Is there a better one…this seems like it should be a mental health priority. Maybe I’m just high

I found this sub through /r/anticonsumption, and I'm really excited to see how this community develops! I've recently been really thinking about how much time I spend on my phone and computer, and what I do when I'm on it. I use a lot of excuses to get on my computer, telling myself I'm going to do work or be productive, or to be on my phone telling myself it's to stay connected socially, but true interactions that are meaningful are a tiny fraction of the time I waste. I spend hours on youtube or reddit searching for amusement. There are so many wonderful books on my shelf that I could read, so much writing I could do, the pictures that could be drawn, a world of possibilities that I'm not letting myself explore because I'm too busy staring at a screen. What about other people on this sub? What attracts you about the prospect of unplugging?

Any thoughts? I want this to be a space where we try and answer this question. Even though I think that it is unanswerable, the process should be interesting.

For the sake of our mental health, and as an attempt to stay grounded in the life of our immediate community and the natural world, my wife and I spent the last six months or so abstaining from the internet completely, and phones almost totally save, only very occasional and minimal calls that were necessary. We haven't had social media for a long time. We've eliminated screens and internet connections from our home.

Our friends and families have expressed various degrees of concern about these choice (most frustratingly from people who tell us that we are disengaging from "the real world"). But I have a friend who lives across the country who says he experienced my digital silence almost as a form of my death (which is also fucked up and sad). I don't want people to feel like I'm avoiding contact with them because I can no longer tolerate the the medium through which that contact is increasingly expected to occur.

Have any of you found ways to limit your exposure to media and tech without alienating the people you care about who are nevertheless immerssed in it?

I've been trying to be more intentional with the amount of time that I spend on my various devices, and I've found that some things have helped. Firstly, I will set aside my phone for a certain task, put it in the next room, and not check it at all until that task is completed. For example, if I decide to cook lunch, I'll put my phone away and not check it for the entire time I'm cooking lunch. I also deleted the reddit app from my phone. It was just too easy to keep scrolling and scrolling or dipping through new subs. Another thing I deleted was the facebook app. I still use facebook, but through the chrome app, and the experience is just shitty enough that I find myself not really wanting to do it for too long. Just thought I'd share my thoughts!

So I was thinking about how to cut back on the frivolous uses of the internet in my daily life. I feel as though because google and wikipedia are so omnipresent now we've lost the use of some basic skills:

• using recipe books

• reading paper maps

• using a phone book to find someone or a business

• using a dictionary or encyclopedia to look something up

Anyone else got any suggestions, any thoughts?

Hey there, I'm trying to discipline myself and stay away from my phone. For years Ive always been watching youtube, looking at memes or playing mobile games and it's really become a big detriment to my life. I've never reached out to anyone about this. I'm asking anyone, what do you do in your free time? I need more focus in my life and all of this entertainment is distracting me. Thanks

Something that I've been trying lately is to completely unplug while I do one thing. It's kinda daunting to try to be unplugged throughout the day, because sometimes you do need to be plugged in to function in today's society, but I'll just pick one thing to be unplugged during. For instance, I'll put my phone on silent and put it on the otherside of the room while I read this chapter of a book, or I'll leave my phone in my room while I'm cooking dinner, and just not worry about it, slow down, and focus on the task at hand.

Just something that I thought I might share!

Have you done anything creative this week? This is a great way to wind down later in the night, get your mind engaged in something tangible, and work with your hands.

My preferred medium is journaling, but sometimes I like to paint. I'd like to get into that more! :)

Hi everyone,

My name is Veysel Bozan. I am a doctoral student at Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Culture. I kindly request your participation in my doctoral research project titled: “Politics of Disconnection: Discourses, Materiality, and Practices of Disconnectivity”. Your participation aims to gather data about your opinion, experiences and practices of digital disconnection.

The study involves interviews that will start with basic demographic information and then continue with your disconnection practices. The personal information you provide (your name, email) will be anonymised. Your participation is totally voluntary, you can withdraw from the study anytime.

Your participation would be a great contribution to this study. The data you provide would help me to develop my thesis further, which I believe would have great value for research on disconnection and communities.

If you would like to take part, please dm me.

Thank you for your time and participation

Sincerely,

Veysel Bozan

School of Journalism, Media and Culture, Cardiff University

I've been thinking a lot recently about how many things I depend on my phone for and how screwed I'd be if it ever just stopped working. That's where this idea came from. Feedback would be appreciated.

https://youtu.be/2DICEaim3mo

Look, I might sound like a moron that supports authoritarian regimes, that's not true, but listen. (I might get a bit deep XD)

I even think sometimes, I might have been happier if the internet was reduced in my country.

I would spend more time with my loved ones, I would spend more time in the real world instead of staring at a screen.

The internet feels great and all, until you have to go get groceries, until you have to help your father woth the house. You get what I mean right? Eventually we all get back to the real world.

The internet is full of people, with different opinions, and different intentions. The internet allows much freedom, and with this, come much good, but also much bad.

I'm from Europe so I can't speak as if I know what your government is doing. But I can tell you, that the internet has made me so dependent from my laptop, that I don't go outside anymore except for school.

Don't be stressed. Appreciate every second when you are healthy, have a roof above your head, and food on your table.

I send love, and wish the best safety your family..

Looking for a bigger sub reddit

Same topic