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And thank you for sharing this with us! One more quote: "I'm not telling you its going to be easy - I'm telling you its going to be worth it." Remind me please what's your "clean day count?"

"Stand guard at the door of your mind" - often attributed to motivational speaker Jim Rohn. When you try to think how you don't want to play games, you eventually end up wanting to play them more. Instead reinforce the vision every day of what you want to achieve instead. In the beginning its going to be harder but it will become second nature more and more as you go. But again note that this gaming urge is something that builds up overtime. You keep thinking how you actually want it and that everything else is not real because you're deceiving yourself. Instead you've got to set real goals to help you stay on the right track towards better self-fulfillment. Remember - all you're doing with games is avoiding reality...

Entry 05.05 (Written on 06.05) Day 584: No Useless Videos Day 581: Sticking to Food schedule Day 185: Eating Only between 06:30 and 19:00 (Last bite before 19:00) Day 176: Being in bed before 23:15 3 Things I did well no matter how small -8 pomodoros -Filled out a few lead forms regarding getting job interview consultation -Attending another job interview 1 Thing I could do better -When I found out the delivery app stopped working, instead of just wondering on the bike for 3 hours could have gone home, and done some job searching

Found it today; it reads like inner dialogue, and while I do some of that alone (a recent post in my journal), it has already seemed to confirm the 'pay attention/take responsibility' for your world bit. That's good, but I've right away thought of the other day I tried to calmly direct a bicycle-rider's attention to traffic as he crossed the road with my hands and eye contact, instead of yelling, "Hey, cyclist! Watch your right side!" He noticed, but almost too late. (Side note, I walked too brazenly in the rain last week and was surprised how quickly my pedestrian lights turned red while crossing, and earned a bike/car horn - nobody proceeded until I'd crossed though. :X) When it's a seemingly small matter, people (even me) don't always appreciate those louder calls. But small things do matter in happiness. I remember when competitive gaming that every interaction was very important to me, and conversations I had kept me up for about an hour every night. It's hard to maintain that offline, when the default instinct for many (like me, again) is to relax. But ideally, I would also respond well again to demands that I focus, throughout the day. If that road traffic situation had ended up going very badly, would the cyclist have died happy? - You know, because he was possibly feeling confident enough to take the odd risk. I mean, dang. lol Godspeed Po 🙂

Day 7. urges present, but i persist b/c i remember who i want to be. i want the world to be free, and i will not ever achieve that vision w/out liberating myself. so, no relapsing today, and tomorrow me will return to this commitment.

I'm up to around day 26 now as well. Being sick with a cold for almost half of the time kept me in bed reading, not wanting to sit up at the PC desk, but now I'm there just out of habit. I used to prepare pizzas for work, and so receiving an order made me try to think of all the ways to complete it and arrange the toppings, and quickly at that. Gaming also added to the 'need' to respond to everything. Now when I plan to study something, - taking notes and arranging information - I feel the same immense pressure to get everything out fast, which kind of overwhelms the initial curiosity that made me want to open the books in the first place. Time should help - maybe if you have a large living space, you could clean something every 30 minutes to an hour. That's what my dad told me to do. lol

I don't think it's too much food for thought, but when someone is said to be the 'rock' in a relationship, I basically understand it to mean independence (though with the realisation they are better off in a relationship). I'm now talking out of my buttocks, but - the 'rock' might be relied upon to just exist - mostly for the other person, I guess, remembering important things about the relationship (or themselves!) and bringing them up when necessary. Concerning the idea of two 'rocks', that's just been my preference; it seems to be what my parents were like, and it can kind of feed into a 'you and me against the world' idea (and the 'illogical chaos' in it, for example). I'm trying to be more realistic though. - It's interesting because to be someone with a lot of good ideas in a relationship could be rock-like, but to remind the other that a lot of those ideas remain talk and not action is too. Me, I like to think I can notice patterns (e.g. of behaviour), but I'm reluctant to finally label a lot of them because it means I'll have to then work with those beliefs. Haha. I keep remembering and forgetting that English isn't your only language. It's probably good because of translation in one's head versus only thinking how readers would receive some ideas, which is what would make me hesitate. The GQ forums are different because giving up gaming is probably usually an emotional affair, so I've typed plenty. I liked reading your blog, and the next time I think about the topics on it whilst out walking, I'll likely answer myself with something like what I read there. Individual brains are funny.

DAY 26 my productivity hasn't quite increased. i'm still behind screens, especially nowadays for personal reasons. i hate it. studied for just about 2 hours today

I would cut the games temporarily and quit altogether and try other hobbies. There are many other hobbies to try from gardening to Dungeons and Dragons to reading. I myself am a spiritual seeker but also play DnD. I am only on Day 2 of my detox and play far more than you with limited time so I am giving up games at the moment until I clarify what I need to do long term for a more fulfilling life while still meeting human needs for recreation and connection that I got through gaming. Perhaps building imaginative worlds through writing and reading.

