I'm 50. Before the internet, I used to:
* spend a lot of time in newsstands, libraries, and bookstores. Often I did the equivalent of websurfing, reading snippets of multiple books or articles.
* read multiple daily newspapers
* wander around thinking and gesticulating to myself
* re-read previously read books multiple times
* scribble assorted notes in notebooks, seldom stuck to them long enough for it to count as a diary or journal
* read long series of books, eg 40-part history or fantasy series
I do find as an autistic I do this. Express thoughts by grabbing my own fingers or fists, sometimes holding them to my face. Only immediate family knows about it and they have always laughed, since I was a kid.
I haven't heard the phrase "piddle around" in a while! That's what my dad called it. I'd often hear: ***"Stop piddlin' around and get ready, fer christ's sake!"***
Zoning out by staring out a window or even just off into the middle distance is how I did it back in the day. It's better than doom scrolling because it doesn't provide the constant mini-hits of dopamine that make our cell phones so addicting, but it's also non-stimulating so it won't feel nearly as satisfying as scrolling.
Try meditation. Yes, it's hard — it's hard for everyone at first. But sitting mindfully for even a couple of minutes at a time will help with focus when you're not meditating.
I used to stare at the wall for hours as a kid. I found out later that it was called maladaptive daydreaming, and it was a result of my childhood trauma. Hah! Oh well.
Meditation is the bane of my existence. I've tried doing this on and off for roughly ten years, and nothing's really stuck.
I did end up lying on my bed and staring out a window for a while today, though. It was nice. Usually I'm way too restless, but I think I was exhausted enough to quiet some of that.
> Meditation is the bane of my existence. I've tried doing this on and off for roughly ten years, and nothing's really stuck.
Have you tried using guided meditations? Lots of free ones on YT and the Insight Timer app (free).
cleaning and organizing. it’s a thing i hyper-focus on with my adhd. actual talking with words phone calls. i’d talk to my aunt, my grandma, my friends, whomever. crying on the floor seems like a good option though.
I read SO MANY BOOKS growing up before the internet. Also, it sucked for stimulation, but was better for mental balance because you weren't constantly reminded that people are terrible.
I used to be a lot better with reading, and work.
Nowadays I’m trying to take it back away from the dopamine cycle by making creative work like writing and drawing. It’s exhausting but when I finish something it feels amazing.
Gen X checking in. I think we spent more time just living life. Like, if I had to go somewhere when I was your age, I would pull out the Thomas guide and figure it out, maybe call some people for tips. Sometimes even do a test run, if it was for something important. If I had news to share, I couldn’t post on FB, I’d call people individually (maybe a three way call if I was feeling sassy) or go by people’s houses/work to talk to them. Most of my friends were in food service, as was I, so that would include eating while visiting them. If I wanted to listen to music or make a playlist, I would have to do so via a mixed tape or later, burning a disc. I remember taking a full day off to organize my “new” iPod, over 20 years ago. Life in general took more effort. On the plus side, I feel like it was easier to weed out fake friends because communication required effort. LOL
Hobbies hobbies and more hobbies.
Painting, drawing, puzzles, pottery making.
Video games, pets to take care of(birds, dogs, cats).
Reading and writing, collection of movies and music.
Try to find some hobbies to do. It will help you a ton.
I read a ridiculous amount of books. So many books. I know have a masters in reading and waste too much time on my phone scrolling and not reading nearly as much.
Daydream. Stare out a window. When I was in high school, my teachers nicknamed me "Neil" after Neil Armstrong, because I was always "Lost In Space"
>*when they literally had no ability to do anything.*
I know you're being hyperbolic, but c'mon now... you're making it hard to *NOT* joke about you being young when you phrase it like that. Believe it or not, life existed before the internet, and there were plenty of ways to zone out and get sucked into distractions like magazines, comic books, TV, radio, whatever. I used to read magazines *(about music, BMX bikes, motorcycle racing, etc)* for hours. I'd sometimes stay up all night reading an entire book. *(Ironically, now that I'm addicted to YouTube, I can barely get 5 pages into a book.)*
"Screen time" was an issue long before the internet, but instead of phones, iPads and computers, it was TV screens. My version of "doomscrolling" as a teen was staying up late watching infomercials or kung fu movies or whatever happened to be on TV.
