NEW VIDEO: I Quit MMOs and THIS Happened
goodvibes
-
Posts
335 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by goodvibes
-
-
@Perfect Tommy Congratulations on your decision to quit video games I believe it will help you achieve everything that you desire and is certainly an investment worth protecting and nurturing! We here also strive for a better life everyday - there is a lot more to be done than to sit in an old game room perspiring a cold sweat :)
For your reference to help along the way here is ..
A welcoming statement
First move the consoles & games out of sight so it stays out of mind ..
This includes uninstalling them from the computer & devices! ..
Once it is done you can move on from there & a lot easier I might add.
Getting rid of the games for good enabled me to finish the detox strong, consider that.
After that you need to teach yourself how else to spend that free time!
Make sure you are eating healthy, getting daily exercise, & proper sleep ..
NUTRITION - big minefield of controversy I personally am behind a plant-based diet ..
This upcoming documentary backed by Producers Arnold Schwarzenegger & Jackie Chan ..
Check it out ✌️ I won't respond in forum to this topic but you are welcome to message me ..
Find some hobbies to replace the time gained ..
https://gamequitters.com/hobby-tool/
Start some kind of journal with pen & paper, online here, or both! ..
https://forum.gamequitters.com/index.php?/topic/3160-guidelines-templates
https://forum.gamequitters.com/index.php?/forum/11-daily-journals/
Cross-examine other areas in your life you find consuming your time ..
Excessive consumption is what leads to the time crippling addictions ..
Replace such excessive consumerism by using your free time to create.
Our one life, the time that we have is meant for so much more than feeding addictions.
Thank you for your interest to quit video games ..
Perhaps such bold action will inspire others to great deeds as well ?
Welcome to the forums!!
Neil, Ex-Gamer Addict, Gamequitters Member
My Profile, Direct Message Me, Discord Support Chat,
My Journal, My Introduction -
Cool cool.
-
Yikes! idk man sounds like enema cleanse territory followed with probiotics I have never dealt with any of it best of luck.
-
I used to have acid reflux bad. What is the serious stomach condition?
-
23 hours ago, Vera said:
thanks to the programmer who created Redshift, it's absolutely beautiful.
and thank you for mentioning this. I currently have been using xflux to automatically reduce blue light once the sun has set yet having just found Redshift in the Arch repos I am interested to try it out! So many ways to maximize productivity with FOSS on Linux. My top 3 productivity programs right now is i3-gaps window manager, Calcurse CLI organizer, and Ranger the CLI file manager! CLI apps are really great overall from trimming down time loading the programs to doing faster work of things with a keyboard rather than a mouse. Vim is also really noteworthy for how often I use it to quickly edit configuration files without waiting on a GUI program to load.
-
12 hours ago, BooksandTrees said:
a list of needs I crave to satisfy in order to be happy in life
Nice list, a fantastic list of goals, keep it growing! Go easy on yourself at the same time - we are all worthy to have happiness in our lives before fulfilling wants & needs even. This stood out to me because the self-esteem workbook I have been using by Glenn Schiraldi hammers down on keeping core worth separate from external events/performance, things that can fall out of our control. Doing so will help keep us off of emotional roller coasters while helping us learn to be happy and content at our resilient, unchanging core self. Having the goals listed in front of you is still absolute gold we can keep reading them and use in daily affirmations / meditations! Thanks for sharing Matt, we sure are accomplishing a lot without playing those darned games!
-
1
-
-
That fearless sparrow that keeps on calling his people is used to me, we whistle back and forth at each other as I run up and down my road.
-
Happy Independence Day!
Neil
-
2
-
-
@Alex Nevins welcome aboard you are certainly in the right place, taking the time you would otherwise spend sedated on video games will build you up & get you far!
For your reference to help along the way here is ..
A welcoming statement
First move the consoles & games out of sight so it stays out of mind ..
This includes uninstalling them from the computer & devices! ..
Once it is done you can move on from there & a lot easier I might add.
Getting rid of the games for good enabled me to finish the detox strong, consider that.
After that you need to teach yourself how else to spend that free time!
Make sure you are eating healthy, getting daily exercise, & proper sleep ..
