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Primmulla

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Everything posted by Primmulla

  1. I wonder whether I am addicted to reading books? (I'm 37-year-old woman) I have always loved reading ever since I was a little kid. The fact that I was rather a shy child helped to develop reading into a life-long passion. I have always read a lot, though there were periods in my life when I tended to concentrate on something else, for instance, during my studies, I used to reduce reading during the academic year in order to focus more on the studies and I used to read during the holidays then. Fast forward a couple of years to the pandemic and my first home office job, I guess it was then when my reading got really obsessive since I spent all my evenings after work reading, I had subscriptions to book "streaming services" and some of them even made access to their library free during the pandemic. I also read before going to sleep, and I became obsessive about completing a whole chapter in one go. I always spent my weekends reading books for a longer chunks of time than it was possible on weekdays. After the pandemic ended, the time I could devote to reading shrunk, and the real revolution came when I met my boyfriend and began to spend every weekend with him, in this way my reading time got reduced only to some 'stolen time' during the weekdays. I really care about the relationship but at the same time I miss my reading weekends, when I could concentrate on reading for a longer stretch of time. When I cannot find time to read I feel like I am missing something, and often when I spend time with my boyfriend I think how many interesting things I could have read in that time instead of just sitting and doing nothing or some small talk. I also have to fight the urge to get hold of a book during a weekend with him. I guess this proves I am addicted to books? I also some underlying fear that I would become completely stupid if I cease reading books and this also keeps me coming back to them. How should I quit? Should I consult a psychologist? Would it be better to gradually reduce my reading time or quit cold turkey? Should I get rid of all my books, cancel book subscription and library card, avoid following Instagram or Facebook pages dealing with books? These are some of my ideas, maybe you can help? Thanks 🙂
  2. For anyone who is curious about the question in this topic, today I got the message that my Netflix account was finally deleted 🙂 I wrote to them on 5th of February, so it took only eight days, though it seemed too long for me 😉 I hope other people who want to get rid of Netflix would be as fortunate as I was.
  3. Any ideas how long do I have to wait before Netflix deletes my account? I couldn't get any information from the customer support. I decided to delete my account to protest against the immoral programming the platform offers rather than to combat any addiction to it, but since I found the details about permanently deleting Netflix account here, I guess it is a good place to ask. I am not talking about the automatic deletion after 10 months of inactivity, I want to get rid of the account as soon as possible. I have already written to the customer support asking them to delete the account, but it still exists and I don't know how long I will have to wait. Maybe some other users who also deleted their accounts can share their experiences? Thanks 🙂
  4. Thank you The website you recommended was particularly useful, after a short browsing I found a 30-day challenge to fight hypochondria, which sounds great, this sort of thing really motivates me. I will try this challenge out and see if it helps. I guess it would be good to visit a psychologist but I cannot find time for it now, I started working full time and I would have to take a day off, since the doctor works during the time I am at work. Have you suffered from hypochondria? How did you defeat it? Would you like to share your story with me? Write me a PM if it is too personal to share on the forum, maybe in Polish if you express yourself better in this language (though I sometimes find it easier to discuss sensitive matters in English, since a foreign lanuage creates some kind of a "buffer" between me and this very personal stuff). Thanks again
  5. I know it is rather off-topic, but I have this huge problem, and I am too ashamed of talking about it with anyone I know so as not to worry them, and I trust you guys and gals here Since my Dad passed away this February, I have been having a really bad bouts of hypochondria, I constantly think I have the same cancer as the one Daddy died of, I know this is completely unfounded, but these thoughts keep returning, it is very unnerving. I know I should probably visit a psychiatrist, every night I feel as if I was dying, I constantly check for "symptoms" on my body and read countless websites about diseases. I almost lost my job because of this hypochondria, as I was so worried about my putative cancer that I was not concentrating on my work and I made a serious mistake. I am so ashamed of this behaviour. Please help me... I am not often on this forum, since I understood that I never really had any problem with games, but this hypochondria is driving me mad. Please do not tell me to go to the doctor to do some check-ups, since this would be only feeding the hypochondria. Anyway, my GP is my aunt so I am ashamed of telling her about my hypochondric behaviours so that she would not totally lose any shreds of good opinion she may have about me.
