NEW VIDEO: I Quit MMOs and THIS Happened
SlackRamen
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Posts posted by SlackRamen
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Day 6Quote I’m contemplating:“I always say that I’ll go first… That means if I’m checking out at the store, I’ll say hello first. If I’m coming across somebody and make eye contact, I’ll smile first. I wish people would experiment with that in their life a little bit: Be first, because - not all times, but most times - it comes in your favour. The response is pretty amazing…” - Gabby ReeceStatus check:I’m feeling really good. I’m a little tired, but happy about the small steps I’ve made today.Three things I’m grateful for:
- I’m grateful for my water bottle I’ve been taking around with me. I’m grateful that it keeps my hydrated and seems to make me snack less.
- I’m grateful for the chance to sleep in this morning. Not everybody gets to decide their body needs and deserves the extra rest.
- I’m grateful for the positive relationship I have with my sister, and the time I can spend with her now she’s on school holidays.
Three amazing things that happened today:- During my workout today I nailed 4 handstand pushups in a row. Yes, I’m as shocked and amazed as you.
- I went to the book store to see if they had two books that my girlfriend was after. They ended up being discounted, and I walked out with both. The anticipation of her excitement when she sees them is what makes this amazing.
- I finished listening to my audio book, which had some AMAZING stories. The feeling that rushed through my body while listening was an amazing feeling. For anybody interested in adventure/action sports and/or maximising human performance, read "The Rise of Superman” by Steven Kotler.
How I could have made today better:I don’t feel there was much in my control that I could’ve done to make it better. I didn’t get everything I wanted to done, but I got through a lot, and took care of myself in the process. Dinner was longer than expected, but that meant more family time, which wasn’t bad. All in all, a good day. Though I have to admit it didn’t feel like a 10/10. I can’t pinpoint any reason why.Thoughts:I was thinking about yesterday’s quote about how we suffer because we’re focused on ourselves. Where does this come into play in the Game Quitter forum? Perhaps the simple act of following other people’s journals and being in a conversation with them has a deeper impact on our wellbeing than we think. “Is the focus of my energy on myself, or on someone else?” Even when we’re posting our own topics and journal entries, it’s an interesting question to ask ourselves. In my case I always feel better for posting when the intention behind it is to help other people in some way. As a byproduct of writing a journal entry aimed at helping you or inspiring you, I effectively help myself.In other news, I’m trying to be a little more proactive, inspired by Gabby Reece’s quote. I was actually the first to say hello when purchasing the books today and it felt good. More to come on this in the coming days I hope. -
@Parkreiner - Japan was amazing! Better than anything I could have dreamed of. In my opinion the country side is the best bit, especially all the small mountain villages. Part of me wished I could've lived in one of those villages instead of the bustling Nagoya. Definitely go if you have the chance.
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@CG EYE I'm still doing a little more experimenting, but I feel comfortable that I'm on to something, I was planning on adding it to the template topic. Definitely try the 3 things you're grateful for and 3 amazing things that happened today. Even when I'm not in the mood to journal, those two seem to get me through it.
@imquitgaming Thanks! Feel free to use the entire format if you like. Otherwise, start out by adding one thing you like to yours for a few days and going from there.
As always, steal away. That's how we get more creative and innovative as a group.
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@vamosalaplaya you can work on the social thing as you feel comfortable. We're more than happy for you to pop in to share as often or as little as you need.
It's great to hear your progress on your job application. Finding a job can definitely feel frustrating (I'm in a similar situation myself), but it will pay off in the end. Especially those debts! Keep being inspired, keep it up!
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@Manun isn't it a great feeling to finally have access to all that energy again? It really takes stepping back from gaming to realise just how much energy and time was going into it. I'm sure your wife's appreciation of your recovery will only grow stronger over time. Prove her skepticism wrong!
P.S. 15 days! Onto the third week!
