I’ve run into having too much of a few good things, and this has been causing me issues. Too much internet and tech gets overstimulating. I’ll elaborate about my experiences after the break.
Too Much
I have some bad habits related to how I use technology. For one, it’s my go-to distraction when I get stressed or have nothing to do. This results in my spending all day basking in the glow of my three monitors. I don’t really get enough exercise this way, and by idly perusing Twitter and having chat windows open all day, I end up being over-connected to everything going on in the world and my friends’ lives.
Social Media
I spend essentially all day on Twitter, to some capacity. This means that when something goes down, I get to hear about it from several people all at once. Now, it’s important to keep up with things, but readingĀ everyone’sĀ upset at a bad thing overwhelms my empathy and stresses me right the hell out.
It’s nice getting to see and be involved in discussions, but too much is too much. I’ve gotta find a better idle distraction for when I get bored or feel lonely. Twitter isn’t something I’m going to give up, but everything in moderation, yeah?
Streams
Online streaming has become like TV for me. I’ll want some background noise with someone’s voice on it, so I’ll load up Twitch or Mixer and pull up a Hearthstone stream or something. While doing so, I usually have some music blasting and a couple conversations going on Discord. That’s a lot of noise and things to focus on all at once. What am I even doing to myself?
Solutions
My goal is gonna be to spend less time doing several things at once. Multitasking is great, but doing it all the time is unhealthy. This will mean turning off secondary monitors, spending more time outside of my room, and making better use of my Kindle.
I may as well find some places to walk to as well, as walking is a form of mindfulness and will help me re-center myself. It wouldn’t hurt for me to make my time at my computer be focused around productivity, too. Broadcasting my own art streams, writing, or gaming with friends would be a much better focus than idly wasting time, seeking out some kind of techno-high by being overstimulated to drown out how I feel.
Walking in the woods seems like a very therapeutic thing, too. I’ll have to find some places to go to spend time in nature and wind down.
What kind of things do you all find yourselves doing to fill your time?
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