NUTRITION - big minefield of controversy I personally am behind a plant-based diet ..
This upcoming documentary backed by Producers Arnold Schwarzenegger & Jackie Chan ..
Check it out ✌️ I won't respond in forum to this topic but you are welcome to message me ..
Find some hobbies to replace the time gained ..
https://gamequitters.com/hobby-tool/
Start some kind of journal with pen & paper, online here, or both! ..
https://forum.gamequitters.com/index.php?/topic/3160-guidelines-templates
https://forum.gamequitters.com/index.php?/forum/11-daily-journals/
Cross-examine other areas in your life you find consuming your time ..
Excessive consumption is what leads to the time crippling addictions ..
Replace such excessive consumerism by using your free time to create.
Our one life, the time that we have is meant for so much more than feeding addictions.
Thank you for your interest to quit video games ..
Perhaps such bold action will inspire others to great deeds as well =)
Welcome to the forums!!
Neil, Ex-Gamer Addict, Gamequitters Member
My Profile, Direct Message Me, Discord Support Chat,
My Journal, My Introduction -
Congratulations on your decision @Redmark that is really awesome the guys have put together a Respawn workbook I will definitely be investing in it myself even though I have completed the detox it is always great to see reminders like that around the house - follow the program well I have no doubt it to be worth the cost!!
Now for your reference to help along the way here is ..
A welcoming statement
First move the consoles & games out of sight so it stays out of mind ..
This includes uninstalling them from the computer & devices! ..
Once it is done you can move on from there & a lot easier I might add.
Getting rid of the games for good enabled me to finish the detox strong, consider that.
After that you need to teach yourself how else to spend that free time!
Make sure you are eating healthy, getting daily exercise, & proper sleep ..
NUTRITION - big minefield of controversy I personally am behind a plant-based diet ..
This upcoming documentary backed by Producers Arnold Schwarzenegger & Jackie Chan ..
Check it out ✌️ I won't respond in forum to this topic but you are welcome to message me ..
Find some hobbies to replace the time gained ..
https://gamequitters.com/hobby-tool/
Start some kind of journal with pen & paper, online here, or both! ..
https://forum.gamequitters.com/index.php?/topic/3160-guidelines-templates
https://forum.gamequitters.com/index.php?/forum/11-daily-journals/
Cross-examine other areas in your life you find consuming your time ..
Excessive consumption is what leads to the time crippling addictions ..
Replace such excessive consumerism by using your free time to create.
Our one life, the time that we have is meant for so much more than feeding addictions.
Thank you for your interest to quit video games ..
Perhaps such bold action will inspire others to great deeds as well =)
Welcome to the forums!!
Neil, Ex-Gamer Addict, Gamequitters Member
My Profile, Direct Message Me, Discord Support Chat,
My Journal, My Introduction-
1
-
-
You can use a spreadsheet to track your days of sobriety automatically, file type is not accepted here but contact if you are interested mine is made with FOSS spreadsheet program Libreoffice. Alternatively you can search the web for a countup timer like this here. @Jordan2020 @TwoSidedLife I am unsure if possible to embed a one of those here but may be possible.
Neil
-
1
-
-
@Ikar Yep martyr being the keyword from my childhood of family dysfunctional values that I brought into the workplace. A really fine supervisor will see things like this happening and bring it to a stop before chaos ensues. As you said, nobody wins.
-
1
-
-
Relates. At this one job people used to go out of their way to find me, try to dump more work on me for whatever reasons. Like this wasn't even an office setting they would have to drive far out of their way to find me and do this. The biggest reason I allowed it as I recall was how much social anxiety would daze me every time I set foot into our break/office building. So many people it would just assault me every time I had to go there. So yeah I would actually look for more work before returning to the office and people would look to give me extra. While it could be seen as a benefit this was not giving me a chance to find healing with my social anxiety and at worse I was not teaching myself to create healthy boundaries.
Not to suggest that you do not already but give it some thought - ask yourself if you are drawing & maintaining healthy boundaries with your colleagues. Having any little more peace of mind is definitely worth thinking about.
-
1
-
-
True that. After I had deleted my Steam account I started growing my hair out where I had usually kept it buzzed short. My hair has grown longer than I have ever had to manage it and it is amazing, glad I did. Groomed well all the time.