  6. I guess there is no need for you to use a "gamey" astronomy software if there are plenty of other applications that do not include this element. For instance, this one: http://www.stellarium.org/ I was also very keen on astronomy, however, I had never had enough maths skills to study it, other than reading astronomy books. I remember using some planetarium simulators like the one I mention above, maybe I would look into it when I have some more free time and let you know about interesting astronomy apps.
  7. I am sure that you fall asleep because the content of what you are reading is uninteresting. I cannot imagine falling asleep while reading something engrossing or fascinating for you, no matter where you were reading, on the desk, in bed or anywhere else. Try to read some other book (one which really interest you, which you wanted to read for a long time, do not choose something boring or any "obligatory reading"), start reading it and find out whether you would fall asleep as well. If not, then the problem is with the first book which is apparently too boring for you. I cannot think of any other reasons for falling asleep while reading, unless you are terribly exhausted, which I hope is not the case.
  8. Have you started the blog yet? It definitely looks interesting, I would like to read your blog
  9. I am slowly returning to the forum after completing this year's NaNoWriMo challenge I managed to write 50 000 words in spite of falling sick in the second week of November, and now I continue to write (though of course I do not write as many words per day as I did in November) since my story is far from finished. Cam mentioned that many other people from the forum also participated in NaNo, I wonder if you would like to share your experiences?
  10. Maybe choose a book which is more interesting for you?
  11. I know I was not terribly active on the forum of late, but I will be even less active in November. I participate in the NaNoWriMo challenge and I will try to write 50 000 words in November, so I would be pretty busy with that, taking into consideration my other duties. See you in December
  12. About night time, maybe listening to audiobooks or music would be a good solution? I am not a big fan of audiobooks because I am a "visual learner" and to remember something well I have to see it so with audiobooks I have to concentrate closely on what I am listening to in order to retain information, and as a result I cannot listen to them while doing something else at the same time. So I gave up on listening to them, since there is really not much point in doing so if I don't remember them well. But if you don't have problems like that, audiobooks are definitely an option to consider.
  13. I am a bit worried as the cravings started to increase significantly since I finished the 90-day detox, I wonder why is this so and what can I do to make them go away? I was hoping for some advice from you guys and girls here, though I guess you cannot help me much because, as mentioned earlier, the book/series cravings have different reasons than the gaming ones. Maybe you could suggest another on-line place where I could get help? Thanks
  14. A quick update: a couple of days ago I completed the 90-day detox from "Game of Thrones" in all forms and shapes, I am still curious what happens to the characters (particularly as my best friend constantly discusses books and series in her emails), but I know that my life is better without GoT than with it. I decided to continue avoiding GoT-related articles even though my detox is past. How to get rid of the cravings? I guess they must be fought differently than the gaming cravings, since they fulfil different needs than gaming, I don't want e.g. challenge or constant measurable growth, but I am intrigued by what happens next to the characters. Any suggestions? On the more positive note, I completed my word goal this Camp NaNoWriMo and I am a "winner" I keep writing my fantasy novel, though inspiration is dry sometimes. All the best
  15. I wonder if I am in danger of relapsing to GoT? I was reading an article about legal streaming and piracy, and it said that pirates have an easier access to films, series etc., the example was given of one of GoT episodes appearing in HBO streaming service much later than it was supposed to be there, so that fans pirated the episode rather than wait for the release on HBO streaming website (behaviour I cannot justify from a moral point of view, anyway, but let's not diverge). Of course there was nothing about the content of the episode in question, naturally I do not read any re-caps or anything of this kind. But I come across GRR Martin's name sometimes in discussion on fantasy writing, I am learning how to write fantasy and read a lot about worldbuilding, character creation etc. Martin and GoT show in this context. I was wondering whether reading some writing advice by GRR Martin may be considered a relapse? I was tempted to read what he has to say on this subject, but I resisted the craving, or it is over-reaction?
