OptimisticMalcontent

Day 2 Today was a pretty peculiar one. I've noticed some subtle changes which I think are a result of abstinence from social media and gaming. 1.Reading is a lot more appealing, and intense. The information is also easier to hold on to. 2.Tasks that seemed sooo mundane are way easier to get engaged in. 3. I've become a much better listener. Applied for unemployment today and read a lot more than I usually do. Tomorrow I want to focus on doing activities that support bodily health. It's late, so I'm going to end this one early. Thanks for reading!

Thanks, man. I appreciate that!

Day 1 Mannn, today was an interesting one. I woke up around 9:30 AM. I wasn't feeling that great the night before, so I decided to visit urgent care. I spent a couple of hours there, and while they were pretty speedy, I had a lot of time to sit and think about life and what I want out of it. I've decided that in order to maximize the effects of the 90 day game quitters pledge, I'll also give up social media for the first 30 days of the pledge. No Youtube , no Facebook, no Instagram. Nothing. Then at the end of the 30 days, when I'm a little more objective, I'll build my life around my goals and use social media to benefit that. I've quit gaming before, only to spend time on browsing excessively. I've also developed a habit of continually listening to YouTube videos. Usually these are voice to text Reddit videos, but I also listen to interviews, podcasts, or even anime and movie reviews. I enjoyed it at first, but after about a year of this I was beginning to feel trapped, not entertained. I guess deep down, I was afraid. Afraid to be the bored, powerless and neglected kid with nothing but free television shows to watch. Whole summers spent alone, without a single friend. Well, today I faced that fear and it wasn't anything like I thought it would be. I'm energized to do things that will benefit me long term. It's late, so I'll keep it to that. Thanks for reading!

@Cam Adair Thank you!

Old post, but this could probably benefit other members. I think a large part of the appeal of these 'classic games' was playing them at the time they came out. I've played Halo and Final Fantasy 7. I loved halo and thought it was awesome on the original xbox As a kid, I had several chances to purchase final fantasy, but never did. I played the demo once as a young teen, and regretted the decision not to purchase.. Looking back, I realize I could never enjoy playing the original game. The story is interesting, but the graphics, and game mechanics are dated to say the least. The same thing can be said about Halo. And yeah, these games are being remade, but overall the quality of the gaming experience is heading downwards. Gaming publishers are producing record profits and the focus is now on MTX, Lootboxes, and DLC. Now's a great time to quit.

@chiliflavor Thank you for the kind words and advice. Yeah, I took a lot of losses during that time period 🤕

Hey, deadspider! Congrats on taking the first step to a more positive life. I think its fine for you to want to play Rocksmith after your 90-day. I've tried it and its a lot closer to gameified guitar lessons than it is to Guitar hero, at least in my opinion. I

Day 0 I called this the Impossible Journal because for me, life without gaming/social media/screen addiction while having a fulfilling career, hobbies and relationships seems almost unattainable.I suspect that others feel the same way and that's part of the reason we continue with these bad habits. But you're here and I'm here, and that's proof we have the determination to at least get started. I'm starting the 90-day-challenge today and also pledging to start move towards defining and attaining the goals I listed in my introductory post. "I WANT I want to start a rewarding career in marketing. I want to move out of my parents house, purchase a vehicle, pay my student loans, and start a retirement and rainy day fund. I want to master Jeet Kun Do and Tai Chi as forms of self defense. I want to write, shoot, and edit films at a high level. I want to express myself through music. I want to rebuild my body through healthy eating, exercise, and physical therapy. I want a life that is more than gaming constantly, and being glued to YouTube and Reddit 24/7. I really want to experience life at its fullest and have fulfilling friendships and relationships. That's why I'm here."

Hey, Noor I'm sorry you haven't had the greatest college experience. I can definitely relate. I wish you success and positivity going forward!

Hey man. First and foremost, congratulations for getting into your PhD program and sticking with it. It's easy to forget the good we've done when we're feeling anxious or guilty, but I find that a reminder can be a great starting point for us to change for the better. Keep working on yourself and degree; we're here to support you!