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@thehondasc00py I'll never admit it!Day 5Quote I’m contemplating:“The reason you’re suffering is you’re focused on yourself. People tell me ‘I’m not suffering that way. I’m worrying about my kids. My kids are not what they need to be.' No, the reason those people are upset is they feel they failed their kids. It’s still about them.” - Tony RobbinsStatus check:I’m feeling exhausted, and having my first real cravings since giving up gaming. I think they were there because of my exhaustion, so I lay down, letting my cravings be there. It wasn’t easy, but I realised what my body really wanted was rest. How did it suppose it would get that through gaming? In retrospect it seems ridiculous. I think I’ll sleep early tonight.Three things I’m grateful for:
- I’m grateful for my friend Jack, who I spent time with today.
- I’m grateful for this journalling practice and the chance it gives me to process what I’m feeling.
- I’m grateful for the bed I have to sleep in each night.
Three amazing things that happened today:- I went with my friend to the beach with the intention of joining in on an acroyoga meetup. I’m not entirely sure whether we were at the wrong beach or not, but we couldn’t find anybody doing anything yoga-like. Instead we talked and relaxed on the beach, which is honestly what I needed more. It was amazing to have that time to connect that we normally wouldn’t have.
- I completed the paperwork that I had been putting off for a few days. I could’ve put it off for a little longer, but I decided to push through discomfort and take action. It felt good.
- Something seemed to click today while meditating and I found the exercise just the slightest bit more comfortable. It’s still a little awkward and forced, but I’m trusting that it’s a normal part of the process.
How I could have made today better:I could have made today better by taking action in relation to what my body was telling me. In this case, by ceasing action and taking a nap. When arriving home from the beach I was exhausted and feeling cravings as a result. Instead of gaming, I snacked a little. Actually, probably more than a little. I hypothesise that a short nap and some water (I was most likely dehydrated from the sun) would have cured me of the need to game/snack, and I could’ve gone about getting things done more efficiently. I’ll try it out asap.Thoughts:I’m too tired to think. Though the quote from Tony Robbins had me thinking all day. Maybe that's part of the reason why practicing gratitude and meditating can so powerfully boost your mood. It's definitely related to that amazing feeling you get when you're out in nature and in total awe of the universe around you. The take-away? To remind myself to think about other people and what I can do to help them, if only a little more often. That doesn't mean to stop giving myself the same love and kindness I would to a friend, but to take a step back every now and then and shift the focus to the bigger picture. Naturally that's easier said than done. Me, me, me all the time feels like a default state... -
Thanks a lot @SlackRamen ! I strongly recommend you not to watch any videos related to gaming or read any articles that talk about video games (avoid triggers). It's very important, because if you do that, it's the same as torturing yourself. All it does it helps you to relapse. Also, a lot of people quit halfway through their detox because all of the sudden they think they can moderate gaming. That's a lie. The reason why they've decided to quit is because they can't moderate it. So forget about moderation
Fortunately I'm not planning on doing the 90 day detox, so there's no halfway for me. I've given thanks for what gaming has given me and I'm moving on. Hearing it from you strengthens that resolve against moderation. Eliminating triggers has really helped me breeze through the first few days. I'll follow your recommendation and stick with that. Thanks for your advice!
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@giblets killing it with the replies! Look at all those Australian flags. Aussie Aussie Aussie!
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Day 4Quote I’m pondering:“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.” - Lao TzuStatus check:I feel like I’ve just been hit head-on by a steamroller. WHACK. More below. At the same time, I’m relaxed and at peace. This morning was intense in every sense of the word, so I decided to be gentle to myself and celebrate getting through it. Currently feeling great.Three things I’m grateful for:
- I’m grateful for my experience in Japan, and everything that resulted because of it.
- I’m grateful for the chance to video call someone I love dearly as a friend, mentor and inspiration.
- I’m grateful for @thehondasc00py's song Jungle Tune as I listen to it on loop while writing this.
Three amazing things that happened today:- I lifted the lid off an emotionally loaded bottle that was long overdue for airing out. While the experience was anything but pleasant, the sensations from making it to the other side feel amazing.
- I tried out the Pomodoro technique as suggested by @Cam and my god it worked! I went in with the goal to take it at my own pace and just begin with a single Pomodoro. A short while later, I’m typing this as my 7th.
- I had the most relaxing bath while listening to an audio book. I deserved it, and it was amazing.
