucking cares on there, it's so pointless, but yet I still feel like I HAVE to because how else do you promote yourself anymore?! When you self publish shit you are your own advertiser and idk how else to do it without social media and I hate it. I want to delete my Instagram too and just go cold turkey but then I feel guilty, like something is wrong with me because I'm not assimilating to society.
On the bright side, I love reading and writing, and I do that with sometimes very minimal distractions. Cross stitching was a good hobby for me, it keeps me very focused because you have to count your stitches, I really recommend it and it's pretty cheap to get started.
No. 935692
File: 1633951281525.jpeg (13.93 KB, 474x316, OIP (4).jpeg)
Maybe this will help
Hindu priests used to do this to increase concentration and ability to meditate
Sit down in crossed leg position with hand sing, Get something picrel
And stare the flame down as long as you can without thinking of anything else no deviations or start again, no other thoughts
If it helps in a dark room
It will also relax you a little while keeping breathing in check slow breath
6 second deep breath in through the nose not the chest muscles
Hold it for 2 seconds then release it for 6 seconds then hold for 2 seconds, repeat
If you breath correctly your stomach and chest will rise not only your chest
No. 960305
File: 1636114033897.jpg (234.32 KB, 1080x764, break the habit of being you.j…)
I keep trying to stay away from lolcow/social media / YouTube but I just want to rage at how quiet and boring/predictable the real world is. I am addicted to being surprised and bombarded with new ideas on a minute-to-minute basis.
How did ADHD dumbasses like me function before the internet? Oh yeah, just numb yourself with alcohol and keep chasing that sense of newness with drugs.
No. 960313
>>960305I've been feeling this 100%
nonnie, like I can't just accept the normie life. I always gravitate toward irl cows because everyone else is boring or thinks I'm weird kek It's been much less trouble for me just to come here for my kicks
No. 960316
File: 1636115669605.png (48.88 KB, 606x356, EZZ5.png)
>>960305>>960313>How did ADHD dumbasses like me function before the internet? Oh yeah, just numb yourself with alcohol and keep chasing that sense of newness with drugs.>I'm pretty sure my Uncle has ADHD or something and thankfully he has no technologically illiterate, he loses focus a lot, so he spends most of his time doing multiple projects at once, anytime he loses interest in one he quickly jumps to the other its kinda fascinating to see IRL
also picrel for what autists might have done
No. 960841
File: 1636158748828.jpeg (92.93 KB, 500x631, 91wCtTzecpL.jpeg)
One thing that I find useful to scratch that itch of getting instant information is getting some of those books that can be easily picked up and put down. Like Guinness Book of World Records, books of lists, books that answer common questions or debunk common myths, "this day in history", and other kinds of trivia books. With these books you can just read a few pages at a time. Kind of like those old "bathroom reader" books people used to have.
No. 1046735
File: 1643547448569.png (25.68 KB, 1264x418, blocked sites.PNG)
I can still block one website now with the addon I use, but I don't know which one I could add. I think I use lolcow and fujochan in a reasonable manner, I only use youtube for background noise, I deleted several accounts already as I said here
>>1039940, I don't even go on facebook and the only reason why I haven't deleting my account is because of messenger and my friends don't want to use anything else… Maybe I could block instagram? I'll delete the app from my phone anyway and maybe download it again later if I go on a trip again. What do?
Are there ways I could also block sites on the Opera app on my smartphone too? I'm taking any rec for apps or addons.
No. 1046782
>>1046748Make a list of what feelings or circumstances make you want to watch YouTube, then decide on something else you can do to meet that same need. Then just keep trying to quit and do your new habit until it sticks.
Needs can be entertainment, human connection, urge to learn, or just an excuse to sit and do nothing at the end of a long day.
I watched a bunch of videos about this and they always fail by trying to be productive instead of going on social media. Of course replacing Instagram with vacuuming won't stick. I think we need to relearn how to rest and unwind without screens. This is cheesy but mindfulness is key.
No. 1050696
Sage for full retardation but today i hit my peak towards phone use. When i was going to my swimning class i forgot my phone in my car, but i didnt realized until the end of the class. I thought someone stoled it and i went crazy. i almost had an asthma attack. I didnt said anything (thank god, otherwise i would need a new place to take swinming classes) but it was clear that i wasnt ok. People asked me about and i was pretty rude because i thought one of them had stolen my phone (mind it, the only people that were there was a girl of my age, a nice adult lady, and the cleaning staff/the secretary of the place). Again, the fucking phone was the family car the whole time. I was so mad that i forgot some clothes in the locker room and the poor cleaning lady had to bring them to me. Isnt like i need the phone for anything, my family picks me up and im not using the phone in the pool clearly. So i almost give me an asthma attack (the hospitals in my zone are in crisis mode right now. So if it was an actual asthma attack i was fucked) and treated poor bystanders and workers like shit, because i couldn't leave the phone in my house for an hour and half. I couldnt go for an hour and half offline like a fucking junkie. I feel so retarded, nonnies. I was already triying to cut some internet usage but this is the end. I'm going to take my phone to as few places as possible, and try to detach myself from it as much as i can. My next class is next saturday, and i going to lie and say that my blood pressure dropped and that was the reason that i was so affected and confused because i feel like shit. All for a retarded piece of junk, nonnies, and i reacted like someone told me a family member died. I cant be like this.
No. 1054427
I use an android phone are there any ways in the settings or thanks to an app to check how many hours you spend on which apps? Are there any addons you'd recommend for the same goal on desktop for google chrome too? I use BlockSite for free on my laptop and you need to pay to see more information and I want to see that for free.
>>1050696To be fair, phones can be expensive to replace and it could be dangerous if you don't put enough safety measures in it to protect your data, if you use it to check your emails or you have a bank app on your phone. I'm always worried about losing my phone or having it stolen because I'm worried about losing the phone numbers in it and important notes and messages I can't remember by myself. I kept my 5 years old smartphone in case anything happens to the phone I currently use just in case but the battery is awful.
No. 1055099
>>1054914Dumb question but what do you use to check the time? A watch?
I don’t have any clocks and I have to open my laptop to check the time if I don’t want to look at my phone
No. 1057476
>>1057454I'd love to have a phone that allows me to check emails on a specific app just for that, that has a GPS in case I want to travel to a place I don't know yet, and that let's me listen to music I downloaded and with a good camera. That's all I need, but it seems like most of the dumb phones I've seen don't have all these features on purpose. I'd like a good inbetween. I wouldn't mind a flip phone that would do all of this if it weren't for the keyboards being annoying as fuck when writing texts, at least I'd be less worried about damaging the phone's screen.
I bought a smartphone a few months ago that's way more advanced than the one I used before that, my previous phone's battery turned to shit after 5 years of daily use. I also wish smartphones would stop being so fucking big, it's like they're all made for tall adult males exclusively, it's annoying.
No. 1064279
>>1064199Did you try anything else before trying to sell it? If you have a smartphone, aren't you worried about developing the same habits with it to compensate?
>>1063607It's the opposite of my issue with social media, but I did lurk some of the accounts of people I know irl because they were my personal cows. They just started becoming annoying as fuck with time instead of laughable and I blocked them on twitter, and since I blocked a shit ton of accounts I didn't want to see at all as well it's a pain in the ass to find them in the list of blocked accounts, so that helps me not being tempted when I'm really bored. As for other social media, I just straight up unfollowed as many people as possible to make me want to check my tl less and deleted/deactivated some accounts entirely.
No. 1078708
File: 1646177581764.jpg (72.83 KB, 900x663, EX2BDbGWsAIYjEW.jpg)
I just deleted instagram. If I don't reactivate my account before march 31st it will be fully deleted. Something's telling me I won't really notice the difference anyway: I used it less and less because of all the horrible features that were added to it little by little like stories (if I wanted to see stories I'd use snapchat) or reels (if I wanted to see reposted tiktok videos I'd use tiktok directly), the posts aren't even in a chronological order, there are more ads than actual posts, the explore page is a mess full of shit I never cared about or straight up always disliked, the pictures I posted were all suddenly very pixelated and blurry on the app, some of my pictures were not visible at all and had a message error, etc. I want to have the least accounts possible and now aside from twitter and linkedin I don't have any other social media. I still can't fully delete fb because of messenger, I hate my friends for not wanting to use better alternatives sometimes.