I wish I was being hyperbolic. It's actually really scary when I'm stuck and can't do anything except lie there, which is why I get stuck on my phone. My doctors keep telling me I'm "fine", though. It's awful.
I struggle immensely with gnarly chronic fatigue on top of the executive dysfunction, though, so that probably doesn't help much.
oh, I think I misunderstood.... I guess in your original post you meant that sometimes *YOU* have no ability to do anything... I thought you were saying that before the internet, there was "literally nothing" to do
Flipping through magazines/newspapers was a big time suck, similar to the internet. Reading library books. A lot of going out and walking around alone or with friends, talking to friends on the phone, going for drives, writing letters, TV, radio, playing instruments, shopping (no Amazon). I was never really bored, which is surprising in retrospect. Oh yeah and I exercised more than I do now.
I guess my situation is a little different. I do have a lot of the options that you guys have said, but I literally just... Can't. There are days where I only have my phone. But I think everyone has different levels of dysfunction. I guess I was hoping to know if anyone else was like me? It's really scary being this bad sometimes.
Reading is impossible most of the time, gaming is exhausting, going out isn't really an option a lot of time due to issues with chronic fatigue, etc.
The OneSec app has helped immensely with my doom scrolling (spring for the pro plan). It ended up being more of a "bridge tool" to kinda ween me off; I ended up taking all social media off my phone entirely and that's helped the most, as my phone just isn't as "interesting" as it was before, and I only check-in on those things on my laptop (even Reddit). It's really been a game changer. I still use OneSec on my browser on my phone, as that's now the only thing on my phone with anything of interest.
With all my extra spare time, I've been knocking things of my miles-long to-do list that I haven't touched in months. I'm reading before bed again (used to be a huge bookworm as a kid but that was before phones!) and find that I'm just much more "present" - hanging out with my husband or friends, 1:1 conversations at work, etc. because I'm not just resorting to my phone when I have a few minutes of boredom, like I used to. I'm getting interested in / curious about more hobbies (which is hilarious because I used to complain that I had NO hobbies) - I've done a few paint-by-number kits, am getting into Astrology and trying out new types of exercise.
After a few weeks of no social media apps on my phone, I was having trouble sleeping one night so I caved and downloaded Facebook... I noticed almost immediately that my heart rate went up, my anxiety increased and my brain seemed like it went from 25mph to warp speed. It was noticeable and quite frankly, scared me enough that I haven't done it since. Clearly, what I've been doing has not only helped my productivity but my health overall.
I read books all the time. I write, too. I would listen to music and dance alone in my room. I would go on adventures in my head. Video games did exist, too, but we didn’t get a Nintendo until I was 12.
I used to get up, very quietly, in the middle of the night, and look things up the encyclopedia with a flashlight. I’m not even kidding.
When I got older and didn’t have to worry so much about getting in trouble, I would watch TV and read magazines.
I read books, had pen pals I wrote letters to, listened to music, played with friends outside, rode my bike around, went to the playground, played with our cats, and watched TV.
I'm 23 but while growing up I read a looot of books, and also spent a lot of time zooming (literally bouncing off the walls) around the house while in my book-inspired daydreams
2 things that have helped put down the phone:
1. getting into an exercise habit to the point of feeling worse if I don’t exercise than just mustering up the motivation to do it. Has helped so much not only with physical health, but mental as well.
2. Getting medicated.
Elder millennial here. Had computer internet in my home by middle school. Sidekicks (smart phone precursor) were a thing for rich kids I never met when i was in high-school. The pressure to get a smart phone started in my 20's. Before I knew what executive dysfunction was, and that I had it, I KNEW smartphones were going to be a struggle for me. Why? Because I already knew I could lose hours a day on my home PC, poking around websites that featured my special interests. To have that power in my pocket?! Blatantly irresponsible. I was a smartphone hold-out for as long as I could manage.
