Technology detox

Hey lianons, lately I've been trying to get off doomscrolling on social media once again. (The last time i stopped for 2 years). But It's been really hard to stimulate my brain otherwise. I got a lot of books in the hopes for reading them but I always just end up on consoooming content that fries my brain overtime. What is the best way to stop? I've been trying to limit my screentime but since I have control I always just give 10-30 minutes more.

find a hobby that requires active engagement and/or involves creating things >books reading books while on an exercise bike helped me read and bike for longer

>>42603 >>42603 try to make your discipline levels heighten. Turn everything off and stare at a wall, let your mind wander. itll fix you right up

workout. find a nerd community at your library

>>42603 Just get a dumbphone. Otherwise you can schedule your phone to shutdown during certain times of day, train concentration/awareness, cut out all sources of dopamine for a while etc etc.

>>44370 Getting a dumbphone is kinda irrealistic for most people. Unless your a neet or some soykaf, then have at it. I find being more mindful about phone usage helps. Also doing literally anything that isn't your phone. 2 hours spent on vidya, a tv show, movies, etc. is better than 2 hours wasted on doomscrolling. Start small and soykaf yk. Goodluck lainon, currently attempting on the same.

If you're spending a lot of time on devices there are some apps that can help. Lock me out is an Android app I've used in the past when I was doomscrolling on Twitter a lot. You can program times when it'll stop certain apps or websites from being accessed, or you can limit to only a certain amount of time per day. Leechblock is a browser extension that does basically the same thing. I use it for YouTube because I simply spend an inordinate amount of time watching things I'm not even interested in otherwise. Maybe it speaks to a weakness in my character that the only way I can stay off these time-wasters and dopamine-exploiters is to artificially block myself from using them. But hey, whatever works right?

Seconding the website blockers. Turning your screen black and white is also effective in making it less stimulating and the real world more alluring. There are mods for Instagram and various other messaging apps that will block distracting videos, ads, stories and posts such as https://www.distractionfreeapps.com/. Also the fact that lots of content is AI generated makes me not want to use social media much anymore. I encourage you to check your screen time. Sometimes a reminder of how pathetic you look is enough to make you get up and do something else. What doesn't get measured is ignored. 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 that answer common questions or debunk common myths, "this day in history", and other kinds of trivia books. I know you didn't mention this but for any lurker that uses their devices excessively because they listen to music: Download anything you like from YouTube, Bandcamp, etc and transfer it to a cheap MP3 player. This post resonates with me and I recommend you to check it out: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosurf/comments/be9x20/success_story_been_addicted_for_13_years/ The thing that helps me the most is not overthinking it at all and just doing something else. Like, before your brain can even process the thought "I need to get up", I just do it. DON'T LET YOURSELF THINK, OTHERWISE YOU'LL STAY IN YOUR SEAT. THAT'S THE KEY. > I've been trying to limit my screentime but since I have control I always just give 10-30 minutes more. That's how I'm like too. The Pomodoro technique never worked for me. So, after you've gotten up, tell yourself you're going to read a book or exercise for 5 minutes max. Maybe even lower. 2 minutes. 1 minute. 30 seconds. I guarantee that once you start, you'll get so absorbed you'd hate to stop.

go out with people, jeezus. if you can't get a dumbphone, get the cheapest fone you can that can handle your needs, put in one of those "minimalist" home apps, and make it a point never to include anything like tiktok or ig or facebook or any of that crap. And stay outside, work, socialize. At home build stuff. It's simple.

>>42603 go on adventure and sail the high seas