No. 1088876
>>1084833i turn 30 this year and my internet addiction started when i was 9 years old. obviously i didn't have unrestrained access at all times, but my mom did let me use the internet for like the whole day on the weekend, since i wasn't allowed on the computer from monday-thursday. sometimes i would sneak down in the middle of the night just to chat with strangers for an hour or two. obviously nobody was interested in a 9-12 year old kid, so i always pretended to be older than i was. i always had fake personas in chatrooms, until i was 14 maybe, when people finally got interested in me as a person and i didn't have to lie for attention anymore. i think the worst was between 15 and 23 though. i got my first smartphone at 22 i think. but i was never addicted to endless scrolling on tumblr/instagram/facebook and i still dislike participating in discussions on phone since i dislike typing on my phone. i used to tweet obsessively, but then i got a diary and eventually i deleted twitter off my phone. i still check in now and then, but all my online friends are genderspecial retards so i don't care too much.
i still waste a lot of time jumping back and forth between the same three websites though kek. sometimes i go nosurf for a few days and those days seem endless.
No. 1097445
File: 1647274601829.png (527.64 KB, 720x619, def42c7c8a1017b991989f8c5a4c53…)
finally deleted my instagram and i feel fuckin FREEEEEE at last. reading everyone's shit takes during this russian-ukraine war really pushed me over the edge, no more reading retards' opinions about a place they probably can't find on a map for me anons. no more reading posts by people pretending they understand geopolitics, feels good
No. 1097743
>>1097735also if you
don't say something, like if you don't condemn Russia or racism or whatever cause célèbre of the day, you're part of the problem. I fucking hate it.
No. 1119078
File: 1648781153564.gif (3.98 MB, 498x396, drunk-fall.gif)
Nonnies I need to get rid of it, I'm constantly scrolling and refreshing pages for new content that I will waste a huge portion of my day even when the weather is nice outside. Today I lost my phone for 3 hours and panicked but found it later in the couch cushions so I'm back to the same shit. In the meantime I was actually cleaning up looking for it so there's a tip just loose something important so you have to clean everything else to find it. I think I just need to loose my phone for good it would make me more productive
No. 1170390
File: 1651924291687.png (75.18 KB, 752x594, 1616398411161.png)
I managed to spend way less time online for a few weeks/months and I recently ruined it for several weeks by disabling the website blocking addon I used. I recently kept reading KF threads and stupid posts on reddit mindlessly. I often go outside and go shopping or on a stroll so it's not like I'm turning into my teenage self and becoming a total hikikomori but still. I turned it on again, one anon in the positivity thread reminded me that I need to get my shit together when she said she succeeded in stopping using social media yesterday. Let's see if I can have better self-control this time. I decided to block /snow/ and /pt/ just in case too on top of blocking the same websites as last time. I'd only be able to use youtube, twitter (which I only use to track my progress with my video game backlog anyway) and lc on my laptop unless I disable the addon I use. I've been reading very slowly because work is kicking my ass really hard a book by Jaron Lanier about social media and on top of that I learned a lot about data science thanks to data scientists and engineers I interact with at my job because they're my company's clients and it motivated me to deleted a bunch of accounts so now I just use twitter from time to time and I deactivated my FB account so I can keep using Messenger until my friends are finally ok with ditching anything related to Meta. By the way that book is interesting but very America-centric which makes sense in context and it'll probably feel dated in just a few years, for example I laughed when he mentioned Gamergate at some point kek.
I recently bought a few books because I've been on the book thread on /m/ more and more recently, and I'm looking forward to reading them. I could in theory pirate these books and get them in PDF or epub but I feel like I'd be way less distracted with physical copies. And it'll ruin my eyes way less than staring at a screen night and day. E-Readers are too expensive compared to the number of books I'd like to read as well so it's not a good investment for me. I should also go back to some video games I started months ago, they're all single player games that don't require internet use unless you need to do very specific stuff, like when you want to trade to get pokemon that your friends irl don't have either or save your progress on the cloud. I think I got bored with video games because I got blown away by The Great Ace Attorney like 6 months ago and then the games I started after that seemed very boring in comparison. I've been way too lazy these days, to the point where I even slack off instead of doing anything related to my hobbies.
No. 1197894
>>1088720I had the exact same, it was mostly what kept me on Reddit. I just deleted the app, and basically just did not allow myself to look for it.
It helped me a lot to realise that those people's opinions aren't really well thought-out, and basically added nothing but unnecessary noise in my head. I still like movie reviewers on youtube, buy they talk more in-depth about stuff.
No. 1197900
>>1197868I'm having the exact same dilemma Nona. I think it's important to hold onto our values and what we know to be true, even when others dislike it. It can be inconvenient and honestly painful, but even worse is pretending not to know. The most miserable years of my life were spent like that. Looking away. Lying to myself. I want more than anything to do right by myself and this life I was given. I want to live with integrity.
More on topic with the thread, I'm becoming more privacy-focused these days. The best way to keep my information safe is to limit (and even get rid) most of the technology in my life. It's really difficult right now as I have basically zero substitutes for screen based activities. I'm kind of frustrated but I also know I have to be patient with myself. After all I'm literally overcoming an addiction here…!
I just wish our lives were not so tangled up with computers and smart phones and stuff. I wish I could just get away from it all, permanently, and still live in relative comfort and ease.
No. 1208266
File: 1654200090398.jpg (20.92 KB, 357x500, 039958112X.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_SX50…)
>>1208252There is "How to break up with your phone", written by a woman, Catherine Price. I also recommend her book about finding true fun in life.
No. 1210005
>>1209912anon i have to use instagram for work (I'm actually under obligation lolz - the world we live in…) so I hear you.
it does take a bit of self-restraint and you may "relapse" here and there but that's okay, it gets better. first thing i would advise is that you delete the app and only install it for posting. use the web browser on your phone if you feel like [doom]scrolling on it. you will be put off by the clunkiness of the browser version. it's designed that way so you go an install the app as it's more user friendly, but that takes a wee bit of effort so you're likely to ragequit. the key is to make it less attractive. these days i only go on it like once a day for a short time.
No. 1231309
File: 1655651652481.jpg (43.91 KB, 679x738, 61e2KFMS8SL._AC_UX679_.jpg)
>>1231304samefag, but i also got into fishing recently. that's a huge test in patience, but i've learned to accept that i don't need to catch anything, just be happy that i'm in a slow moving environment. i recently got a library card too, and i check out CDs instead of being on my phone in traffic shuffling through spotify
No. 1231677
>>1231304Bird watching. All you need is some binoculars or a semi-decent camera. You don't even have to be focused all the time, I often chill and read or write while waiting for the birds to come. Also, if you have a garden maybe start feeding birds and watching from your home. It's relatively cheap, easy to do, and once you realise that you're sustaining their lives and you see them have babies it becomes incredibly rewarding and I find it gives me more incentive to sit outside with my coffee watching them rather than sit at my laptop mindlessly scrolling.
>>1231309Damn, I never thought I'd see anyone else into fishing on here lol. My stepfather taught me when I was young but I never bothered with it alone until the past year or so 'cause I'm trying to get out the house more. I struggle with it sometimes because of my ADHD but I've learned to take a book with me to read or maybe even a notebook to doodle in. Also my wife got me a hat with that slogan on it and I wear it all the time now kek.
No. 1266953
Somethings that have been helping me recently:
>AdblockNot only can you block ads, but you can also block any part of a page that you don't like, e.g. next page link to see more posts. Bonus is that when I scroll on my phone without adblock now, sites seem so busy and with so many ads that I no longer enjoy them.