-
I personally really began to thrive on a 100% plant-based diet however that was also the first time in my life I really started to focus on nutrition. I think as long as you try to eat healthy along with exercise / sleep / hydration it will do you a good service.
Neil
-
Daily exercise, proper sleep, nutrition, and hydration. Doing all of these things have turned my anxiety and depression upside down while doing just one is like spitting into the wind, give it your best! @Sarma
-
Very much like flax seed though to benefit from flax many sources I have found say to grind it up. Flax still absorbs a lot of water so I would not use it as a dry ingredient. In vegan recipes using ground flax seed and water it is commonly referred to as a "flax egg"
-
On 6/11/2019 at 1:31 AM, fawn_xoxo said:
Day 193.
It's weird how my mind is stuck in certain thinking patterns, and I suffer from it. With the help of those around me, I've come to the realization that isolation because of games has left me socially scarred, full of anxieties and self doubt. Talking over my issues in detail, using their clean mind and not my overwhelmed one, I arrived to the conclusion that I can not change any of that if I don't put in work. And for the most part I've neglected doing that, I just wished the pain away. What pain? It comes from the wrong image of myself, which bashes me at every turn ever since I touched games again. There is a lot of paranoia in my thoughts, worst case scenarios that not only include myself but also other people, my love ones or just friends, online or not. And there's this ever awake voice in my head that judges everything I do, looking at me through a lens unrealistic and blurry. I'll explain soon.
I have so far managed to figure out my mental problems have the following cores: One is the judge voice, the other is the voice of paranoia.
The judge voice is ever present to comment on the things I do, saying that I should do things differently and that I am problematic, an addict, a loser, a person unworthy of love or good things in general, incapable in many fields.. you get it. This voice exists in most people's heads, I know, and doubts about my worth aren't uncommon when it comes to other aspects of life but this voice of mine is never more vocal than when it has to do with something that relates to gaming. How does it express itself? It talks to me, putting enormous expectations on me, sometimes standards that come from my imagination of that perfect would be like, even if I've never heard anyone do it. An example? If I stay up late gaming on a weekend, I'm still going to wake up at my usual time the next day because of my inner clock. Of course, normal people can just go back to sleep after seeing they don't have to be up yet, right? Well, not if there's a part of you that says how you messed up and can't even sleep the right way cause you're already up after four hours. That's what then puts me in a state of deep stress and also anger towards myself. Can you sleep if you feel that way? Of course not. And yet another person, even if they regret that decision cause, say, it wasn't the weekend, would just move on, sleep more or not sleep more but they'd just move with the flow, something so far made impossible for me because of that inner critic. Are you feeling bored with this task at work and get an urge to leave it for a while to play a game or two? The inner critic will then make a big deal out of it. Not if it was a tv show episode though or a YouTube video. The intense judgment targets primarily events that are tied, ironically or reasonably, to the reason behind my past self destructive behavior. My conclusion is I scared and scarred myself during those times.
I have not been able to do anything about the inner critic , I've let those words get to me without evaluating their accuracy and truth, which leads me to becoming very overwhelmed with negative emotions and leads to more shame and guilt regarding any choice that isn't anti-gaming.
Are you still reading? You're in for a ride. xD
The voice of paranoia acts similarly but also differently to that of the inner judge. Instead of saying bad things about me, it takes any situation that I'm not 100% certain about, fears and phobias of mine, and suggests to me of a "likely" outcome. That outcome is usually the worst case scenario. Now, again, I've had those paranoid ideas in my life from time to time without gaming being part of it, when in an uncertain situation, but nothing as exaggerated and triggering as this when it's gaming related. Those worst case scenarios could be really upsetting things in situations with online friends (such as them hating me, manipulating me, being fake to me etc), really upsetting things about my identity (I'm only here for the attention, I'm doomed to an addict's life, I'm immoral, It's my fault people if people treat me certain ways) and the list goes on.
