I might have to do things different for my physical well-being...

The Necromancer's Lair
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I am home ALL DAY EVERYDAY!
Unless, I am going out somewhere with family or friends, but I am ALWAYS home.

Besides doing a few chores and staying clean, I am ALWAYS looking at my computer screens and other electronic devices.

And I feel drained from it all from my eyes to my body. It gets exhausting, but it is like doing something else isn’t as important.

So, I have no choice regardless of how I feel, I need to severely limit my screen time and swap it for something else.

I have to take better care of myself physically AND mentally.

I don’t have a job or a busy lifestyle and because of that I am home 24/7 doing nothing.

I have to place myself on a timer and do my best to break nasty habits.

Any thoughts?

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You have friends? You could tell them you want to spend more time out of the house and arrange a schedule for doing things together. Maybe they could help you get a job too, by keeping their ears peeled for openings and such, yanno? Maybe you should make a list of little steps for getting out more, nothing too big or you’ll get discouraged. But a list of little things is usually beneficial to me…might help you too. ¯\_(ﭢ)_/¯

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Spoiler alert below:

Summary

If I am being honest, mentally I am not ready to be in a working environment. So reapplying for Social Security benefits is my safest bet in earning an income.

I’ve had jobs before and that alone was a challenge.

I do agree on calling a friend to hang out with though.

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A blue light inhibitor at night so you go to sleep?

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I could do that, but I am still staring at a screen for long periods of time.

If I am not writing my stories and/or watching anime or even being on YouTube, then I really don’t need to be staring at a screen for an extended time.

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Do you have the ability to go out to a park or take walks?

Truthfully, electronic devices are an addiction that many struggle with, not just you. Society has been curated to have FOMO and disconnecting makes us think that important things are happening while we’re not looking. The students in the school I teach literally have withdrawal symptoms if they don’t have their phone in their hands all the time.

It’s not true… because most of those things that society tells us are important are superficial. The latest trends, the coolest people, the latest pratfall or celebrity screw-up. None of those things affect us directly, except that we let it.

Though these devices came to my generation late, they still affect this view of my life, and even I struggle to get away from the computer screen, or not check my phone for the latest message, email etc. It’s hold isn’t as strong on me, but it is there.

I have seen how devices make a person less able to cope socially, especially during the pandemic with students who were on their computers most of the day and unable to interact with others face to face. The past two years have been littered with an unprecedented number of fights at school because students haven’t been in situations where they need to resolve or mitigate conflict.

We as a school culture are just barely getting past that hurdle (As my Vice Principal said just today, we’ve made it 6 weeks without a single fight… that’s saying something where sometimes we couldn’t go two hours without a fight breaking out.)

I’m sorry I bird-walked that…

I’m sorry that you’re struggling with this. Ruts are definitely hard to get out of.

My suggestions?

Read a PHYSICAL book, while listening to quiet music. Go out for a walk around the neighborhood. Go to a local bookstore/comic shop/deli/diner/coffee shop and chill (without your devices). Have a game night with your friends (board games, not on line ones :stuck_out_tongue: )

I hope that you find some value in activities away from your devices! It’s a big bright beautiful world out there, and it’s great to go out and see it. :slight_smile:

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Yeah.

I can’t visualize when I read a book. I can’t retain focus on a physical book with a severely cluttered mind.

Sounds good.

Very far from me and requires driving a car. I don’t drive.

Not too much of a struggle. I just need less screen time or utilize screen time strictly for writing fiction, watching anime or YouTube, and/or research for writing related things.

Everything else is not needed for me. When I am not writing/watching anime/Youtube/researching for writing, then staying off the screen for a few hours or so is crucial.

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Use f.lux on your computer / laptop.
Use blue-block glasses.
Invest in a standing desk for reading, writing, or laptop work.
Acquire a doorway chin-up bar (not the telescopic kind). Either do chin-ups each break or swing from it for a while. Stretch out your spine and shoulders.

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I do have that on my desktop, but not my laptop.

I wear glasses already. I need the lens for my glasses.

That might be a serious challenge when I lack money or a person who buy it for me…even if it’s an affordable.

I don’t even know where they sell used ones that are in great condition as the brand new ones.

That sounds like a plan.

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Hmmm…

How about mindfulness exercises? Breathing deeply and letting your mind relax. One that was taught to me by my psychiatrist was a relaxation technique that combines deep breathing with tightening and relaxing muscle groups:

  • close your eyes
  • Breath deeply in and out
  • Clench your fists until the muscles start to burn and relax, focusing on the sensations of the relaxing muscles. Continue breathing in and out.
  • Tighten upper arms and shoulders (Rotating back until the shoulder blades meet.) and then relax
  • Flex your feet and tighten your calves and then relax
  • Press your knees together and then relax
  • tighten the abdomen and then relax
  • Expand the chest (this is a bit harder to keep breathing on but it can be done) and then relax.
  • Clench your jaw and tighten your face and then relax
  • Squint your eyes and then relax
  • raise your eyebrows and then relax.

Usually I’m doing this in bed and I fall asleep before I finish, but it can be used sitting up as a quick mental/ physical break from whatever your doing.
I’m not into psychobabble, but this truly helped me overcome the worst of my anxiety problems.

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By a cluttered mind, do you mean trouble focusing? If so, that may be a symptom of ADHD, right? I think there are meds that can control that, so be sure to ask that healthcare professional you’re seeing at the end of the month about getting prescriptions.