>You are not a brandhttps://staygrounded.substack.com/p/you-are-not-a-brandThis made realise how smart social media companies are. We waste out time creating product for others to consume and all the companies have to do is manage the site and take the profits. The same author also has an article about social media sites serving up poison unnecessarily which is insightful too and made me realise how malicious these sites as intrinsically designed to be when they don't have to.
>That girlRemember that cringe "that girl" thing on TikTok? I've been using my ideal that girl self to convince myself not to use the internet as much, or not waste time on it anyway. It feels nice when I make a choice that aligns with my ideal self, like it's no longer an ideal version of me but starting to become reality.
>Curated social mediaI have a very curated reddit with r/nosurf, r/simpleliving, and other subreddits aligned with my goals. Same for Tumblr with photo feeds related to my goals. If I do feel like mindless browsing, I go to these and I'm reminded of my goals. I have the post comment and next page buttons adblocked so I can't scroll for long or get in pointless arguments. I'm also completely anon so I don't feel any ties to prevent me deleting on a whim. Eventually I do plan to delete these too but until then I'm finding them helpful in this form.
>libgen.isI downloaded hundred of books from here by searching random keywords that interest me (e.g. Japan) and filled my ipad with them. Now if I want to read something, I open my ipad and pick the first book that looks interesting. Because it's still a screen, I find it to be an easier transition than a paper book, plus quicker to obtain and free. I also find not pressuring myself to finish every book I start helps as they no longer seem like such a big task that has to be finished and instead just something fun for now. My ipad is annoying to browse the web on so I consider it for reading books only.
>IRL vs onlineAfter finding the accounts of a few people I knew IRL and comparing with what they post online when they think they are anon, it made me realise how much people make things up online. This means that even if you do find some useful seeming content, it could just be a complete pack of lies. Or if someone says something looks/tastes great, maybe it does but only by their standards that could be a lot lower than mine. I've noticed a lot of content for areas that I a bit more knowledgeable than average are often too simplified or downright wrong and I assume that this can be applied to other fields too. Basically unless information has been reviewed by someone else or the person is well regarded in their field, a lot of the time you're wasting your time reading their content.
>Trying boring thingsA lot of things listed in these types of threads as alternatives often seem boring compared to browsing. However, after trying some of them I've realised that they are never that terrible once you get into them so I'm making an effort not to trust my initial thoughts that something is boring until I give it a fair chance.
>Audio booksFor anons that use the internet for social interaction, I've found audio books to be the best substitute.
>RSS feedsI have feeds for almost every site I visit and use blogtrottr to get emails when something new is posted. I then use blogtrottr's filters or gmail ones to automatically trash any content I'm not interested in. This means I have less chances to see content that I'm not really interested in and waste time on it, such as when I'm only interested in one type of content from a youtuber who does many types. It also means I don't waste time checking lots of sites for content. If there's nothing in my email inbox then there's nothing new. End of.
>IFTTTI've been using IFTTT and a breaking news twitter account to get an email as soon as anything major happens. Apart from that, I can ignore the news completely. I like that this system doesn't require me to have an app that I could waste time on to get alerts.
No. 1267035
>>1266953>Bonus is that when I scroll on my phone without adblock now, sites seem so busy and with so many ads that I no longer enjoy them.This is the reason why I almost never use youtube on my phone.
>This means that even if you do find some useful seeming content, it could just be a complete pack of lies.I think it's very strange how that was what was drilled into our heads 20 years ago when the internet was barely starting to become more and more accessible in normal households, but now nobody even thinks this could possibly be true. Clickbaits are worse than ever, people just reblog and retweet anything they agree with or want to be true without factchecking or using their common sense or critical thinking skills. I mostly use the internet in ways where that wouldn't be a problem for me, mostly to look for art and release dates for movies or video games, and to read blogs about specific topics or to come here, but I keep seeing people just being irresponsible and gullible online so much it's irritating. I found social media accounts of people I knew irl in university and the difference between their instagram, linkedin and twitter accounts is fascinating and cringe worthy.
No. 1267170
>>1266953Some more I forgot to mention:
>Goals with timelinesI find this helps to make it harder to put off what I want to be doing and mindlessly browse instead. If I know I'm going to be taking a test related to my hobby soon or want to learn x by y date then I will be more motivated to learn today than put it off for later. Hobbies that you meet goals with can also be monitised in the future for further motivation. For example, a time goal of taking a language exam at the end of the year and then using that language for work as a translator or tutor.
>Making content an eventRelated to the RSS feed to emails, I don't click to read or watch content straight away and instead save it for when I want to relax or the end of the day. Not only do I consume less, but I also realise what content is not worth consuming if I feel disappointed that I waited for something and it was not that great. Similarly, instead of binging a show all in one day, make watching one episode after dinner an event or make reading the next part of your book in bed at night something to look forward to all day.
>Content listsFor cows, content creators, and sites that I kept compulsively revisiting, I made lists of the types of content they always post and it helped me take a step back and realise how much time I was wasting looking at the same old stuff. People rarely change their content completely and even extra milky content doesn't happen that often if you look at the big picture. The chances that you will miss something special are small, and if you do, it will be saved or discussed elsewhere.
>Stop hate watchingOnce you realise that certain content is designed to intentionally get you angry so that you keep consuming, it's easier to take a step back and stop hate consuming. A lot of celebrities, influencers, and trolls do this on purpose. Avoiding this type of content is a lot less stressing and allows you to better use your time. Same applies for hate stalking people you don't like. Just don't waste your time on it. Nothing good can come of it. It's consuming a product that is bad for you.
>MinimalismAs well as having few items, minimalists tend to have a closer relationship with the items they have. They don't just have 20 random sweaters stuffed in a drawer, they have 2 sweaters that are the perfect colour, size, and fabric for them. They are a lot more intentional in everything that they consume. As well as browsing less so I stop overspending, I've also been trying to apply this mind set of being intentional to everything that I consume. Even if you don't care about having minimal belongings, I recommend watching some videos by minimalists to understand this mindset and apply it to other areas of your life.
No. 1267199
>>1267035>I found social media accounts of people I knew irl in university and the difference between their instagram, linkedin and twitter accounts is fascinating and cringe worthy.I don't understand why people put so much content about themselves online, especially when their profile is viewable by anyone. So much time taking photos, uploading them, reading comments, and for what? Attention? And it's not even genuine praise if they've fudged the facts to look better. Just why. It's like having a side job you are not paid for.
Comparing profiles was helpful for me find out the reality behind people who presented themselves as amazing IRL or offline. I was kind of naive when I was younger and took a lot of stuff at face value. After reading their various profiles and comparing with what I knew of them IRL it helped me get a better understanding of the real them. Needless to say, but if someone's life seems to good to be true, whether online or offline, chances are it won't be true or if it is, they will be incredibly lucky, usually due to birth circumstances. Very few people are able to completely create amazing life situations all by themselves from nothing and I'm yet to find someone I feel jealous of where I couldn't pinpoint something that gave them a leg up or was exaggerated.
I don't know about others, but a lot of my obsessive browsing has been due to this feeling of worthless with my offline life, as a type of dissociation I guess. Disconnecting from others and instead only focusing on improving my own situation has made me want to obsess over the internet less. My life is real and other people's amazing lives are not, or not in my reality anyway. Reading self help books and confronting my personal issues and traumas has helped to stop me using the internet as an escape too.
No. 1267260
I've wasted the past 5/6 years being a neet (got my first job ever in november last year, worked for like 2 weeks), wasting every day on youtube, getting things for birthdays and not using them (guitar from childhood, sewing machine),spent most of the $900 I earned on overpriced gifts, videogames I haven't started in months if extremely discounted, and a tablet for drawing/studying (haven't touched it in 2 months). I literally got distracted and went into another daze from picking at my nailpolish.
So far I have
>deleted gacha game I haven't played since last year
>stopped myself from downloading yet another game
>made it so nothing pops up when clicking on searchbar
>deleted youtube and late night screen filter from phone
>made it so I have to scroll to get to instagram
but there is so much to delete and so much to block still, on phone and laptop.
