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I'm an addict

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Re: I'm an addict

#61

Post by farrelle25 »

BbzzbB wrote: post #39
SnowHill9902 wrote: post #23

Knowing that HN is generally against it, I say it anyway: I recommend religion and religious teachings which address this and many other daily worldly issues perfectly. Christianity and Judaism both have excellent resources. Religious scholars have actually been the best psychologists but are generally dismissed by non-believers. Edit: for those asking for specific recommendations. It’s always best to find your own p…

Got anything more specific to recommend? I'd like to read the main books of the main religions eventually out of personal culture, but they won't get to the top of the reading pile any time soon. Meanwhile, I'm sure procrastination, motivation and discipline are behaviors that religious scholars had to develop even in a pre-Internet world so I'm sure there are interesting takes written on the subject. I recall some r…

The ancient Christian monks battled against procrastination, lack of motivation, etc.... they called it "Acedia" aka "The noon-day devil"...

Apparently the monks felt a huge urge just to sleep, rest and abandon their study around midday... it was a fairly well recognised psycho-spiritual problem in the middle ages for some monastic orders...

Re: I'm an addict

#62

Post by SnowHill9902 »

loudmax wrote: post #46
SnowHill9902 wrote: post #23

Knowing that HN is generally against it, I say it anyway: I recommend religion and religious teachings which address this and many other daily worldly issues perfectly. Christianity and Judaism both have excellent resources. Religious scholars have actually been the best psychologists but are generally dismissed by non-believers. Edit: for those asking for specific recommendations. It’s always best to find your own p…

Islam also has significant things to say on the issue. Hinduism and Buddhism likely have insights as well. Zoroastrianism may also have something to offer here. Maybe it's time to revive it.

It’s possible. I only mention what I’m familiar with.

Re: I'm an addict

#63

Post by projektfu »

michalstanko wrote: post #14

It scares me how much this reminds me of myself. I don't know how I was able to keep my job (and keep the roof over my family's heads) with my habit of not being able to concentrate on work at all because the minute I need to think a bit harder I immediately switch to reading news, HN or watching YouTube, only to finish my work late in the evening to save my ass (on good days).

Yeah it is definitely for me a reaction to feeling overwhelmed. There's just that bit of activation energy that is missing so I slip back to equilibrium of doing easy things.

Adderall has helped, so has some behavioral approaches, but nothing is a cure. For me, trying to eliminate distractions is either a distraction itself or ineffective.

Structured procrastination is useful, at least I am practicing piano or getting more fit instead of sitting around watching TV or reading dumb articles and forums.

Re: I'm an addict

#64

Post by dgb23 »

natly wrote: post #16

I used to be like this. I solved it by making my default activity reading (anything, stop if you don't enjoy it, novels are great) and working out. Just getting a week or month break is sometimes enough to break the habit (but best to do it in a way doesn't feel like an endurance challenge - that replaces it with something else fun or stimulating).

I can relate too. Throw in video games and beer too for good measure.

For me there was no big Aha moment or solution to getting distracted from what I actually want to do. It had been incremental steps, such as:

- focusing on consuming long form reading/videos

- heavily curating consumption with RSS, individual settings etc.

- disabling notifications of anything that is not important

- taking responsibility of things that I could avoid, engaging more

- regular exercise and sleep

Things like that. But again, incremental steps. Sometimes I shifted from one distraction to the next, but after recognizing this it becomes clearer what’s happening.

The results are quite powerful. Over just a couple of years I gained so much. I started to get bored of things that would distract me otherwise. I gained confidence and especially courage. I recognize undesirable behavior really quickly now and stopped fooling myself.

Re: I'm an addict

#65

Post by SnowHill9902 »

igorkraw wrote: post #42
SnowHill9902 wrote: post #23

Knowing that HN is generally against it, I say it anyway: I recommend religion and religious teachings which address this and many other daily worldly issues perfectly. Christianity and Judaism both have excellent resources. Religious scholars have actually been the best psychologists but are generally dismissed by non-believers. Edit: for those asking for specific recommendations. It’s always best to find your own p…

I'm not against religion, but you just want to add you don't need religion to get what I think is the good core of religions: healing stories and narratives, texts, mantras, rituals that help you in the moment, a community which shares your perspective and in the end, an explanation for existential dread, horrible things happenings and a way to get meaning . You can find it in humanism, you can find it in secular phi…

Sure. Religion is a framework that you have to accept. There may be other perfectly valid frameworks, no doubt.

Re: I'm an addict

#66

Post by bowsamic »

SnowHill9902 wrote: post #23

Knowing that HN is generally against it, I say it anyway: I recommend religion and religious teachings which address this and many other daily worldly issues perfectly. Christianity and Judaism both have excellent resources. Religious scholars have actually been the best psychologists but are generally dismissed by non-believers. Edit: for those asking for specific recommendations. It’s always best to find your own p…

Buddhism also has a well developed psychological system that everyone seems to ignore

Re: I'm an addict

#67

Post by projektfu »

cassepipe wrote: post #59
projektfu wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My issue with AA is that people can seek attention by relapsing. Going cold turkey and never drinking again is the simple solution and it doesn't require all the drama.

Interesting take. Is it from experience or an ego boost by comparing yourself to those who have relapsed ?

Can you ask more politely or are you dissing me intentionally?

Re: I'm an addict

#68

Post by piva00 »

projektfu wrote: post #43
flycaliguy wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m sure I’ve read a few dozen of the same old AA debates on HN, but, yeah it worked for my old man. AA, in particular the serenity prayer, has at least some overlap with the more tech friendly pursuit of Stoic philosophy. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

My issue with AA is that people can seek attention by relapsing. Going cold turkey and never drinking again is the simple solution and it doesn't require all the drama.

Simple isn't easy. Losing weight is simple, just eat less than what your caloric expenditure per day is. It's still hard as fuck and just telling someone who has issues with eating "just eat less, it's simple" is not helpful at all.

Going cold turkey and never doing X is the simple solution for any addiction, now get addicted to anything and try that out...

Re: I'm an addict

#69

Post by wazoox »

artemonster wrote: post #9

This hits hard. I recently counted hours watched on YT (via history export) and OH MY GD, it averaged around 3 hours daily throught the year, for several years. I just imagined WHAT IF I have spent this amount of effort and time on ANYTHING else: playing an instrument, learning a new language, coding a side-project. The thought scared me so much, aka the difference between current me and "potential" me that I have ab…

Not only that, but now I watch all videos and listen to all podcasts at 1.5 to 3x speed. At some point I should accept the FOMO...

Re: I'm an addict

#70

Post by bowsamic »

It could be a symptom of a persistent depression disorder, it is for me.

EDIT: I've been blocked from replying

Because lack of ability to concentrate, lack of motivation, and engaging in repetitive behaviour because it's the only thing that makes you not bored, are all symptoms of it

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