How I could have made today better:I could have made today better by being a little less scattered in the early morning. I was kind of jumping around the forums, but not giving it enough attention to write replies because I was distracted with writing a letter, while also reading an article and popping Facebook open a few times. That’s when I went digging up long lost treasure, fixing up my focus for the rest of the day, but leading to…Story time:I’m sure this is only just the beginning. What I was feeling today, the intensity of the emotion. I knew it was nowhere close to finished. I think my body was keeping the leak in check to keep me from overdosing on emotion and dying. At least it sure felt that way.It’s early in the morning and I’m writing this letter to my good friend, who I dated for a while long-distance before ending it on good terms. I say good terms, but probably broke her heart, and most certainly broke my own. Around that period I went into quite a deep depression, ended up putting university on hold, and tried to escape. I closed my Facebook account and practically became a hermit. I thought I managed to heal, but in retrospect I probably just spent that period of time building a bigger and stronger bottle to fit all that into as well.About a year prior I had just come back from my exchange year and felt out of touch with all my friends, who were gamers. Exchange had respawned me in a sense, and I wanted to go ahead game-free. The shock of adjusting to a life that was almost identical to the one I had left didn’t sit well with me. It felt like I grew more in those 11 months than I had in the 11 years prior, and the people around me acted as if I was only on vacation. As you can guess, I bottled all that up too and powered on, thinking I could do this by making new friends. That went well for a short while, but see above for evidence of me closing myself off from them as well.Anyway, getting back on track. I’m struggling to remember an event from exchange that I want to write about. Then an idea crosses my mind. I reach deep into the back of my closet and unearth my old box of exchange memories. For context, I hadn’t touched anything inside that box since coming back from exchange. It was a physical representation of everything I’ve bottled up inside. Hiding it away helped me escape. Well, that was until now.I open the box and start going through it trying to find one of my journals. That’s not what my body had in mind. Instead of getting in and out as fast as possible, it starts opening every letter, sifting through all the photos. While this is going on I’m just balling. This time though, I’m not trying to stop myself. I just keep going through it, and the tears keep coming. Over an hour passed, and I was exhausted and ready to call it a day.Feeling utmost appreciation for the impact my friend had made on my life, I send her a quick message of thanks. She happened to be online, and called me. I hadn’t properly talked to her about me disappearing, probably because I honestly still don’t think I forgive myself for it. We talked and reminisced about the good times. Laughing. Crying. It felt like something we should’ve done a long time ago. By the time we hung up, it was about 2pm. Physically I felt like I was a zombie, like I had just pulled an all-nighter. Mentally and emotionally I felt fresh and alive.I know I’m yet to truly accept the emotions around exchange and the love the resulted, but that’s okay. I also know I’ve made a big step today in the right direction. -
Thanks @Remigjus! Through redirecting my enthusiasm for gaming into my new mission, it's kind of turned into something bigger than expected. Organising lets me feel a bit more in control of the beast. 3 days down, feeling great.
@thehondasc00py - I'll preach it to the world brother!
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Other then that i could buy some food and make myself a nice meal, clean my flat and listen to some music. Let's see how it goes
I think it's great to see you looking after yourself @Bujo. Battling those cravings isn't easy. Onwards!
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@thehondasc00py I love the vibes your new piece bring! Exactly the type of music I love. Where have you been all my life when I've been searching for something this chill? I'm listening to it on repeat while replying to posts now.
Awesome. You've been to Asia too? Let me guess, you went to Indonesia. It's just a hop over the pond for you Aussies. I had am amazing time there, it's probably my favorite country.
Actually, I was in Japan for 11 months. For how close Indonesia is, I regret that I haven't been. It's definitely on my list of places to visit. You would recommend it?
Really nice art you bought though. I'm digging the asian theme (something I can hear in your music as well).
When you get that moment, where everything just falls away, all the bullshit, and there's nothing but pure energy of joy and expression and movement, I can't help but feel that this is what life is truly about. It's incredible. Has humanity forgotten?