I have so many plans for the future and things I want to do but I just don't get any support or motivation from my family, and I'm already awkward and paranoid at everything. How do I get the motivation to move around and live instead of going from phone to tv to computer most of the time? I know while/after I eat I feel focused, but I cant snack all day while trying to lose weight as well.
No. 1267276
>>1267246I haven't actually read any internet specific books, I meant trauma related ones in case what I wrote wasn't clear. In my case for cPTSD from my parents, bullying, and general feeling of low self worth. Most of them kind of blur together to be honest though the general messages that came up again and again did help. Reading experiences of others on forums has probably been more helpful, r/cptsd especially. The one book that sticks out though is "Bullying Scars: The Impact on Adult Life and Relationships" which is a shame because I haven't been able to find any other books on the same topic, which I'm surprised about.
Sorry, if that wasn't what you were looking for.
No. 1267296
>>1266953>>1267170>>1267199Sorry to keep sperging on here, but after writing this all out and then going for a walk, I realised that the overarching theme for disconnecting, in my case anyway, is the need make my world smaller and more "me" focused. I don't need to know what is happening everywhere in the world all the time, or be up to date with the lives with countless celebrities, influencers, and former acquaintances. It's been touched on in this thread already but before the internet was widespread, people didn't have instant news or know what their former classmates were up to. They didn't have endless entertainment on demand. They had fewer past times but did them more intensely.
What are my actual needs? What self care can I do for myself? (Real self care such as tidying up, not painting my nails). What do I want for myself? Not having endless scrolling to distract myself means things feel quieter and I can listen to my body and feelings more.
No. 1267377
File: 1658174253565.png (714.48 KB, 680x680, 49D3FC4D-3DBE-4400-9C08-5B64F4…)
I keep trying to stay off the internet and I would really be so fucking good at it because I hate social media and I hate media in general but lolcow is my downfall because I’m such a bitch. Like I’m a massive bitch and I need to express that I need to say my unpopular opinions and see if anyone else is a bitch too and I need to complain about this fucked world and only nonnies understand. I can’t say anything even slightly considered negative like I can’t even say I didn’t like a movie or I’m not into that kind of hobby in real life or idk I don’t like her very much because everyone is so nicey nicey toxic positivity that they think you’re a freak for having real opinions so I feel so repressed and like GOD I just need to be a BITCH
No. 1311310
File: 1661120244738.png (92.76 KB, 460x404, 1627640817584(1).png)
Just wasted about 4 hours or so doing nothing but watch YouTube. Stupid "man saves kid from kidnapper", "___ dies tragically/ finds family dead/ road rage fights", "ASMR nail art/cookie decorating". Hypnotizing myself getting back pain and rolling side to side on my chair, like I'm rocking myself to sleep except it's a blank stare click after click, horrible news after horrible news. I don't play the videogames I plan to when its literally about 5 clicks away. I could be throwing out a bunch of things and listing junk to sell. I literally feel sick glancing at the clock and seeing 10/20/30 minutes pass in the blink of an eye until darkness comes and I feel depressed. I've always felt sad and depressed when it's dark and cold outside even in spooktober when it's beautiful red, yellow, brown, and orange outside. Now that fall semester is going to start I have to worry about making friends and being in a male dominated major too. When I feel like this I genuinely wish computers and phones were never invented. And I'm about to be studying what I hate the most.
No. 1317558
>>1267296>the need make my world smaller and more "me" focused. I don't need to know what is happening everywhere in the world all the timetook me so long to realize this.
For the past year, I've been doing regular "cleanses" of my followers on social media and it feels nice.
used to have a twitter with around 250 followers, most being acquaintances from middle school and highschool + a few family members. Ended up feeling so uncomfy there that I stopped posting completely and kept deactivating. Let it delete itself and stayed twitter free for half a year.
Then decided to give it a try again by only following my old mutuals (that I never met irl) and like 5 irl people I felt comfortable with. Twitter is still a hellhole some days, but it's so much more enjoyable with a very small number of followers and a locked account.
I also deactivated all notifications from all social media, and the amount of time spent on them decreased significantly now that there are no reminders of their existence anymore. Still spend too much time on Twitter (and Tik Tok on the rare days I open it nowadays), but I'm making progress.
I have been playing and enjoying DS games again rather than doomscrolling so that's cool. Hope I can read again soon too !
I found my old phone and only installed spotify on it, my next step is to turn off my current phone every day at a given time, only using the old one for music if needed during that time. I also really want to have "silent hours" to get my brain off the constant sound stimulation I've tortured it with in the past few years (meaning no youtube, music, just silent hobbies). Will make an update in a few months ! this post is long enough already kek, but I'm proud of all of us for taking small steps towards using our phones less ! good luck everyone
No. 1330018
>>1329980No. Realisically, how much difference is that gonna make? How many devices do you have, 2-3 that you use daily? I have a phone and a laptop. My phone I'm gonna charge every day anyway because I want it to be 100% in the morning because it needs to have enough battery in case of an emergency.
My family leaves lights on all the time when no one's in that room, lights on when there's plenty of daylight, tv on when there's no one watching, there's all sorts of shit plugged in leeching electricity, my retarded father uses a heated blanket yearround and leaves it on all day when we have plenty woolen blankets… If I wanted to save on energy I have far more effective ways to do it and I think that goes for most people who aren't already deliberately being frugal with electricity.
No. 1334084
File: 1662801020161.jpg (571.31 KB, 2560x2560, PodcastThumb.jpg)
>>1330328I've been listening to the youtube channel Horrorbabble. It's some guy reading horror literature of all kind. His voice is soothing and he's pretty good at narrating. Apparently it's also a podcast which I just learned while searching for picrel lol
No. 1343727
File: 1663624419827.jpg (66.52 KB, 736x736, FB2HHgIWQAMuq5A.jpg)
It's amazing how having my laptop on the other side of my room playing ambient magical/forest music from the speakers improves my productivity. Just moving my second desk supposed to be for my computer in the other side, putting all my technology things there and leaving all paper/books and real brown wooden desk on the left side, the first thing I see when I enter. Feng Shui really does work I'm so mad
No. 1439004
>>1437619I decided to block twitter temporarily because of things like that. It's a relief to not be exposed to random horrible news stories and clips over and over again.
Just checking in here to read threads about things like games and husbandos. Relaxing.
No. 1453372
File: 1671494711074.png (1.07 MB, 612x646, 2E5A5C35-54F9-4489-A912-D34A02…)
A huge part of my internet addiction was just unironically explained to me by a TikTok psychologist kek
While I spend a lot of time on TikTok since you can scroll an infinite amount and get constant satisfaction that way, I also am on lolcow everyday for over 5 years. So the issue isn’t the dopamine rush of scrolling, the issue is that I use digital platforms as an escapism. I’m sharing my thoughts here in case an anon can relate.
To solve the escapism dilemma I have to understand what I am escaping. I have hobbies such as drawing, learning languages and I used to love reading. Quit all of it to be online during my free time instead.
Possible reasons for escapism
>got comfortable with my online routine and understimulated by reality, thus creating a habit
>don’t feel lonely when I speak to likeminded anons
>a false sense of productivity when favoriting, pinning and saving things as I scroll
Ways to detox
>exposing myself to reality by "intermittent fasting" from scrolling online, thus breaking a habit
>starting a huge project that forces me to spend time on it instead (joining a course where there is social and academic pressure to finish before a deadline)
>making an irl friend join me in my detox holding each other accountable while also keeping each other entertained
>each month incorporating a new daily routine starting small. (Week 1: drawing one item from my surroundings daily, week 2: drawing one item from my surroundings daily and taking a 20 minute walk daily etc)
No. 1538704
>>1538695Awesome, nona!
I'm currently getting out pen and paper to plan all my allowed activities during the coming 2 weeks.
No. 1560176
File: 1682529651405.jpg (54.25 KB, 728x910, 70f215b99f0c29f1c7a6790c1fdfd8…)
I guess it's time to officially begin my digital detox since my phone no longer works. I haven't used social media in a couple of years so I really am only addicted to imageboards and YouTube. I just want to stop being so overstimulated and be bored for once.