It's really the same for me. I find organizing such trips stressful and mostly not worth the effort to even write others about it. I can do "my things" anywhere too, so I don't need to leave either. I found out that "taking a break" to change my perspective on some long-term projects doesn't really work. My girlfriend rightly called me out on the fact that I talk about some things more than I actually do them. I'm more acutely aware of such unfinished business when I am on a "true" holiday than when I'm in my normal workweek. What do you mean by the whole "rocks" thing? I tried to get it through my head, but I'm still missing the point 😄 Travel recommendations are tough and I'd say pointless, unless you know what type of places you want to visit. My girlfriend loves active holidays with lots of hiking, nice nature, viewpoints and not many people. I don't think it's my passion as much as its hers, but I know that light/medium exercise (which hiking is) is good for me and I need to do it as much as possible. The above means we need to look for nice places that are not a) overcrowded and overpriced tourist traps and b) too much for me to hike. Other people prefer to just walk from the hotel to the sea for two weeks straight. It really depends on your taste. Really? Thank you! 😄 I started writing about personal finance in Czech (my native language) two-three years ago, kept the concepts, and officially launched the website in August last year or so. It's something I can combine with some philosophy, it's practical and I can share it with my friends directly, FB or even LI. Writing essays on philosophy/psychology in English is generally less relatable and I haven't had the taste to write something like that in a long time.

I can only speak for myself: - I gave away all my valuable in-game stuff - I deleted all of my gaming accounts I had relapsed once before doing the above, and the thought of having to start from scratch helps to cope with urges to play. I just cannot be bothered, and most of all: after the relapse I realised that I cannot game moderately. I journaled here online, daily for the first few weeks after quitting. It was helpful to get my thoughts out somewhere. In progress! 😅 Quitting gaming opens up a lot of free time. I'm still struggling with internet addiction but overall I am a healthier person with more hobbies: running, lifting, gardening, reading ... You get all these opportunities to re-discover your interests and re-shape yourself. The first period definitely sucks though. So much boredom! Good luck.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your journey towards no more doom scrolling and more productivity!

First of all, I'm not a mental health expert at all (I work in tech - software). So, this is just my opinion based on personal experience and thought. Addiction isn't just a feeling, though it certainly has to do with such. Addiction is when the behavior (given circumstances) causes irrational harm and one still engages in it over and over again. Are you neglecting responsibilities you would otherwise address? If you confidently and reasonably answer "no" then chances are, in my unqualified opinion, that you are not addicted to gaming. That your current approach to gaming is probably moderate/reasonable. Perhaps you are feeling like your current approach as "addictive" (i.e., at risk.of developing into an addiction). That would be a pretty wise observation. A lot of times we only question our desires and behaviors after we have personnally suffered consequences. If you set yourself boundaries now, and hold yourself accountable (rather then finding excuses) when you break them, well... I think your on a good path. I say "good path" because there is no universal "right path". Not all gamers become addicted. Regarding your last sentence... would you say that boredom/dissatisfaction extends overall of sorts? Like do you feel "chronically bored" per se? In that case you probably should talk to a therapist. It's possible that you suffer from mild or moderate depression, in which case yeah, you would be more vulnerable to develop an addiction. Everyone feels bored or disatisfied at times. The sentient experience... it's like we're always jumping from one sense of satisfaction, get acclimated, and jump to another. However, it would be worrying if you didn't have the will to make the more effective jumps, for whatever reason. Anyways, maybe you should speak to a psychotherapist. You'll almost surely get more accurate answers for yourself there, though it can be too expensive or unnaccessible in your area. It's like... don't wait for that lump or bump to grow and cause more pain before having it checked, so to speak. Good luck and take care.

Hello Game Quitters!! I'm a recovering social media addict One thing I keep hearing from recovering gaming addicts, is that they replaced gaming with another hobby Since doomscrolling took so much of my time, I made a list with different types of activities (social, resting, mental challenge and explore) to satisfy my boredom. What I want to achieve with getting rid of my addiction, is to focus on academics. However, I quit 25 days ago and my productivity (studying) hasn't really increased.. Should I work on replacing Scrolling with Studying? How can I do that? I already try to "gamify" studying but I'm so distracted by cravings and irritability... Thank you all for being here, on this forum :)