I feel blessed every time I'm able to pass through such a state. You're so focused but aware, and everything you do seems to be the right thing, fitting into place. It's like temporarily moving through godmode. I'm on a bit of a mission to find ways of maximising my time spent in those moments. There's nothing like it.
You're on a roll man. Almost at 2 weeks!
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@zeke365 mate, I don't know what those shoes look like, but they sound bloody amazing. I need to get myself some air cooled neon cloud shoes.
Good to see you making progress on your project! I don't have the app so it won't let me read your blog, but I think it's great that you're writing regularly about something that inspires you.
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I know that I need to forgive and forget things, but I was doing homework and I got really mad at something I remembered from back in university.
Don't forget to forgive yourself occasionally for not being able to always forgive. It's not an easy thing to do. Really great that you're noticing when you need to calm down and acting on it. I hope progress is going well!
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Nice work getting this far @eshi2000! It's great to see the detox already having such a positive effect. Keep going!
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@Remigjus, I just stumbled upon your journal and I'm impressed on your achievement of reaching 365! It's really inspiring to read. Any tips for someone just starting out?
For your driving test as long as you focus on keeping calm and trust that you've done enough practice (assuming you have), you should breeze through it. Good luck!
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Hey @GeorgeA, you've made some really good progress, don't sell it short! Maybe your NoFap doesn't work out some days, but I'm confident focusing on replacing gaming with meaningful activities will help with that. You've already made it to day 17! That's 4 times as far as you noticed it was easy to stick with a decision. I think that's incredible! Imagine if you multiplied it by 4 again, then again! Keep it up!
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@Fern I totally understand how scary writing can be. Great job acknowledging the fear and pushing on regardless. And I'm happy to hear you went back to martial arts after taking a week off. It's so easy to let that one week slide into two, then three, but you didn't. Even if the session kicked your butt, I think you kicked ass for turning up!
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Great to have you here @Aeryes! Good work with your progress so far. Keep it up!
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Day 3
Quote I’m pondering:
“If you’re looking for a formula for greatness, the closest we’ll ever get, I think, is this: Consistency driven by a deep love of the work.” - Maria Popova
Status check:
I’m feeling really happy with myself. I took the day slow and worked through the rest of the videos. Part of me is a little disappointed in not getting much done. Another part of me feels that’s an unfair accusation. If I think about it, I’ve accomplished a lot. So what if I’m moving at a tortoise’s pace. Doesn’t he win in the end anyway?
Three things I’m grateful for:
- I’m grateful for the time to really evaluate where I’m at, and where I’m heading.
- I’m grateful for my laptop and the amazing possibilities it provides me with.
- I’m grateful for my relationship with my family and their support.
Three amazing things that happened today:
- I completed the Respawn video course, and spent time clarifying my thoughts while doing each of the activities.
- I made it through my workout despite putting it off, and a little doubting. Take that!
- I was listening to “The Rise of Superman: Decoding The Science of Ultimate Human Performance” on Audible and felt inspired. It brought back fond memories of my rock climbing days and made me feel kick-ass amazing.
How I could have made today better:
I could have made today better by linking my morning routine more smoothly to some focused work. I checked my emails, Facebook and browsed around the forums a little mindlessly after my meditation. I’m happy to be doing those things, but I would have felt better to fit a small amount of writing, or even reading in prior.
Thoughts:
I was thinking today of how obsessed I’m getting with this process. Realising how much I’ve been writing, making notes and commenting on other posts sparked this. After musing over it, I concluded it’s only natural. I used to be a hardcore strategy gamer. Researching, experimenting, evaluating and hypothesising are what my life revolved around. What I love is that I’m able to see the strengths I cultivated during my gaming years and not have to leave them behind. Now, life is my game, and greatness my aim. Who says I can't be a tactician in real-life?
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Ayyyy looking good there. You've set up the environment, you've got strategy, security, and also accountability (from your's truly). Crush it.
Thanks man! Let's do this!
AMAZING!!! Great job on all of this. There is a lot of gold in here, including wanting to be happy, and not just "not depressed", giving yourself permission to change your activities as you need to, and focusing on winning the day. Remember, there will be ups and downs, it's all part of the beautiful journey called life. Stay focused and use this as a grand experiment to learn more about yourself, your values, and the experience you want to have on this planet.