My goal is not to use the internet unless its for school work, start reading/drawing, and fix my attention span. I'll come back after a while if I've actually accomplished anything.
On another note, I've been deleting as many accounts as I can remember having including emails and what not. There are some accounts I made in middle school with my name/face attached that I can't access and delete and its driving me crazy. I just want to disappear from the internet FFS.
No. 1560547
File: 1682557310428.png (714.64 KB, 570x855, computer.PNG)
I wrote about this before in the internet addiction thread but the biggest problem I have (or we all probably have), is dealing with the internet and technology always being on.
I've always been a little addicted to the computer, since I was a kid getting our first family computer in the 90s. But usage was extremely limited by various factors; we had to disconnect the phone line in order to use the internet (I feel so old saying this) so anytime someone needed to make a phone call we had to come off it, it was painfully slow and expensive and the content was less addictive in the way it is now. plus the lifestyle was just different. whether you were a loner nerd or not, there was a lot more things you had to do IRL that you couldn't do online.
even up til early 2010s I still managed to have a healthy balance. I could open my laptop, browse for a bit and then would be "finished" and shut it down, when I came to the end of looking at what I was looking at or who I was speaking to. and I would be excited to get on with other things like make crafts, play instruments, go outside, exercise, paint. I could focus on work a lot better too.
Now, there is no end. Everything just keeps going. Everything moves so quickly with constant updates and news and alerts. And it's all so depressing, draining and demotivating. Your attention is always required and there is literally no moment that feels like you've finished the activity of being online. You just lock your phone or close your laptop briefly only to open it again and be immediately where left off.
I'm trying to think of ways to create that feeling of ending the task of using the internet, like I used to have. Some ideas I have so far
>get (or build) a clunky slow desktop PC that will be functional but kind of painful to use for long periods
>getting rid of wifi router and using ethernet so I'm tied to one spot
>use a browser extension (something like pocketapp) to save articles to read for later when I come across them and then dedicate time to going through things I want to look at
>making IRL commitments everyday that interrupt internet time, like going to an exercise class or join clubs and challenges (eg. a book, film or drawing club)
>switching to a dumbphone
>finding more interests that are completely disconnected from politics and culture war shit. anything involving internet dramas is a time and energy suck.
I want to develop a distaste for online drama and cows. I don't even use social media anymore I'm mainly just addicted to lc and youtube at this point.
>switch to podcasts and do chores whilst I listen to them instead of sitting at the computer watching videos
>only allow myself to have one tab open at a time (not sure how to enforce this but there might be an extension i can find)
>ideally find people IRL who are trying to be digitally minimalist too. or maybe even penpals. so it feels less alienating.
No. 1560635
>>1560547>only allow myself to have one tab open at a timeinteresting. now that you mention this I think around the time tabs became possible was when the internet became addictive to me. used to be you opened three
separate windows and then your computer froze lol, I think the frequent breaks kept me from getting addicted. i just want email and MS Paint… i need to change my life
No. 1580285
File: 1684353590405.gif (365.12 KB, 639x423, my lyfe be like ooooaaaaaa.gif)
I'm not addicted to IG or Twit anymore since they've both turned to trash. I've been on and off the platforms before (deleted then made new accounts throughout the years), so I'm really glad they turned out really shitty to use because I haven't made new accounts to browse either of them. I've had TikTok a few times but only to gather edits and milk, and even that got boring so it's been deleted for a while too. YouTube has me under its foot though. I always feel the need to catch up on what the people I heavily watch are up to. I'm trying to get myself not to care, but I'm stuck. I think maybe I should just delete my YT account and the app off my phone. I only have the app so I can listen to music when I clean, but I end up getting sucked in at night. I'll just stick to my radio and CDs.. Plus I have some movies I've been wanting to watch and games I need to finish. I hope I can do this.
No. 1602824
I posted about this in the Reddit thread but it's relevant here too. The Reddit API issue going on right now (jacking up the price to a ridiculous level) has meant that the CEO has come out and said that the goal of the site is to make a profit, ignoring that the site has a lot of issues and runs on mods and users not being paid for anything. Making a profit isn't a bad thing but no other site gets away with this. Paid moderators on other sites don't even have to deal with the level of dark content on Reddit, nor do they regularly write up guides for beginners, reply to comments, and whatnot. It feels like the site owners have contempt for their own userbase.
Before the niche small subreddits felt ok as they were the only place to discuss certain topics but now I see the whole platform of Reddit is the problem. It's adding to me feeling over the last few months that there isn't really a home for me on the internet any more. There is only a fast food version of the sites left. Every place that I used to regularly enjoy has become unusable because of a combination of bot posts/hidden ads/data stealing/debate silencing/fear mongering/content overload/reposts. There's no substance. It's just to get you in and paying up, regardless of quality.
The other users have gone downhill too. There's so many people that do nothing but pick fights or try to sounds smarter than they are. In the past it felt like the internet was full of people wanting to connect. At best anything I post is ignored but then what even is the point. I might as well write a diary, at least it would save me time refreshing. I also don't really like the person I am on sites like lolcow.
Before when I tried to quit the internet it always felt like willpower was the issue but it feels like I have to move onto the final stage of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance). That sounds a bit over dramatic but the internet has always been a big part of my life as I often didn't have much control over my offline life. I'm very fortunate now this coincides with me actually have a nice offline life now.
I used to watch excessive amounts of movies and shows but I was able to quit quite easily when I realized I wasn't enjoying most of it anymore. Now most media content is painfully boring for me. I think if I get out of the habit of checking the internet it will become something boring I am forced to use as I can't go full luddite for work reasons. I'm not planning to give up screens as ebooks are easier for me right now, plus giving up map apps and whatnot is dumb these days, but I would like to try what one of the anons mentioned up here about pretending to live in the past for a day.
No. 1613261
Not really sure if this fits here or not but it is sort of related and I wanted to share, kek. So I am journaling in my room about how I have come to find myself on my phone way too much again, and the wired angsty emptiness that produces…I write a bit about an idea that keeps bugging me, one that isn't original but I really feel resonates with me. I am a Millennial and this is an idea geared toward Millennials and older. You know how Nostalgia is so powerful among Millennials, so much so that Capitalism has taken notice and tried to resell things that evoke strong feelings of nostalgia to us, and a lot of our content generated really pokes at that nostalgic feeling? Why is it so powerful? A lot of people say because it speaks to a yearning of simpler times, a wish to going back to being carefree and unburdened, back to whismy of childhood etc… but maybe it is so powerful, especially for millennials, because the recent past, our childhood and young adulthoods, those times were the last time we were able to fully record our memories in our brains. Our memories of those nostalgic times are solid, strong, concrete, safe. We lived completely immersed in the moment and recalling those moments now, they feel so stable and real. With the rise of social media, the internet, algorithms, and continuously attention hijacking psychological manipulation on our devices, we just cannot inscribe our memories as clearly as before it was common to capture every moment to have the ability to visit it again later….digitally rather than mentally. The last years have been hazy and a lot of people seem to share that sentiment. No one can 'focus like they used to'. We have so many things fighting for our attention now that the last solid fully present moment lies in only our memories. After writing a bunch about that (I wonder what Zoomers will be nostalgic for, and those after, since we are fast approaching technology being able to simulate or recreate whatever would have been only in memory…can you even have nostalgia if the 'thing' never truly goes away?) I grab an apple and decide to eat it outside while looking at the flowers in my front yard. I eat, and watch the bees and butterflies, then notice there are more colors to the flower than I realized. My cheesy brain says something like 'see? see what you miss when you aren't paying attention?' And at that moment the fucking MYSTERY MACHINE from Scooby Doo whizzes by, a show I watched religiously as a child as we only had those tapes not cable or anything kek, it was my favorite. Ive lived here for years, I bike around and drive through and no one in my neighborhood has ever had a Mystery Machine. I was outside for like, 2 minutes max. I dont believe in synchrony or whatever, but I cannot deny that it felt as if fate or existence itself gave me a little nod thru the Mystery Machine saying something like 'yeah, stopping to pause and be fully present will ensure you have more and more solid and truly lived experiences, and you should do that' So I smiled, and I went inside, recorded it in my journal, felt an urge to share here kek, and now I am going to go do some painting instead of scroll.