Entry 04.05 (Written on 05.05) Day 583: No Useless Videos Day 580: Sticking to Food schedule Day 184: Eating Only between 06:30 and 19:00 (Last bite before 19:00) Day 175: Being in bed before 23:15 3 Things I did well no matter how small -8 pomodoros -Wash room floor -Made a custom weekly schedule including food schedule. planning everything with deliveries instead of gym + making enough place for job search and at least 8 blog pomodoros and workout and deliveries and brother's bday. Even though it took me an extra 1hr 45min I believe it will save some headache in the long run 🙂 1 Thing I could do better -Still try to stick to timeframe even though the changes are large, because this delay caused me to do 3 hours less of deliveries, and eat in very small spaces, which made my digestive juices rise when I rode. (Note: this might also be because the lentils and quinoa have been cooked with relatively little water)

May 5 Yeah, I'm back on in the morning here, but I had a badly-ended-feeling dream and became convinced of its meaning. It probably also had something to do with leaving a window open all night, I say. As a disclaimer, I'm not sure why this should be on the GQ forums, but it appears that I also had to dream about a relapse. Last Sunday (it feels ages ago because of my mood), a new gym friend and I were kind of approached by a 50 year old lady whilst sitting on the edge of a coffee shop entrance. She wanted to find this theatre, so to make a kind of group mission about it, I suggested we walk her there - this happened to end with two sets of free tickets to the first show (a drama) then a slightly smaller comedy show. All went quite well, until the next day when my friend told me to go 'ghost' on the lady after we did contact details. From years of internet use, I thought I detected a problem (between them?), but technically, it could also have been nothing. There were a couple of 'red flags', but also some white ones (surrender, perhaps to 'good', lol) from her on Sunday. Either way, I've felt bad about it for not seeking her side of any story. My overriding loyalty (or attraction) was with my gym friend, but to my guilt, this lady seemed to possess more my 'kind' of humanity. My dream finished with two people from school (who I don't think I'm on bad terms with), and a lady of the same physical build as last Sunday, in a car, while one schoolmate went to buy gas/food. All I remember was my kind of monologue-y apologies for missing a date and trying to rebuild ties with the other school-chum by starting a game of cards. Reception was not great. ____________________ My mom is visiting at the end of week, most likely around the day that I'll not 'have' to keep registering votes for my ex-game (in order to obtain a 'cloak' item). It's funny; there is pretty much nothing that I want to actually play the game for. The main attraction ended up being random conversations with people online, and I also find those conversations and better here - just a little slower. 😛 ____________________ Gratitude: ~ successfully arriving early at the men's group viewing of Star Wars ~ not 'losing it' on the truly-crowded public transport ~ the relatability I felt to others most of last night ~ oatmeal Catch you later + peace, ~ Matt

Starting university, I decided to trully focus on my academics. After experiencing the worst year of my life, I decided to quit doom scrolling. Didn't think of myself as an "addict", scrolling mindlessly on social media is such a normalized activity.. how could it be an addiction? I would see youtubers quitting doomscrolling and on day 1, their productivity would increase. They would study, go out more.. For me, that was NOT the case... In every attempt I made in quitting, I was irritable, experienced anhedonia and anger, as well as boredom. My relapses, also, were a bit.. intense. I would stay in the same position, for 6-8 hours, scrolling. Without eating or drinking water. On April 10th 2024, I decided to finally quit doomscrolling. I almost had a few slipbacks.. but I am managing. In the meantime, I'm focusing more on my schoolwork, and I've completed an online course! Made a list of hobbies/activities to keep myself occupied. It's not easy, but I know there is hope. My goal is to devote myself in my passion for engineering and enjoy the journey of becoming a knowledgeable and skillful engineer!

Entry 03.05 (Written on 04.05) Day 582: No Useless Videos Day 579: Sticking to Food schedule Day 183: Eating Only between 06:30 and 19:00 (Last bite before 19:00) Day 174: Being in bed before 23:15 3 Things I did well no matter how small -8 pomodoros -order from grocery store very quickly -7.5 hrs deliveries 1 Thing I could do better -I believe I'll increase my consumption of some of the nuts I bought and compensate for the difference with my regular "Osher ad" stre visit which is planned in about a week. They also have nuts at fine prices. Food Schedule update(Starting 07.05 'till 21.05 not including the 21)- I'll start with the ingredients I have 'till the next osherad purchase. Then purchase all the things that are lacking, again, may always go for less but never more) 1 day after 4 hour ride + Workout of about 1 hr (If not completed these requirements - revert to old schedule) 1. Added 20 g Tahini 2. Added 35g almonds 3. Added 30g peas 4. Added 20g olive oil 5. Omitted chickpeas for now For Saturday-Sunday (In case I go over 7 hours) 1. Brazil 15g instead of 4-9 2. Tahini 70g instead of 50 3. Walnuts - None 4. Olive oil 100ml instead of 30ml 5. Green peas 200g instead of 100g 6. Coconut oil - 100ml 7. Two-Three carrots remain the same as usual on saturday 8. Peanut butter - None 9. Almonds remain 50g 50g separated into two meals In case under 7 hours the same as today (2-3 carrots. orange+apple+cabbage, 60g peanut butter, 45x2 walnuts, 55x2 almonds) Don't know If I can handle it, but I can always go for less... Upd 04.05 7:13 AM - I may still change this food schedule 'till I start with it (For now it seems I'll go with it even in case I do just 3 hours of deliveries and 1 hr workout. So that I stay with a calorie surplus)