Thanks for the words of encouragement @Cam! I couldn't have found the gold without your guidance. A toast to the journey called life!
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This post is a record of the action I've taken while progressing through the Respawn Video Course. I figured it was better to jump straight in, so I'm yet to read the book or any of the other content on Game Quitters. I'm hoping is may be inspiring to others who haven't gone through with the activities to give them a chance. For those of you who have and can be bothered to read through, I'd love any feedback. @Cam I'm looking at you.Ultimately though, I typed this up almost as a farewell to the past me. I was who I was, and from here on out, I'm who I'm to be. Farewell good friend. Enjoy!Module 1Reasons I played video games:I played video games as a means of escaping from stress, and to find a strong sense of purpose and a clear challenge. Thinking of times when I played, it was normally when I had something stressful like an exam coming up that I didn’t want to face, or after something like an exam was over and I felt anxious about how I went or didn’t have any purpose now that it was over.Reasons I want to quit:When I’m gaming, I feel like I’m wasting my life away, losing friends and lacking meaning in my life. It feels like I’m taking the cowards way out, and it sucks. I see people around me accomplishing so much and want to follow in their footsteps. I want to spend my time helping people instead of hiding from them, and I want to feel less depressed and aimless.Emotions I’m feeling:I feel reminiscent of my year on exchange, ready to embrace change in my life. I feel really good that I’ve taken the first step to becoming a greater person. At the same time, I’m nervous at the thought of doing this. I’ve never posted much on social media, let alone in a forum. A small courage inside me tries to tell me it’s going to be alright, and that I can trust the community here. The rest of me seems to agree, and I feel content again. It almost feels like jumping off a cliff and trusting that this crazy Cam guy who told me to do it knows what he’s talking about. Luckily for me, that’s just the kind of faith exercise I love.Module 2Checklist:I uninstalled all remaining games. Great. This wasn’t too difficult for me as I was one of those gamers who jumped around, never satisfied with a single game. Also, having a Mac computer helps. All computer games and mobile games are gone. Check.Deleting accounts and characters was a little harder. For a few games and sites I had to search pretty hard for how I would actually go about deleting my account. It’s already emotional, and they don’t make it any easier. For extra measure, I deleted the accounts of all the games I could think of playing in the last 3-4 years. While progressing through the rest of the worksheets also deleted any accounts I had missed that came to mind. All accounts I can think of deleted. Check.Removing gaming consoles isn’t an issue for me. Being in a family who disliked gaming, I wasn’t allowed any. Getting rid of my laptop and phone aren’t options I’m ready to consider just yet. Skip.Unsubscribing from gaming YouTube channels seemed like a no-brainer at first. I could never be bothered subscribing to a channel. I would just search YouTube for videos of what I needed to know when I needed it. Then I came across the remarkable solution by @seriousjay, in his post here. My Youtube watch history and search history completely deleted now for good measure. Check.Blocking sites was the last step. I hesitated for a moment here, fearful of reliving high school where my access to every site I wanted to visit would be denied. Alas, I pushed through and downloaded K9. I added the games of the above deleted accounts to the block list. As I remember more things to block, I’ll add them from here out. Sites blocked. Check.Module 4There was a fear in me of committing ideas to paper and being locked in. I silenced it, reminding myself that I would begin by writing down 5 things for each activity. If I wanted to change them a few minutes or days or weeks later, I give myself permission.Mentally engaging activities:
- Gymnastic strength training
- Learning Spanish
- Starting a side business
- Programming
- Learning juggling tricks
Resting activities:- Reading
- Cooking
- Meditating with Headspace
- Movement to music - Less about dancing, more about feeling the music.
- Listening to podcasts
Social activities:- Latin dance classes - I couldn’t move my hips if my life depended on it. This needs to change.
- Yoga classes - Recently peaked my interest.
- Slacklining meetups - There’s one every Wednesday in Sydney.
- Rock climbing meetups - I climbed for a good number of years in high school, then stopped.