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Yeah, I strongly believe so.

I have to find a way to get meds and therapist, but it has been a bit of a struggle to find it.

The waiting game…

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Experiment with looking at distant objects in natural light, in the morning or evening (the golden hours in photography terms). This can help your eyes to reset their focus in relatively soft lighting (less eye strain, minimal blue hues).

Try to spend a few hours a day in at least 1,000 lux of natural light. You can get this amount at the edge of the shade (outside), at least during the Australian summer. Apparently this is good for brain health, energy levels, and sleep quality.

I would also recommend cold showers or baths. They are good for improving overall health and mental clarity…I now find them more pleasant than hot showers, except on some winter days…

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we’re in similar boats :smiling_face_with_tear:

hobbies are helpful, there are lots of non-screen things you can do, like

  • jigsaw puzzles
  • reading physical books
  • crafts like knitting, bookbinding, painting
  • going for walks
  • culinary crafts like baking or brewing fancy coffees
  • closet cosplay

also you can stack little things into a routine to take up parts of your day every day. a 15 minute task doesn’t seem like much but if you squish four 15 minute tasks together that’s suddenly an hour gone out of every day.

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I agree with a lot of what others have said. But I completely understand that it’s hard to do that sometimes.

When I don’t feel like going out but I’m antsy, YouTube exercise videos have been wonderful. Yoga with Adriene was a literal life-saver during Covid when I discovered her. I still follow her videos from time to time, though I’ve branched out to other channels and styles of exercise since then. There are a lot of 10-15 minute ones that are great for breaks that don’t feel tiring - you can follow almost all of the videos just by listening to her walk you through the movements verbally, too, so I don’t usually count it as screen time - and some of them just require a blanket or a bed, with no yoga mat or equip needed, so there’s nothing you need to buy to start. And honestly, if you don’t have a mat, just a carpeted space in your house or a blanket works pretty well.

Another thing I like to do occasionally is write by hand on a notebook. You won’t be able to write as much, my hand usually gets tired around 300 words, but it’s pretty relaxing and it does give your eyes a bit of a break.

Lately I’ve been getting into reorganizing the rooms in my house as a break from the computer :joy: even just simple things like moving the plants to another table, or sorting out my closets and cupboards. It like declutters my brain, gives my body something to do, and it’s nice to zone out to. I find I do this more as an anxiety coping mechanism than anything, but it is nice and the house has been feeling a lot better lately. And it’s also not screen time.

I realize all of these aren’t very accessible to many people so definitely don’t feel like you need to do it - they’re just things that help me and I thought I’d share just in case :smiley:

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My rule is 3 activities per day when I have a day off. Walks, gym, gardening, swimming and skating are my fav choices. I also love kettlebells. On workdays I just aim to maintain an average of 10K steps a day. Getting out is very important as well as taking electronics break. One of my favorite breaks is sauna, because you absolutely cannot do anything but focus on yourself in a sauna! Overall, any body of water has a calming impact on me, allowing me to open up that healing connection to nature channel in my mind. Creek, pond, ocean or pool–the ripples of water just do it for me. The same with gardening. The smallest patch of flowers distracts me from everything else.

Building exercise habits takes time, and the important thing is to find what speaks to you personally.

I am also a big proponent of starting your day at home with making your bed and dressing up, not letting yourself to stay untrimmed.

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Oooh, Tori and Domi are right–exercise is an excellent alternative. Why didn’t I think of that? My new favorite YouTuber is Emi Wong, but there are plenty of others to choose from. ٩(˘◡˘)۶

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Guys, I did some reading for the first time since last year!
To be fair, I read along to an audiobook version of the physical copy. So, while I read the physical book, I listen to the audio version or rather read along.

That is the only way I can read fiction.

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You can find ways to distract yourself from screen-time, though it may depend on circumstances.

  1. Go out but with yourself.

If family or friends can’t come with you, that’s okay. It’s actually very healthy to go places by yourself as it’s a way to show your independence. Doing this can be seen as many things like store hopping (you don’t need to buy anything) or hang out at a cafe and read or heck even people watch, going out for a walk or exercising in general, going to the library (check to see if there’s any upcoming adult programs they’re doing that might interest you), go to a spa, treat yourself out to dinner or lunch, etc.

  1. Take up a new hobby.

There’s a lot of hobbies that don’t require staring at a screen like doodling, crocheting, sewing, playing board games, wood working, DIYs, pottery, cooking, doing puzzles or whatnot. You can also learn a new language or how to do something as well (like how to play an instrument).

  1. Journal.

You can spend some time journaling your thoughts, emotions, and things about your day. This can also be therapeutic.

  1. Volunteer.

Volunteering can get you out of the house, away from electronics or just your personal screens, and it’s not necessarily an actual job either. Depending on the place you volunteer for, you don’t have to work it for long hours or even sign your life away with a company as, well, it’s a volunteer job—you can walk away at any point. No strings attached.

  1. Go outside.

Sounds kind of silly, but take a moment and go outside. Maybe pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, or a favorite drink. Listen to the birds. People watch. Stare at nature. Be in your own mind. Sometimes, this is needed. Sometimes, it’s quite refreshing.

That is still considered reading. Don’t let anyone tell you different. :heart:

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Thanks a bunches!

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