i wonder where i'd be if i had read this article this time approximately eleven months ago. I believe it'd have prevented my spiral that I'm currently wanting to (and convincing myself that I'm trying to) get out of. while reading stuff like this does overwhelm me a bit, as I'm a very "all-or-nothing" person and so now I want to do every one of these things tomorrow, it also helps to know that there is a way out and through if I just calm down and try it one at a time.
oh i've spiraled so hard about this (hence this very long post), and i'm also a very much all or nothing perfectionist but these are habits i'm going to incorporate into my daily routine very slowly so i can make it permanent!
it is possible!! i took a gap year and completely fried my brain doomscrolling, when I first went back I couldn't get my brain in 'study mode'. I deleted all social media and it took a while but you have to immerse yourself in what you're doing. When I was using social media it was impossible for me to switch between the world in my phone (which isn't that important) and the world in which I had responsibilities. When you get used to living without over-stimulation, using your brain comes more naturally and feels less like a chore. Having time to think and allowing yourself to be bored is so valuable and makes 'switching on' easier because half the thinking has already been done. This is a rambling mess but summarises my mentality :)
Hands-on hobbies has been huge for me! I've gotten into scrapbooking and it's so nice to have an activity, in contrast to TV for example, that fully engages me so I don't feel drawn to pick up my phone!
I too aspire to stop watching TV while I eat, but it's sooo hard haha.
This is really good! I also recommend letting yourself be bored— just chill with your thoughts sometimes, with no scrolling. It lets everything else soak in.
I graduated in architecture roughly 5 years ago, and ever since I’ve been struggling with increasing loss of focus and the so called brain rot. Working a 8-6 (yes, not even a 9-5) is so mentally exhausting that the most leisure I manage to get in my free time is playing some videogame, and even so, my lack of focus makes it difficult to get through.
I used to be an avid reader and consume a lot of various media, and I miss the feeling of stimulating my brain with things other than work, so I’m currently working on reading books that have been stuck in my shelf, trying to decrease my screen time and so on.
This was such a great article and very relatable, I’m definitely sticking around for this series
the feeling of slowly, and unknowingly, falling down the 'mindless' rabbit hole is 100% real and depressing. I too am slowly rewiring my brain to get my head into a better place and feel hopeful when I know I'm not the only one.
it's so real and so terrifying in a way! but the good news is that brains are so easy to rewire so hopefully doing this will get me back to where i want to be
Thank you for this amazing read! I’m just about to enter college this coming year, and this really made me aware of my fear of not learning new things after that. I really plan on maximizing my opportunities to grow! 🙏
Re criterion movies - I highly recommend adding “where is the friend’s house” to your watch list. Very beautiful and poignant movie (plus, for me, it’s in a language I don’t speak so it had the added attention demand of reading subtitles)
Listening to albums in full is such an underrated treat ❤️ especially stuff from before tiktok! I think a lot of (but not all) contemporary albums suffer from lack coherence because there's so much focus on packaging songs as short form visual content, each designed to stand alone and go viral on its own. Such albums are basically just playlists, nothing more than the sum of their parts.
this was a great post !! thank you for the mags / news site recs i've added a dozen of them to my bookmarks !! it's summer in my country & i've had plans to be productive and re-immerse myself in hobbies long gone but executive dysfunction & doomscrolls are wrecking me unfortunately </3 this article filled up something in me though ,, i'm definitely going to try a lot of these out !
the post-college feeling of losing your intelligence is so real. and now i feel so hopeful about it
i adore u
This came at the perfect time! Thank you for the ideas!
i wonder where i'd be if i had read this article this time approximately eleven months ago. I believe it'd have prevented my spiral that I'm currently wanting to (and convincing myself that I'm trying to) get out of. while reading stuff like this does overwhelm me a bit, as I'm a very "all-or-nothing" person and so now I want to do every one of these things tomorrow, it also helps to know that there is a way out and through if I just calm down and try it one at a time.
oh i've spiraled so hard about this (hence this very long post), and i'm also a very much all or nothing perfectionist but these are habits i'm going to incorporate into my daily routine very slowly so i can make it permanent!
it is possible!! i took a gap year and completely fried my brain doomscrolling, when I first went back I couldn't get my brain in 'study mode'. I deleted all social media and it took a while but you have to immerse yourself in what you're doing. When I was using social media it was impossible for me to switch between the world in my phone (which isn't that important) and the world in which I had responsibilities. When you get used to living without over-stimulation, using your brain comes more naturally and feels less like a chore. Having time to think and allowing yourself to be bored is so valuable and makes 'switching on' easier because half the thinking has already been done. This is a rambling mess but summarises my mentality :)
this is so so helpful, thank you <3
Thanks for this <3
Hands-on hobbies has been huge for me! I've gotten into scrapbooking and it's so nice to have an activity, in contrast to TV for example, that fully engages me so I don't feel drawn to pick up my phone!
I too aspire to stop watching TV while I eat, but it's sooo hard haha.
it's soooo hard!!! like as soon as i sit down at the table to eat i have to have something to watch, it makes me feel like an ipad kid
This is really good! I also recommend letting yourself be bored— just chill with your thoughts sometimes, with no scrolling. It lets everything else soak in.
yes!
I graduated in architecture roughly 5 years ago, and ever since I’ve been struggling with increasing loss of focus and the so called brain rot. Working a 8-6 (yes, not even a 9-5) is so mentally exhausting that the most leisure I manage to get in my free time is playing some videogame, and even so, my lack of focus makes it difficult to get through.
I used to be an avid reader and consume a lot of various media, and I miss the feeling of stimulating my brain with things other than work, so I’m currently working on reading books that have been stuck in my shelf, trying to decrease my screen time and so on.
This was such a great article and very relatable, I’m definitely sticking around for this series
exactly!!! that's literally me!!
Share your list and we can do a virtual book club! I also studied architectural design technology.
the feeling of slowly, and unknowingly, falling down the 'mindless' rabbit hole is 100% real and depressing. I too am slowly rewiring my brain to get my head into a better place and feel hopeful when I know I'm not the only one.
it's so real and so terrifying in a way! but the good news is that brains are so easy to rewire so hopefully doing this will get me back to where i want to be
Thank you for this amazing read! I’m just about to enter college this coming year, and this really made me aware of my fear of not learning new things after that. I really plan on maximizing my opportunities to grow! 🙏
good luck in college!! it's such a fun time
now this is what i say renaissance for 21st century. rich and effective, handpicked in classic elle fashion! thanks a million 💌
omg i'm honored
Love these ideas! For people who have access to Kanopy through their library that can be a great platform for older movies/documentaries for free
oh yes!
Re criterion movies - I highly recommend adding “where is the friend’s house” to your watch list. Very beautiful and poignant movie (plus, for me, it’s in a language I don’t speak so it had the added attention demand of reading subtitles)
putting it on my list, thank you!
Good alternatives to remove bad habits. Just right in time article!!
Listening to albums in full is such an underrated treat ❤️ especially stuff from before tiktok! I think a lot of (but not all) contemporary albums suffer from lack coherence because there's so much focus on packaging songs as short form visual content, each designed to stand alone and go viral on its own. Such albums are basically just playlists, nothing more than the sum of their parts.
I love this so much!! I feel very excited to implement your ideas into my life 🫶🪻
this was a great post !! thank you for the mags / news site recs i've added a dozen of them to my bookmarks !! it's summer in my country & i've had plans to be productive and re-immerse myself in hobbies long gone but executive dysfunction & doomscrolls are wrecking me unfortunately </3 this article filled up something in me though ,, i'm definitely going to try a lot of these out !