No. 1664703
File: 1692049372256.png (79.32 KB, 300x172, lock.png)
I now put my laptop in a bag at a specific time every night and a family member hides the key. It was embarrassing to ask for their help but I had zero self-control and knew I had to do something else to stop. I'll do the lock thing for a few months then try to regulate myself again.
No. 1688094
File: 1693897240881.jpeg (4.9 KB, 230x219, download-7.jpeg)
I uninstalled most social media on my phone and heavily restricted usage of the ones that remained, but instead of cutting down on scrolling I find myself lurking lolcor instead…Damn my adhd brain
No. 1688200
>>1687963>>1687960I feel like doing this before bed makes me prone to staying up on my phone later, which is why I want to stop this habit. Last night I tried to recount the events of the day before bed. I might just try to clear my mind completely for deeper sleep.
>>1687963I want to try to cut out screen time before bed, but thanks for the suggestion.
No. 1688884
>>1688862for stuff that requires a computer but not wifi - just turn on airplane mode, download any writing resources you use if you can
for stuff that requires wifi - I'll lyk if I figure it out. I do ok with pomodoros and having a post it where I tally how often I opened an unrelated tab
No. 1696235
Went on a big hate for social technology rant and it's inspiring me to double down on reducing any social media aspect on websites and continue to only use some to make plans to see each other IRL. I nuked my last.fm finally. Nuked my radtwt account. About to leave discord servers used solely for Internet attention.
During my rant, it came to my head how I've been wasting over $600 on an Internet connection inside my apartment, when I could use that money towards transportation to socialize or travel to see old friends instead of settle for their occasional online notifications that they liked a post of mine. If I really wanted to use the Internet, I could just mooch off the free Wi-Fi at the local Half Price Books and the plus with that is I'm not at home and I have the opportunity to look at books and attempt to socialize with someone. The thing that's really getting me is the fact I can't hug anyone online unless I make the effort to actually see them IRL and it's nearly impossible to do that if they're hours away. Like, why spend your time bonding with similar minded people who aren't near? They cannot provide me with a future where I dream of having a little family of my own. I should be searching for someone nearby who's similar minded, and it is possible to do so, it'll likely take more time, but compare that to spending time with multiple people you could likely only hug once or twice, and then imagining finding someone after a year or so of searching and they're just right there and you can hug them as much as you want. They're not hours away, minutes if so. It makes my real life away from the screen feel more worthwhile. I honestly just need tangibility in my life and social media cannot provide it. This is why people are so fascinated with VR, but at the end of the day, you still cannot get that hug reciprocated by technology.
No. 1700615
File: 1694989433773.png (51.43 KB, 200x208, 8ec83e938d2dde33e34062cba5d8dd…)
As an addict I'm starting to get confused over how many social media users/groups I lurk have time to be so active online and also post so much about their jobs, hobbies, friends, families, etc. I must really suck at time management because I don't understand how they participate so much in these "chronically online" spaces but still also have a full life. It's pushed me to stop lurking social websites as much because I feel insecure about my life and stick to more "one-way" content.
No. 1706508
>>1705801Daily update 1/30
I managed to keep my internet use to an hour! Pat on the back for me. I think it only wasn't too difficult because my day was preoccupied with a family lunch and house chores. I did however let myself listen to podcasts which I have mixed feelings on, and eventually I would like to limit my use of those as well..But one thing at a time. I'd also like to spilt my hour into two 30 minute sessions instead of being used through the day.
>>1705819For now I want to deepclean and organize my house. Due to my internet addiction it's gotten to a point where its causing me pretty extreme distress to look at. Eventually though I want to spend the time making art, gardening, cooking, and studying code. I want to do and learn so many things, but I have to wind myself down and work on rewiring my attention span… Almost 20years of computer addiction has definitely taken its toll.
No. 1707569
>>1706508Daily update 2/30
I stuck to my one hour of internet today, although I didn't stick to the two 30minute sessions that I wanted to do. I caught myself scrolling on my phone a few times today (took this time away from my hour). I'm going to try to make my phone more restrictive so I can't scroll through my boredom. On the bright side, I got a good bit of drawing done. Looking forward to day 3!
No. 1708034
>>1707412narcolepsy, oh
nonny that sucks. maybe try taking up a repetitive task like crocheting that isn't screen time or trying to read magazine instead for some novelty that isn't mindless online discussion. you could also simply play and enjoy music.
No. 1708302
>>1707569Daily update 3/30
(sorry for the double post) Kept my internet limit of one hour, still having issues with sticking to the two 30min sessions. I didn't have time to work on making my phone more restrictive today so going to try to prioritize that tomorrow. On the bright side, I stayed away from my computer until making this post today! I also worked on my garden and my illustration. I think I'm getting a wee bit better at tolerating silence. Here's to a good day tomorrow!
No. 1708765
>>1708764I should look into it. I was talking more about crossbody bags.
>and someone would have to actually assault you to take itIt's happening more and more often in my city. It's weird because there are specific subway and tramway stations where it was always far more prevalent but now it's risky everywhere.
No. 1708785
>>1708771My current phone is the most expensive one I ever bought and even then it costed me 500€ because it was on sales and I used a 100€ voucher to make it cheaper on top of that. I'm never spending more than that on a phone even if I only buy them brand new. I'm sure the piece of shit who stole my previous phone expected me to have an iphone but it was just a cheap but pretty good Xiaomi, the real issue is that the google app that automatically saves pictures on the cloud didn't work save any of the settings I wanted to save so I lost a lot of pictures except the ones from my holidays which I saved on my laptop. Keep in mind that I took a day off the very next day so I could go shopping and buy an external hard drive just to save all the other photos because my laptop was full.
>>1708781I've only ever seen people getting their phones stolen when they weren't using them so far but you're not wrong. At the police station I met a girl who also got her phone stolen, she was using it, her hand started bleeding profusely out of nowhere so I'm sure she got injured by the thief, and the thief did this specifically so she would put her phone in her pocket for less than a minute to grab a bandaid. They're fucking insane it's a whole industry at that point. The guy who stole my phone was pretending to be an uber eat driver.
No. 1709033
>>1708302Daily update 4/30
I did really good with my time today, I actually stayed under my one hour. I attempted doing two 30min sessions but I had to pause my timer here and there when life interrupted me… So I'm not quite sure I'll get a perfect set schedule set up for it. I'm just going to do a 30 in the am and pm when I get the time to. Once I get things down I think I want to look into setting limits on my podcast usage.
No. 1710003
>>1709033Daily update 5/30
I stayed under my 1hr today. I've been keeping a 30 minute timer and take small little internet breaks here an there through the day. During this time I resume my timer. I keep my last 30 for the end of the day. It's been working pretty decent so far so I think I might stick with this till I'm seeking lower my usage even more.
No. 1718143
File: 1696624111504.jpg (82.92 KB, 1179x868, isolated.JPG)
I'm trying to reduce my internet use and I found a couple helpful extensions that still let me use websites without mindlessly scrolling for a long time
For Chrome/Brave/Edge on desktop there's an extension called Mindful Internet Use, you can set it up to interrupt certain websites after a certain amount of time, it makes you wait a bit before you can use it again. So for example if you add lolcow.farm to the list, before you go to the website it will ask how much time you want on it, say 15 minutes, then after 15 minutes it interrupts you and after a bit asks how much more time you want for the next session. It's really easy to set up and use.
For Mozilla on Android there's Leechblock, it's a little more complicated to set up but it has a lot of customization. I set mine up to block me for 1 minute of every 5 minutes of use for certain websites. It also has an override feature if you want to use the website for longer in a session.