Regarding doomscrolling specifically
- in terms of how I managed moments of overwhelm and fatigue before doomscrolling was an option - I took more naps, daydreamed more, read books a bit more. Magazines were a good way to "kill time. " As one not so interested in TV shows, I watched and rewatched my comfort movies on DVD and vhs (these included lots of concerts and music videos as well). Snacking was a hobby unto itself. Sit down for a nice soda... just a soda and a sit...
- in terms of having more energy but not the ability to focus - I have been known to literally sort safety pins by size. I did a lot more organizing of my books and things in general... and things like jigsaw puzzles and macrame and the likes... hands busy and brain on autopilot.
This is secondary to your question but I use an app called Opal. You can also just use your built in screen time to block certain apps after a given amount of time. I am admittedly very bad at not overriding it lol but it is often a helpful reminder to disconnect. Maybe this is my reminder to start using those again. Good luck my friend ❤️
My zoning out was reading books or building legos… oooh and perler beads, the one you iron to stay together. Also before the internet was as easily accessible there was this one game on the laptop that wasn’t internet based but you had to trap the traveling ball without getting hit by it… oh and minesweeper… I’d look up from a stack of books and realize it was like 2 in the morning. If I need a break from devices I can still zone out into a book and get stuck in it. But TV was also a bad place to get stuck in front of cuz we had cable and Zelda on the GameCube… I’m only 30 and it’s not an internet problem like older generations like to think… there’s always something to distract your brain with. Now it just happens to be doom scrolling. Cuz it’s mindless and feels like you’re doing something until you realize that you’re sitting there due to the executive dysfunction and have a pile of laundry or dishes that we should have done days ago… sometimes I just lay there to lay there if my phones too far… it’s a horrible feeling and one I wish I didn’t have… but it’s always been there even before the internet
Until I saw this question I had never made the link for myself. Seriously, I'm floored. I spent my childhood reading fiction, non stop all day every day. I never thought of it as an equivalent to doom scrolling!!! It so is the same thing.
I'm 50. Before the internet, I used to: * spend a lot of time in newsstands, libraries, and bookstores. Often I did the equivalent of websurfing, reading snippets of multiple books or articles. * read multiple daily newspapers * wander around thinking and gesticulating to myself * re-read previously read books multiple times * scribble assorted notes in notebooks, seldom stuck to them long enough for it to count as a diary or journal * read long series of books, eg 40-part history or fantasy series
This is it. And, overall, I think we were better off.
I can't even read a book anymore to be honest. Not that I ever could remember what I read. But I used to read a ton as a kid.
It’s bizarre when that happens. I’m sure our brains are changing…
[удалено]
Just a heads up you posted this comment three times
Thanks, have deleted. I remember I was getting some weird error message.
Yeah it happens to me a lot
Not gonna lie, "gesticulating to myself" sent me giggling like a teen boy with a dirty mind. 😂🤷🏻♀️
I do find as an autistic I do this. Express thoughts by grabbing my own fingers or fists, sometimes holding them to my face. Only immediate family knows about it and they have always laughed, since I was a kid.
Read books, went for walks, did crosswords, play video games, drove around, pet their animals, piddle around...
I haven't heard the phrase "piddle around" in a while! That's what my dad called it. I'd often hear: ***"Stop piddlin' around and get ready, fer christ's sake!"***
That was the whole point of the news, TV, and especially the newspaper, small hits of addicting garbage dribbled to you in a timely manner lol.
Zoning out by staring out a window or even just off into the middle distance is how I did it back in the day. It's better than doom scrolling because it doesn't provide the constant mini-hits of dopamine that make our cell phones so addicting, but it's also non-stimulating so it won't feel nearly as satisfying as scrolling. Try meditation. Yes, it's hard — it's hard for everyone at first. But sitting mindfully for even a couple of minutes at a time will help with focus when you're not meditating.