So why not just walk away from it all? Well, because I realized these problematic voices that I have given so much time and space to in my mind aren't actually here only for gaming moments. Although I have made steps in expanding my social life, there were moments during which I experienced severe anxiety and panic over doom scenarios of multiple kinds, while being in company of people. I was able to hold it together, it helped that on all accounts I was in groups where I could just stay silent if I wanted to. But the point is, the false beliefs I have allowed to become established in my mind for a lot of years don't only make my life difficult in game but also in the real world. And I understand now that avoidance does relieve, but I would be no more whole without working on my inner voices telling the freaking truth.
It's not easy at all. What do I have to do? I have to do work. I have to take time out of my schedule every day to use the Socratic method on the anti-affirmations that so naturally come to me. Why is that so hard? Well firstly because I don't like admitting these things do happen in my mind in the first place. Writing about them makes them actually real. That's why I've been avoiding it. But that's also the reason why it works. No matter how ugly a thing you've been calling yourself all day, how you've tried to forget about it, ignore it or tell yourself you know it's not real, you have to write it down this time and find out, after deep thought that renders you as certain as your mental capacity allows, what merit those words really have or whether they're bull. After that, you're confident about the truth. You might still feel bad even though you know they're false, but that's time to move on to another activity and stop the attention to that train of thought since you know it's not the truth. You shouldn't judge yourself for still not feeling perfectly fine, at that moment, either. It's a process that needs time when you do it, and also needs repetition to replace falsehoods with truths until you no longer give them any attention when they pop up. And because they're not an instant fix, I haven't done almost any of this. But today onwards, as I continue gaming (only when my work and duties are finished) and getting triggered, I will do the work.
Again, don't try this alone. It's just that I personally don't see another way to fix those stress attacks and beliefs. I have to replace them with healthier behaviors and realistic beliefs and I won't do that if I keep the box in the basement.
Of course I have fun playing games again, and that's nice. The inner critic though says that the truth is I'm only keeping games in my life because I want a fix and can't walk away from them. But is that true? I do feel the things I've described in previous posts, those tendencies to have more even though I already have a good thing/experience. I do feel urges to leave my work and come back later to it so that I can play a bit. But food has been in that slot of escapism too, and chatting with people, and series and YouTube. I never felt dread for getting the urge towards those other things. But then it seems that it's just a lot of untrained skills in me, like logical thought, and self discipline.
Lots of text today, and I haven't even started doing that evaluation. Why does this have to be work? Guess the endless hours of fun in my younger years have to be redeemed some way. I played hard then, now I gotta work hard.
Hello @fawn_xoxo What a thoughtful share, thank you. We are not alone battling the inner critic for certain. It's like an inner parent, or how we have learned to parent ourselves. Sometimes it is right, sometimes wrong, sometimes we have to step back and take an objective look at it all, unlearn things, relearn, teach ourselves new things. Lot of paths to choose ahead. This subject reminds me of the inner parent mentioned in the Adult Children of Alcoholics main text. Stay strong Fawn, great share.
Neil-
1
-
-
I think you are in for a treat because chia seeds can change up any beverage!
You can drink the seeds fine once they have soaked because they gel up from absorbing all the water. I try to chew em time to time and it is possible but I end up drinking most of it without bothering. The seeds also provide omega fats 3 & 6 =)
That is great you are committing your free time to exercise, "if we sit like bumps on a log we give up the fight to stress and free radicals" - Lance Luria, M.D.
-
Yeah if the HVAC is constantly pumping then they are either running it too low or it is in need of repair talk to an apartment manager about this - you are worth having quality uninterrupted sleep. If the managers shrug you off you can raise the issue up their chain of command all the way to the top to have a voice in it depending how corporate it is there might only be one boss / one manager. Go easy on yourself with it all though there are really a lot of options. If the HVAC problem is not fixed you can possibly request to move to a new room or could forfeit the deposit, break lease, and hire a moving company to do the heavy lifting. You could also consider the route to hire an attorney to put things into motion and get reimbursement but really guy the money spent on that would be just more down the drain if nothing came of it - I would only do that "if you have money to burn". If it were me I would do what I could talking to management & owners or break lease. Even if you have to save money to do it, your uninterrupted sleep is worth it.