Happy Star Wars day! May the 4th be with you. The men's group I'm in is doing a viewing of the first Star Wars movie. It's in the evening and far away, and I don't know if I can face that feeling on my own as I do. I'll ask if anyone's departing from the same location as me, but still. I picked up the last essentials from the grocer's. Fully stocked, I am. Grateful, I shall be. 😛 I've also been watching a social issue YouTube video. *sigh* I like the hosts and they aren't particularly addictive. I now feel more curious on the topic, but also sadder for it. To be honest, it was the least of all the evils recommended to me on the home page. I was bored, and so far the second book this time borrowed from my nan is a little less humane reading. I've felt like the last few days were actually avoidance of gaming rather than replacing them. However, I'm still pretty sure that I'd have to force fun situations while gaming, and like my ex said, it would be unlikely to improve the world as we or I know it. That's all. Gratitude: ~ the grocery store restocked their fabulous-of-late oranges ~ the energy to happily wear my weights vest and walk without music ~ a weird but positive dream where my mom trained with me at a gym ~ surviving some heavy rain whilst out walking last night Enjoy the start of the weekend; I'll possibly update later ~ Matt

hey! imo, that's you simply being hard on yourself. people who appear at 100% simply don't criticize themselves. that's literally all it takes. it doesn't mean they're doing any better performance-wise. but they definitely appear although they are. i've been in that 10-20% the whole evening today. it has sucked. but as soon as i wrote the statement above, i felt ignited to do the right thing again. have you read 'courage to be disliked'? may be of help to you ❤️

Imo, that is the myth of meritocracy, and quite plainly so. yes, we exist within the same temporality, but our privileges and abilities and experiences create differences that at times may be impassable. such a statement ignores disability, race, gender, and many other identity-based systems of separation and oppression. yes, a lot of things are technically possible for you . but that does not necessarily mean you actually can do those things. we all need to look to our strengths, and continuously work towards personal and collective liberation, cuz that's the only way towards actually becoming more 'all the same'. ❤️

I spent awhile to find an in to reply to - only that the idea of traveling for me now is mostly about its importance to who I'd be with. There's never a shortage of things at home that I forget to think about and then take pleasure in seeing properly. It's because a) Major insight has come slowly these days and, b) I can do trips 'within' anywhere; why leave? Then there might be the whole 'rock' in the relationship deal, like the patterns of grounded-ness as opposed to who's an expert on what. I would honestly prefer to be one of two rocks, but hey. I'm curious about Europe, but I'd probably just as soon as meet someone from there online, talk at length with them and then take a bunch of recommendations and not end up searching it curiously on my own. I just re-read your blog by the way; whenyoupostmoar? 😅

29 April - 3 May: The first day was the toughest, as we spent several hours in the car and I had a headache the next one from the experience. The trips have been nice otherwise, mostly the ones where we go to the nature. Some of the places are really beautiful. Though I am getting a hunch that the whole traveling thing isn't my cup of tea, or definitely not something I'd do every day off. Maybe once or twice a year. But being a self-employed teacher means that I'd just never take a holiday just to spend it at home, in my usual setting. It's a tough thing to truly prioritize and to start with personal/business projects/ideas that are always put off for "later", because I just never find the time.

All, Here is the second part of my post. My last post was just a few minutes ago. I played Dungeons and Dragons for the past 15 years. It is a game I don't think I am addicted to. It is a table top game that I used to play with a friend in person but he moved away so now I can only find people online to play with as I don't have many other friends locally. Question is what do you think of other forms of entertainment like Dungeons and Dragons? Are they also harmful or good? Is playing either in person or online harmful? How do I know whether I should avoid a hobby or entertainment? I am so confused even if I should give up gaming. Thank-you so much for your time and help.

All, I have gotten back into gaming a few years ago after a break of a couple of decades. It is a long story but I had gift points that could only be redeemed for prizes so I got my first game system with the points and started gaming again. I did take the quiz but have a couple of other questions. I will ask the second question in another topic as I think people usually address topics better with separate posts. 1) What is the feeling of addiction? I do feel I want to play a lot but I don't know if that is from addiction or just wanting to play a fun game? I am not sure if I should stop or if games are just a fun thing to do. Though to be honest with you I have a weird combination of wanting to play and also boredom with the selection of games that causes me to search for better games