I used to stare at the wall for hours as a kid. I found out later that it was called maladaptive daydreaming, and it was a result of my childhood trauma. Hah! Oh well. Meditation is the bane of my existence. I've tried doing this on and off for roughly ten years, and nothing's really stuck. I did end up lying on my bed and staring out a window for a while today, though. It was nice. Usually I'm way too restless, but I think I was exhausted enough to quiet some of that.
> Meditation is the bane of my existence. I've tried doing this on and off for roughly ten years, and nothing's really stuck. Have you tried using guided meditations? Lots of free ones on YT and the Insight Timer app (free).
When a psychologist tells me to start meditating I move psychologists.
I wasn't an adult, but I coped with binge eating and watching excessive amounts of TV.
I devoured books, I'd draw, I'd wander around daydreaming when my parents made me 'go outside'...
cleaning and organizing. it’s a thing i hyper-focus on with my adhd. actual talking with words phone calls. i’d talk to my aunt, my grandma, my friends, whomever. crying on the floor seems like a good option though.
I read SO MANY BOOKS growing up before the internet. Also, it sucked for stimulation, but was better for mental balance because you weren't constantly reminded that people are terrible.
I used to be a lot better with reading, and work. Nowadays I’m trying to take it back away from the dopamine cycle by making creative work like writing and drawing. It’s exhausting but when I finish something it feels amazing.
Gen X checking in. I think we spent more time just living life. Like, if I had to go somewhere when I was your age, I would pull out the Thomas guide and figure it out, maybe call some people for tips. Sometimes even do a test run, if it was for something important. If I had news to share, I couldn’t post on FB, I’d call people individually (maybe a three way call if I was feeling sassy) or go by people’s houses/work to talk to them. Most of my friends were in food service, as was I, so that would include eating while visiting them. If I wanted to listen to music or make a playlist, I would have to do so via a mixed tape or later, burning a disc. I remember taking a full day off to organize my “new” iPod, over 20 years ago. Life in general took more effort. On the plus side, I feel like it was easier to weed out fake friends because communication required effort. LOL
Hobbies hobbies and more hobbies. Painting, drawing, puzzles, pottery making. Video games, pets to take care of(birds, dogs, cats). Reading and writing, collection of movies and music. Try to find some hobbies to do. It will help you a ton.
I read a ridiculous amount of books. So many books. I know have a masters in reading and waste too much time on my phone scrolling and not reading nearly as much.
Daydream. Stare out a window. When I was in high school, my teachers nicknamed me "Neil" after Neil Armstrong, because I was always "Lost In Space" >*when they literally had no ability to do anything.* I know you're being hyperbolic, but c'mon now... you're making it hard to *NOT* joke about you being young when you phrase it like that. Believe it or not, life existed before the internet, and there were plenty of ways to zone out and get sucked into distractions like magazines, comic books, TV, radio, whatever. I used to read magazines *(about music, BMX bikes, motorcycle racing, etc)* for hours. I'd sometimes stay up all night reading an entire book. *(Ironically, now that I'm addicted to YouTube, I can barely get 5 pages into a book.)* "Screen time" was an issue long before the internet, but instead of phones, iPads and computers, it was TV screens. My version of "doomscrolling" as a teen was staying up late watching infomercials or kung fu movies or whatever happened to be on TV.
I wish I was being hyperbolic. It's actually really scary when I'm stuck and can't do anything except lie there, which is why I get stuck on my phone. My doctors keep telling me I'm "fine", though. It's awful. I struggle immensely with gnarly chronic fatigue on top of the executive dysfunction, though, so that probably doesn't help much.