On another note having a conversation with the tenant below won't help you in this case especially if they are running it freezing cold. I stayed over at a friends house once he is an obese fellow and he kept the AC cranked so low I could not sleep, it was a darn icebox. Well his uncle who allowed him to rent the property was furious about it because it was causing condensation around the entire trailer destroying ceiling tile. Considering that to be the case with the tenant below then talking would likely go nowhere and start a rivalry which you don't need either.
Until something happens just hang in there, find ways to cope. Try putting mattress to the floor maybe your bed sucks. I like to use white noise from my loud tower or box fan to mask my parents television, it would otherwise drive me bats. Best of luck ☘️, keep sharing your thoughts and progress.
Neil
-
1
-
-
Green Chia Tea ☕
Just now I added 1 tablespoon chia seeds to hot water so they would absorb water as I steeped the green tea. A word of caution these seeds naturally absorb a lot of water so not ideal to add at the last minute least they absorb the water from within your body!
-
2
-
-
Congrats @Vera that is all really BRAVE what you have done there! Usually mixed with feelings of pride & disgust to me taking a step back from digital consumerism - proud I assert claim over my free time and disgust because sometimes it can easily take up a lot of time. Sometimes we just have to detox from it. I look forward to finding a balance if that is truly possible. I am interested to get one of those standing computer stations so I can do what I intend and move on with my life instead of sitting down and becoming drawn to seeking more sedentary entertainment.
I remember when I finally deleted MS Windows it felt so amazing, so liberating - I was so happy and I still am. Linux isn't just free, it is free as in freedom, freedom to choose, to share and carry on the legacy that open source developers have been writing for decades, and deep down it gives me that warm fuzzy comfort that I no longer need to go shopping for another bloated, over-priced personal computer ever again! I have used Ubuntu for 3 years & Arch for 1.5. Which distribution did you choose?
Green tea is supposed to be amazing to drink often due to antioxidants but the type at the local stores are usually packed with caffeine so I don't have it as often as I would like. I do snack on greens & celery often with peanut butter though as well as all manner of fruits & vegetables so that works out. ?️
-
Hi Vera this is Neil / GoodVibes from the Discord. I know that feeling well being drawn to the web page after page, video after video. I wanted to delete my fancy web browser but then I had realized the Ad blocker and Adult content filters are a necessity for my pornography sobriety. I actually did commit however to deleting all of my bookmarks as I transcribe to paper what I see in the titles as valuable information.
Big Sobriety Journal filled with topics dividers on health, food, hobbies, research, shopping interests, social, & entrepreneurship goals - the top one being "First Things First." I can later transcribe that to text files & mind maps but the most important part of it to me if the fact it will keep my browser clean to keep my mind from wondering into that deep, dark web. I also look forward to using terminal web browsers if I can for sure remove its ability to see photos & videos - keeping it really simple when I prefer.
I have just learned to use an RSS feed program I really enjoy as I was able to upload all of my Youtube subscriptions to it from obtaining the OPML file at the bottom of this page here. Think I actually had to add the .opml extension at the end but point being I believe it really helps me to avoid sinking my time in at the Youtube website not having to open a new page to inspect for new content. Sure consuming the content at all can become addictive but there is also the potential of not having a Youtube search bar right there which not all RSS readers do this but Feedly only shows the video however it does have a visit website button.
One extra step in my Chrome browser that has really helped me with over-consumption is an extension called xTab that allows me to specify how many tabs to allow open at one time while being able to block additional links & tabs from opening past that number. I really love a limit of two tabs - keeps workflow productive, and once again, keeping it simple.
This has been my experience with it all this last week, I look forward to having Wifi unplug days once I have bookmarks transcribed & fully deleted.
Neil-
2
-
-
##### GQ LONG-TERM-SUPPORT JOURNAL ##########################################################
Mission:
Date:
Habits to Make:
Habits to Stop:
Habits to Maintain:
I Will Use Gamequitters To:
Short-term Goals:
Goals 1 Month from now:
Goals 3 Months from now:
Goals 1 Year from now:
Goals 5 Years from now:
Goals 10 Years from now:
Goals 20 Years from now:
#############################################################################################
Is gaming still okay?
in Ask the Community
Posted
@dirkj3 that would be an addiction withdrawal symptom, keep them out of sight so it stays out of mind.