I like these extensions because I find totally blocking websites to be too restricting and unrealistic, instead it just breaks up the endless scrolling so I don't waste so much time
No. 1718562
File: 1696665188503.gif (1.55 MB, 600x408, 1543086614590.gif)
I didn't go on any imageboards for the past 7 months, which I'm pretty proud of, but I recently relapsed (obviously). I got banned from 4chan, which is definitely for the best. I enjoy lolcow, but I just spend way too much time here. I came to a realization that my problems with depression and procrastination entered my life right as I started using the internet. I feel so retarded for not realizing it until now, but I think my internet addiction has been the root of most of my problems since I was 12. I never understood what happened to make me go from a happy 5th grader with no problems in school to a sad kid who could barely keep up. I knew I had an internet addiction, I just never really considered how deeply it has been affecting me in all areas of my life. It's a huge relief because I've always thought there was just something fundamentally wrong with me, but it's also a troubling realization because I need to get a lot more serious about fixing it.
No. 1718609
>>1718603Or you could stay the fuck away from scrotechan and read a book instead. This is the detox thread after all.
I've found that having a bunch of exciting novels around makes me surf less in the evenings.
No. 1718628
>>1718621I hate it too but it's the only place where I can sometimes find leaks of video games I'm looking forward to. I usually go there to talk about very specific topics and leave but that's still too much imo.
>and read a book insteadI'd like to but I'm really picky. I'm sticking to video games for now and see if I'm motivated enough to read again.
No. 1734200
File: 1697977681747.jpeg (61.38 KB, 1024x683, istockphoto-171772490-1024x102…)
>>1733862that sounds lovely, thanks nona. i love sudoku and puzzles but usually do it in the evening. will try making it a morning routine instead
No. 1740323
Browsing is such a waste. I don't know why I'm still here, it feels like another desperate attempt to cast off before the current takes me back in a few days. There's nothing new for me to learn, people have gotten dumber and there's a noticeable difference in the quality of writing. The most insightful thing I read this week was from a book I picked off the library shelf written in the 80s.
Our problems haven't changed, it's just that technology has made things so much easier to digest that it's basically fast food for our brains. Our minds are like our intestines, we need time to slowly absorb the material and go over the thoughts carefully, instead we have short clip videos which spike our insulin like a sugary candy bar. This is a lifestyle choice, like picking to sit on your couch and order take out to treat the problem instead of just eating and living right, which you'll be surprised to find that it's actually much easier to do than the former, because living well feels much more rewarding than a cheap thrill.
Whatever choice you end up making, be sure it's the one you feel the most content with 20-30 years from now, so you don't sit in front of a mirror one day and ask yourself "why did I do this to myself?"
No. 1820916
>>1819970If you cut out anything pleasant that could distract you then you will focus on being productive. That is the one use for it.
>>1819658Of course reading books isn't bad. It's great for training your focus. Bring a book or listen to music during your commute instead.
No. 1870258
File: 1706468326578.mp4 (1.93 MB, 1280x720, conor.mp4)
for those that are trying to go nosurf, how do you deal with feelings of depression and emptiness without the internet? the internet is fucking shit now but it's definitely a time-filler, and one that i've been very addicted to for almost 20 years.
No. 1870450
>>1870327yep, this is it. the reason i got addicted to the internet in the first place is because i didn't really enjoy socialising, and this became my stand in. a lot of my life has revolved around the internet, and it's always sort of been there in the background. going without it feels lonely, even though the internet these days makes me feel depressed and alienated. just typing this makes me realise how much of an unhealthy addiction and coping mechanism it's been.
it just used to be a really fun coping mechanism, and now it's not.
No. 1872094
File: 1706634310974.jpg (73.21 KB, 474x569, 420625829_764219885731123_5921…)
Techniques that have been working for me recently:
1. Pick one or two sites per month to stop visiting completely. Don't just try and quit "the internet" at once. You might end up visiting other sites more but that's ok as you will quite them next month. Just don't start finding new sites. Pick the sites that annoy you the most to start with as it will be a relief.
2. Start on the first of each month so you have a running streak that you can get instant gratification from by just looking at the calendar. Don't count in weeks or months. Just month by month. If a month seems too much at first then do it day by day by looking at hours.
You can start before the first of the month as a "warm-up" but don't count them as part of your streak. You need to be able to get instant gratification as quickly as possible. You can say "over 10 days!" on the 10th if you want but nothing more than that. Having a streak will keep you motivated.
3. Each month pick up a new hobby or two (or go back to old ones) to fill the time and keep them at hand and easy to start. For example, if you want to get back to reading, then buy a stack of books that interest you and keep within reach always. Coffee table books with lots of photos are nice and low effort and a good substitute for social media.
4. Treat yourself like an alcoholic. Think of all the lame excuses an alcoholic would use to let themselves drink, such as "I've had a bad day" or "I need to relax/celebrate" or "I deserve it" or "One won't hurt" etc etc. One drink/check absolutely will fuck you up so don't do it, not even once.
5. If you're issue is checking social media, especially hate following, then read up on some psychology about why people behave that way and it will help you put some distance. For example, if you keep checking old bullies or exes it's helpful to see that their poor behaviour is more about them than you (such as shame or childhood trauma or a low/high self esteem complex) and it gives closure. I find Psychology Today helps with this, even if it isn't that rigorous, as it doesn't have to be perfect. You're never going to have all the answers so a rough theory is enough.
6. Make your offline environment as stress free as possible. Keep your room clean and uncluttered and a place you actually want to spend time. Try and get rid of the "invisible to do list" so you can relax and not want a distraction.
7. Make some offline commitments such as investing money in an offline a class that you don't want to end up being a waste of money. Or get a side job or volunteering position that you need to go to. As you keep busy you will find your online time automatically shrinks to accommodate everything else.
8. Try and make your life instagram worthy but just for yourself. Recreate a fancy hotel style breakfast for yourself. Make your room look nice. Dress up for yourself. Go beautiful places. Don't let the screen be the only place that you can see nice things.
No. 1872271
>>1872094Great advice! #5 is especially good advice for weaning off of lolcow. Lots of farmers have said this before me but the cows we're drawn to are usually more similar to us than we think. Once I was able to start confronting "cowish" aspects of myself, I have majorly cut back on checking and posting here.
Another tip I can give is to forgive yourself and just move on if you slip up. The point of a digital detox isn't to adhere to a rigid system, it's for your overall well-being. If you beat yourself up excessively for slipping up, you might just fall into the addiction/restriction cycle all over again.
No. 1872345
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>>1872271>Once I was able to start confronting "cowish" aspects of myself, I have majorly cut back on checking and posting here.Completely agree. Once I was able to break down what the cows represented to me they lost their appeal. This reminds me of another tip:
10. Keep a diary of how you're feeling and post quotes from things you find helpful as it allows you to build on your thoughts and see evidence of your progress. For people that you can't stop checking on, just being able to write in detail about everything you find fascinating about them and really take it apart helps a bunch. You might even reach the point where you get tired thinking about them and can't stand to check them any more.
>Another tip I can give is to forgive yourself and just move on if you slip up.Same. I don't count slip ups on for my streaks as it's more about making an effort and I reset the count every month anyway. Obviously you need to be strict otherwise there's no point, but beating yourself up won't help, especially if you go on a site automatically without deliberately having decided to do so.
No. 1873059
>>1872094actually great and unique advice that I haven't read elsewhere, thanks nona. some things I've been doing:
>started a new knitting project and attending an IRL knit group this weekend>bought a bunch of second hand magazinessimilar to the coffee table book idea, this has really been helping me for times when i'm tired and just want to scroll or look at something but i'm too braindead to read a book. i find lots of inspiration but don't get distracted or go down rabbit holes.
>getting into a nice evening routine that doesn't centre around the internet. but not strict, just adding things until they stick as habits.
>bought a deck of cards and a jigsaw puzzle>>1872271>weaning off lolcowI'm gonna start by avoiding snow and cow threads for the reasons you stated.