  16. Hello @Sashiku, I can totally support what @WorkInProgress is saying, I have never been heavily addicted to games so maybe it is easier for me than for other people here, but writing is really a wonderful replacement of gaming, it feels great to create something which is your own. I don't know whether you heard about Camp NaNoWriMo? It starts on the first of July, and it is a "younger brother" of NaNoWriMo in that you do not have to write exactly 50 000 words, you can choose your own goal. Maybe you would like to participate? It would not hurt to try, if you do not like it you can always quit
  17. I have just reached a year of doing Duolingo exercises A year! I still cannot believe it is actually happening. The streak was often in danger of being broken, such as when I was sick and later when there were massive thunderstorms, but I made it
  18. @Dannigan, if you enjoyed documentaries about food, maybe you would like to participate in the FutureLearn course about royal feasts? I starts on June 20 and it looks exciting, here is the advert of the course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPHqx1JDUyo I enrolled as soon as the course was announced, as it may be useful as a research for my novel. Most fantasy stories take many elements from history after all.
  19. Hello all, my fiction writing is going well, the story is taking me to some totally unexpected places, and I manage to write more and more of the tale, usually I continue writing past the obligatory 10 minutes and now I concentrate on the story and not some autobiographical journals which I used to pen when I had no ideas for the story. GoT detox is OK as well, I removed the Leechblock since it started blocking a dictionary I was using, no idea why, but I do not have time to add countless websites to exceptions. It is far easier to uninstall Leechblock as the best blocking software is my brain. I come across George R.R. Martin's surname in articles on writing (it should not be surprising as he is a writer, and in a genre I am interested in), but this does not count as a relapse, I hope, since I am not reading his actual books. Inventing my own fantasy plots and characters is so cool I wonder if it would work with people who are really addicted to games, I am not sure and I would not like to trigger anyone. But maybe in the case of those who were not really addicted, but spent too much time gaming, it would be a good idea to start writing their own stories? E.g. if you liked fantasy games, try writing your own fantasy story. Do not worry about the quality of writing, the first draft is always of a very poor quality, even in the case of professional writers. We readers never see the drafts, only the finished product after many rewritings and editing, so it is easy to assume that words of genius flow effortlessly from the writer's fingers, but in reality, it is not true. You do not have to show your story to anyone, and eventually, coming up with your own protagonists and world would be much more fun than any game can offer.
  20. Hey guys and girls, I decided to be less active on the forum and concentrate on my writing, this is something I re-discovered after a long break so I want to give it all my heart and energy now. I know I did a lot of writing here, but it is not the kind of writing I want to focus on now: I want to return to fiction writing and finally start working on my short stories and maybe a novel I was thinking whether to keep weekly recaps here, but I do not think there is any need to post if nothing interesting happens, so this is a sort of a goodbye post. Maybe I would check the forum from time to time to know how are you doing, but I won't be as active as it was before. Good luck with your game quitting, I am sure you all will be successful
  21. Hello, @dullage It is nice to have you here on the forum, I can understand you perfectly because I am not addicted to games, either. I thought I was, though You can find my long story in my journal, you are not the only one who does not problem with gaming, so you definitely fit here I am doing a detox from the TV series "Game of Thrones," and there is another person who did a detox from sugar, so I guess the forum now includes various detoxes
  22. I drink only one mug a day, and I am not interested in coffee detox, either As for the book detox, the most important thing is I would never be motivated to undertake something like this. Books are the vessels of knowledge and wisdom (of course, there are also many stupid books, but they were invented to preserve and share the knowledge), so by giving up books I would be making myself dumb rather than doing something productive with my life. Recently, I also had a bit of introspection about my TV series problem. The fact is, I was not remotely interested in series before my university days. At the university, there was a girl who was a very bright student, the first one in our group to defend her thesis. I am not saying "friend" because I was not particularly befriended with her, and in Poland the word przyjaciel (friend) is reserved for people whom you know really well for a long period of time. (in English it is more extensive, isn't it?) She was very self-confident and outgoing, great with her accent and vocabulary (I studied English), whereas I was also a good student, but I have always been a shy mouseburger (remember what I wrote in an earlier entry that I have a very low opinion of myself). I learnt that she watched a lot of British and American TV series and even wrote a blog about them. And somehow I came into the conclusion that this was the missing ingredient which would make me more like her, as watching TV series was the only thing I was not doing but she was. And as I ventured into the world of the series, I discovered that there were many productions with fantasy or science fiction setting, my favourite genre, whereas before I was not aware that TV series could be about something else than the traditional Polish staple of a TV series: a story about a multigenerational family and love affairs of all their members (everyone from Poland here should know what I mean), and I hated these. I found TV series which I enjoyed, most prominently Doctor Who, and others, not necessarily the same as she enjoyed. And I cannot complain because these series were definitely good for my language skills, particularly after I graduated since I do not have contact with spoken English in my everyday life, I do not live in an English-speaking country and I am not immersed in the language, so it is easy for me to forget what I learnt at the university. The best thing about not having English as my native language is that for me, activities such as watching TV series, which, when done by the native speakers, are considered waste of time, are rather a learning opportunity But recently I started wondering whether I should stop watching the series (as you know from my journal and other entries), because I was using them to become someone else, and thanks to them I neglected my imagination?