- Volunteering - I done volunteering twice before and loved it.
To be mentally engaged my go-to activity will be: gymnastic strength trainingWhen I’m tired my go-to activity will be: readingTo make more friends my go-to activity will be: yoga classesWhen I feel bored my go-to activity will be: learning juggling tricksWhen I’m feeling stressed my go-to activity will be: meditating with HeadspaceBackup activities:- Mentally engaging activity - learning Spanish
- Resting activity - cooking
- Social activity - slacklining meetups
Environments I have nearby:- My room
- Local park
- Backyard
- Study room
- Local library
Module 5Being recently unemployed and in some kind of void of nothingness right now, my typical weekday routine looks terribly depressing. Not having much to fill on my calendar made this step difficult and tempted me to skip it, but I’m pushing myself on. It’ll be good for me.New routines:- Every Wednesday I’ll leave the house at 3pm to go to the slacklining meetup. My intention is to find some people there to have dinner with, but the worst case scenario is that I have a great time and eat dinner at home.
- On Sundays I’ll aim to be out of the house at 10am to drop in on a beach yoga meetup I found. It’s a chilled out meetup where people do yoga and relax on the beach until dark.
- Every morning I will meditate for 10 minutes using Headspace. I’ve already done a few of these and really enjoy it, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.
- In November I’m looking forward to Permission To Think Freely, and meeting in person!
That really took a lot out of me, so I’ll start there. Over time I’ll add to my routine little by little.Module 6The tools here are ones that I want to be able to use regularly, so I’m adding them to my daily routine. I’m going to weave a status check into my journal along with things I’m grateful for. Meditation I’m going to be doing daily when I wake up.Triggers to be most aware of:- My girlfriend happens to love games, though she has a really healthy relationship with them. A potential trigger is that she is gaming while I’m around, or that she gets excited when a new release she has been waiting for is coming out. However, I’m very grateful she’s supportive of my decisions to give gaming up.
- Opening up the App Store on my phone is like navigating through a minefield. The worst part is the low barrier to entry.
- Anime and manga, as I have normally mixed them together with gaming, creating cravings whenever I don’t.
If triggered I’ll definitely refer to the cheatsheet. Thanks Cam.Module 7A way to track my days:I looked into a few options but none of them really clicked with me. I think I’ll keep it super simple and track it through my journalling. I love the idea of having a forum badge, but that appears to still be a work in progress. For now, I’ll track my days through including it in a daily journal entry.A morning habit to focus on:I had to hold myself back from wanting to do them all. My first habit of choice will be meditation. If I manage to meditate for 10 minutes, I’ll consider my morning won.Three characteristics/behaviours I want to change about myself:- I want to be less depressed. In fact, I want to be happier. I don’t want to just be not-unhappy. I want to be delightfully happy, so much so that people take one look and wonder what mischief I’ve been up to.
- I want to be consistent. I have made a habit of quitting and jumping between things when I see fit. I want to be able to stick to something that I set out to do, and by winning each day, I can do just that.
- I want more friends. I’ve pushed a lot of people away over the years. I don’t regret it, but I’m ready for the next step in my life.
Module 8Skills I want to learn and improve:- Juggling
- Socialising
- Spanish
- Programming
- Latin dancing
- Slacklining
My goals:- Meditate for 1000 total minutes by the 1st of January 2018. This is 10 minutes a day for the next 100 days.
- Successfully win every day for the next 100 days. I win the day if I make it to the next morning without gaming.
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@Andre2807 How awesome that you found some more people to learn from! Your confession turned into something great! Onwards!
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@imquitgaming It's not an easy journey, I applaud you for getting back up and pushing on. You don't mess around.
I'm with Fern and Simon, your song is beautiful. Really relatable and feel good. I don't know how it would sound with the melody, but I'm imaging it sounding great while reading it.
What a perfect way to end the week with a visit to see your girlfriend.
Keep creating! Keep it up!
Introducing myself
in Start Here & Introduction
Posted
It's great to have you join us @due88! Make sure you leverage your powerful motivation for wanting to do this. In the years to come your wife and child will appreciate the work you're putting in for them now. How exciting!