No. 1887838
>>1872094>>1872099>>1872345Awesome tips and pretty pics nona, thanks for sharing! You gave me and other nonas great ideas.
I've been doing #8 for a while now and it really helps because you're not doing it to show off in front of other people but for yourself. Another thing I've found helpful is writing down such activities whenever I get them so I don't forget them. So now I have this long list of ideas for having a good time like "visit a park I've never been to", "get pizza/coffee with a friend at this random place I saw that looks nice", "cook a meal I've always wanted to try but never did because it looks complicated", "watch the sunset at a beautiful place", "visit a flower store and admire the beauty of all the different flowers", "start gardening", "visit a botanical garden", "plan a one/two day trip to a nearby town", "try out a new sport", "experiment with different fashion styles", "invite a friend over for lunch/dinner and cook for her", "read a book you never finished", "try out crafting", "go to the post and send a letter to relatives/friends living far away", "be a tourist in your own/nearby city and visit different historical sights and tourist attractions". And when I have some free time I pick one of those and if it needs some organization I make a detailed plan. The cool thing is that most of these activities can be done many times, as long as you're switching it up you won't get bored and instead will create some great memories!
No. 1888185
>>1887838nta but I'm doing the same thing! I have actually been writing down so many ideas this past year that I'm thinking of printing it into a booklet, or maybe getting a one-off bound book made for myself so I can pick it up and flip through. Like tailor-made inspiration that I can add to with new editions.
The ideas that I've found the most helpful and inspiring are the ones that make you look at life a bit differently + encourage more curiosity, creativity and playfulness. Like for example one of your suggestions was "be a tourist in your own town" which sounds really fun and simple. It's the kind of thing you'd never do unless you were free from distractions and bored enough to think up something outside of the box.
Doomscrolling can make the world feel so small and restrictive, like nothing is worth doing. Changing your perspective is a must.
No. 1888252
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>>1888185That's a great idea nonna! It will be so fun crafting this booklet and then flipping through it. And I agree with what you said about doomscrolling, especially when you're stuck in a rut and scrolling has become a habit almost. In such situations it's very hard to step away from the screen but in the end it's for our own good. I think your book would definitely help in such difficult moments!
Speaking of books, another idea I've had since forever is having my own physical recipe book. In one bookstore I saw picrel and have wanted to get one of these for months but my laziness and internet addiction always prevail… I should set a deadline for this as if is's an assignment kek.
No. 1925573
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After much consideration I have decided to tale a short social media break where I’ll be trying to fill the gap not being online leaves with reading instead. I will likely fail but I will try my best to stick with it. My self esteem is at an all time low and I know being online contributes to it. I’m nott even talking about body image- I feel like everyone online is much cooler/unique than me and I always feel like a loser which is clearly unhealthy. Wish me luck nonnas
No. 1932294
>>1925573Reading instead of scrolling is great and imo will make you a more interesting person.
>>1932279The connection that social media provides is superficial. As you realize, other people's posts negatively influence your self-perception. If you're not close to these people, why does keeping up with them matter? Texting is the obvious way to keep in touch with people outside of social media. If you are unwilling to do that, maybe reevaluate their importance in your life. Is it actually wanting to make a meaningful connection or about presenting yourself to acquaintances?
>I also like posting pictures with captions to look back on, my boyfriend also likes when I share photos of our outings and I tag him in them.This one's easy. Just share the pics in a private album with him. You can even add captions to them if you have an iPhone. It also has a native journal app, which could fill your desire to look back on your photos and captions.
As far as making plans and finding events, you can still do that without using the apps. It takes a little more work, but it's possible.
I don't mean to be rude, nona, but it doesn't sound like you want to quit. You have a lot of excuses lined up that will allow you to stay in the
toxic swamp of social media. It's fine if you ultimately decide to conform to the norm, but you'll still feel like shit for being on it. When I got off the apps, I felt like a weight had been lifted. You see who the real ones are in your life because they'll make an effort to connect.
No. 1932302
>>1932294That's true. And it is hard to quit. I deactivated FB, kept messenger, but reactivated to reach out to family during a time of fear. My boyfriend also values it more than I do for connections, so I guess I felt more inclined to post more on social media because of him. He asked for my permission to be be FB official so that gesture made me view it as something important to him. Now I'm stressed over his own posts and my own. Like I recognizing I'm strategizing about what I want to text him over what to post, and I'm upset seeing he holds back on informing me of something and leaves it for FB. It, in a way, takes away the intimacy we
could have. Like, I do know when I'm on social media, I get very easily hooked, even the out of sight out of mind part can only last so long, I'd rather just stay away forever and focus on actually one on one communicating.
No. 1932303
>>1932279Use it to practice rethinking your thoughts. You don’t have to be negatively effected as you scroll, work out why the negative thoughts happen and work out how to mitigate them if you feel they’re impacting you negatively. Can you redirect those thoughts? Can you ignore those thoughts? Can you disengage from posts that make you have negative thoughts?
I have rules and boundaries for when I scroll and practice them. I ignore ads and spoilers, I don’t engage with anything that makes me feel angry/sad and, what I consider most important for me, I don’t view, interact or post selfies (and I’m slowly expanding that to include videos).
No. 1932600
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>>1932527I get where you're coming from. It's hard to
not take that personally, especially when it's your boyfriend. Sometimes it's hard not to jump to conclusions. Picrel offers some tips on how to cope with catastrophic thinking and could help beyond the social media detox. Alternatively, could you make an account that just followed him and maybe a handful of other people? I'm not sure that would help with the larger relationship issue tbh, but if you want to detox, it could be a halfway measure towards it. I feel for you,
nonnie. I hope you can find some peace
No. 1933392
I have an addiction to mindless browsing and music. I can't actually explain how much music consumes me but it's like getting a brain massage. It blocks all the stress. I use an app to track my listening habits and have 200,000 plays which I added up the song average from to be about 694 full days of music/16666 hours. What the fuck? I'm listening now. It takes me into my own little world. It's with headphones too, extra up close for my brain and impossible to absorb information from browsing while doing without feeling overloaded. I've stopped listening as much but feel deeply bored and depressed, and the internet is so crowded by instant information in every direction that I just can't. Do. Anything. With. It. It sounds ridiculous to say having all the info in the world makes it so I learn none. I can go on Amazon and see three different editions for the same book, reviews, recommendations for other books I didn't ask for but which make me feel like I'm at the bottom of a Mount Everest of knowledge, and I'm not taking the first step when I know it means a billion more up that shit. Then there are "learning books and applications" which make me feel like I have to learn how to learn before reading a book, or else I'll forget everything I read and it'll be a waste of time. In threads I often start from the bottom and work backward because I hate the feeling of having tons to catch up with, the anticipation gives me anxiety - I need to read the replies before whatever they replied to.
I never thought of scrolling or music as an addiction but this thread put together why I spent a fortune on a gaming PC a year ago to fulfill a kid dream only to use it for scrolling. I could be doing video editing, 3D modelling, learning programming or how to create music, taking handwritten study notes with my tablet, playing anything, watching anything, reading anything. Nope! I'd rather scroll with music on every device or stare at a wall in bed. Shouldn't gaming, especially, be a way to zone out from stress, not cause stress? Following the instructions of new games is hell, I always rage quit at that alone in the first five minutes. It's like I dread the committment to the next episode, to an hour or two of emotions, or to dozens up to hundreds of pages. I don't have the mental energy but why? Can this really be caused by scrolling? Is it like an avoidant personality problem or autism, not wanting to do anything that brings me out of my bubble even though I do have plenty I want to do and consume? And what's the solution? Cold Turkey and their other app for blocking apps are good but mobile options are just not. The only way to really block anything with Lock Me Out is by setting up a password and discarding it but then I can't change schedules or important settings on my phone. I'm desperate enough for a change I considered selling everything for a shittily low price at the bargain bin, but there is so much potential from my setup that I can't believe I feel paralysed and handicapped by it, by having everything I need, to the extent I must irreversibly block it all and, probably, sell my phone and tablet unless I figure out how to block those properly.