  23. Maybe it would be convenient for me, but the people who send me the translations already know my current e-mail for a long time, so it might be problematic for them, they would have to remember the new e-mail or change their settings in their software. I am not so much distracted by the inbox as by the fact that I can never plan anything even as mundane as e.g. watching a film on TV because I can get new text to translate. Today, an e-book I was looking forward to was finally released, so as long as I do not have any translations I would probably be reading I could do a 90-day gaming detox, though I am not addicted to games, but if someone suggested abstaining from reading books for 90 days, I would never agree to it. Giving up reading would be like stopping to breathe or to communicate, and though I do not necessarily read a book everyday (I try to, but sometimes there are more urgent duties that have to be done), I don't think I would survive 90 days without books. I wonder what does it say about me.
  24. Yesterday, there was a longish thunderstorm, but I spent it rather productively, writing another part of my short story, and then I completed a colouring page with a fox which I found on one of Polish websites and printed out nearly half a year before I felt a bit guilty about not reading on my Kindle but decided to finish the fox. You have to finish what you've started Today, I have a more relaxed way, I read some chapters from the Sanderson book and writing course on FutureLearn. I realised that the reason I start so many courses is that my interests are really wide and diverse, and it is really sad to give something up, for instance, I had to stop participating in some courses to concentrate on my writing. I guess I give writing a go now as I neglected it for a couple of years, but I am still sorry about not being able to follow these courses, they seem quite interesting, but I just cannot spend all my time on the computer. It is different at the university, because even most reading material is available in print, not to mention that you have to leave your house for the classes, the whole learning experience is very technology-free. And maybe this is what makes it so effective and enjoyable. I am totally against children using tablets in all their school classes, it is not good either for their learning and concentration or their health. I wonder who would volunteer to tell these kids that working on a tablet at school means no computer use at home, because they've already "used up" all their screen time available for one day at school? The children would not be too pleased to hear it I've been browsing a blog about productivity by an author whose work I found out on NoiseTrade, there is some really good advice about forming habits, which I am going to link here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/spw-ebooks/success-habits.pdf But what really gets on my nerves in all these productivity tips is the most frequently repeated piece of advice of not checking your e-mail first thing in the morning, or to check it only once or twice a day. Great perhaps, when you have a solitary work in which you do not have to keep in touch with other people, there are few jobs in which you can ignore other people so completely. For me, it smells a bit of egoism, like saying "I am so important that your silly e-mails have to wait when I decide it is proper time to deal with this rubble." I would not like to have my e-mails ignored by other people, and others deserve to have their messages answered, too. In my case, it is a total nonsense, I get translation jobs through my e-mail, and not checking it often enough may really mean lost income, if someone sends a text to translate, they want it as quickly as possible and not when I deign to check my inbox. And if I am not there to tackle this text, they can always find someone else who is willing to do it. Anyway, not checking the inbox means nothing to do, at least professionally. So, the golden advice of productivity does not really work with me, and not only would it not aid me, but actually hamper and hinder what I do. What is worst is that there is no specific time of day when I can expect getting these texts, they can come just any moment, even during the night, so I have to be vigilant.
  25. I'm having a much more relaxed day than yesterday, so I started to gather my notes, observations and poems to type them into Evernote for backup, I do not want to lose the pieces of paper with their precious contents it turned out there were quite a lot of these notes, taking into account that I haven't been writing for very long yet. It's good to have them all in a safe place. I would have to type my freewriting which forms the parts of the dragon story, too, in case I would not be able to decipher my scribbles later on.
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