Hey, David. I just read your post and I can relate. Having gone through undergraduate and graduate school with a gaming/social media addiction, my advice would be that it's not too late. You're doing a great job by recognizing the problem now. You still have plenty of time to make the most of your college experience.

Hey, guys! I've been lurking for a looong time listened to a lot of content and even did the 90-day challenge once. I'd like to share my story as a lot of you have done and make a commitment to abstinence from gaming. I'd have to say I haven't had the easiest life. As a youngster, I had immigrant parents who seemed more interested in making money than actually caring for my siblings and I. They were both neglectful and controlling. From the ages of 4-5, my parents left me and my 3 siblings with an older cousin who was hired to babysit us. He beat, scared, and effectively tortured us, even my infant sister. I found out later that he was an untreated schizophrenic. At the start of grade school, my parents moved us to a suburban neighborhood. My school was a 45-minute bus ride away and I was a latch-key-kid from second grade onward. My life was school, and church, nothing else. No sports, no hobbies. Nothing but homework and television. I was also bullied, physically during that time. Middle school wasn't much different. I was again targeted by bullies but fought back. I remember being bullied by a high school junior in eight grade. This guy was literally twice my size. After he made the teacher run off crying, during gym class. I realized that I was the only one who could defend myself. I fought him and earned his respect. Then there was high school, this was literally the worst period of my life. I was bullied heavily by another student, actually intimidated and assaulted are more accurate terms. This student would use racial slurs against me, smash my skull into that of another student, and eventually hit me in the face with a steel chair. The chair hit my lower set of teeth, tearing a hole in the bottom portion of my mouth. I wasn't able to ride the bus that day because blood was pouring out of my wound and this was a bio-hazard. My father was notified, and had to leave work to pick me up. My father is a pretty cold man, so i wasn't expecting to be comforted. But rather than asking me my side of the story, he blamed me and threatened to suture the perforation in my mouth without anesthesia. The student who struck me with the chair received a two-day suspension because his father was on the school board. I returned to school and became an object of pity and a target. At this time I was suicidal , and decided I'd simply live life through online games. I played day and night. I played until my vision was temporarily blurred. I played all day and then slept through field trips. I graduated high school a year early, and then went to college. I'd always been shy and reserved but my social anxiety worsened. I felt like a little kid compared with my classmates who were older and more experienced. I was supposed to socialize and excel academically but It all seemed so scary. I played games through orientation and stayed in my room. My academic progress was pretty good for the first year, honor roll one semester and 4.0 the next. But the courses became progressively more difficult, I became more desperate. Soon I was failing, and even becoming suicidal again. Eventually I was put on antidepressants, had a breakdown. I had several 2-3 month stints in behavioral care units but never really recovered. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Bipolar Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder. I spent the next five years anxious and depressed. I worked a crappy retail job and constantly escaped through gaming. At that point, I was basically just waiting to die. I believed that I'd never lead a normal life because of the seriousness of my mental illness. Then a miracle happened. Through therapy, and switching medications, the cloud started to lift. I got a better job and even entertained a relationship. I started to feel better and was eventually well enough to make the decision to go back to school. I struggled a bit, but made it through my MBA degree with pretty good grades, and even landed a job before graduation. I lost that job, due to the pandemic, but I had done something I didn't even think was possible for me a few years ago. I WANT I want to start a rewarding career in marketing. I want to move out of my parents house, purchase a vehicle, pay my student loans, and start a retirement and rainy day fund. I want to master Jeet Kun Do and Tai Chi as forms of self defense. I want to write, shoot, and edit films at a high level. I want to express myself through music. I want to rebuild my body through healthy eating, exercise, and physical therapy. I want a life that is more than gaming constantly, and being glued to YouTube and Reddit 24/7. I really want to experience life at its fullest and have fulfilling friendships and relationships. That's why I'm here. Thank you, @Cam Adairfor starting this movement. I hope to support and be supported by you guys as we reach for the lives we deserve!