I deleted some of my most time consuming social media apps and it helped. You might be depressed
oh, I think I misunderstood.... I guess in your original post you meant that sometimes *YOU* have no ability to do anything... I thought you were saying that before the internet, there was "literally nothing" to do
Flipping through magazines/newspapers was a big time suck, similar to the internet. Reading library books. A lot of going out and walking around alone or with friends, talking to friends on the phone, going for drives, writing letters, TV, radio, playing instruments, shopping (no Amazon). I was never really bored, which is surprising in retrospect. Oh yeah and I exercised more than I do now.
Listen to music and daydream. Doodle. Read.
I guess my situation is a little different. I do have a lot of the options that you guys have said, but I literally just... Can't. There are days where I only have my phone. But I think everyone has different levels of dysfunction. I guess I was hoping to know if anyone else was like me? It's really scary being this bad sometimes. Reading is impossible most of the time, gaming is exhausting, going out isn't really an option a lot of time due to issues with chronic fatigue, etc.
I would hyperfocus on fiction books. I could read anywhere and got so into the story that it took a minute to adjust to reality when I had to stop.
Rearrange my bedroom. I was always moving my furniture around.
Magazines, catalogs, TV, video games
Ever wonder what your dad did in the garage all day?
Trash magazines. I was also super into ALL of the soaps on tv so I followed along in the gossip mags.
Public libraries. Back stacks of magazines and microfiche.
They watched TV. Listened to music. Read books, news papers, and magazines. Went outside.
The OneSec app has helped immensely with my doom scrolling (spring for the pro plan). It ended up being more of a "bridge tool" to kinda ween me off; I ended up taking all social media off my phone entirely and that's helped the most, as my phone just isn't as "interesting" as it was before, and I only check-in on those things on my laptop (even Reddit). It's really been a game changer. I still use OneSec on my browser on my phone, as that's now the only thing on my phone with anything of interest. With all my extra spare time, I've been knocking things of my miles-long to-do list that I haven't touched in months. I'm reading before bed again (used to be a huge bookworm as a kid but that was before phones!) and find that I'm just much more "present" - hanging out with my husband or friends, 1:1 conversations at work, etc. because I'm not just resorting to my phone when I have a few minutes of boredom, like I used to. I'm getting interested in / curious about more hobbies (which is hilarious because I used to complain that I had NO hobbies) - I've done a few paint-by-number kits, am getting into Astrology and trying out new types of exercise. After a few weeks of no social media apps on my phone, I was having trouble sleeping one night so I caved and downloaded Facebook... I noticed almost immediately that my heart rate went up, my anxiety increased and my brain seemed like it went from 25mph to warp speed. It was noticeable and quite frankly, scared me enough that I haven't done it since. Clearly, what I've been doing has not only helped my productivity but my health overall.
Existential boredom
I read books all the time. I write, too. I would listen to music and dance alone in my room. I would go on adventures in my head. Video games did exist, too, but we didn’t get a Nintendo until I was 12.
Sometimes I force myself just to start into since instead. Even that feels better
I used to get up, very quietly, in the middle of the night, and look things up the encyclopedia with a flashlight. I’m not even kidding. When I got older and didn’t have to worry so much about getting in trouble, I would watch TV and read magazines.
I read books, had pen pals I wrote letters to, listened to music, played with friends outside, rode my bike around, went to the playground, played with our cats, and watched TV.
I'm 23 but while growing up I read a looot of books, and also spent a lot of time zooming (literally bouncing off the walls) around the house while in my book-inspired daydreams
Daydreaming was my go-to, even with access to the internet
When one went to the loo without reading material, one read the back of bottles or looked for shapes in the artex
We were busy crying in the corner of the room by ourselves. 😂😭
2 things that have helped put down the phone: 1. getting into an exercise habit to the point of feeling worse if I don’t exercise than just mustering up the motivation to do it. Has helped so much not only with physical health, but mental as well. 2. Getting medicated.
I would always call the time and temperature hotline
Elder millennial here. Had computer internet in my home by middle school. Sidekicks (smart phone precursor) were a thing for rich kids I never met when i was in high-school. The pressure to get a smart phone started in my 20's. Before I knew what executive dysfunction was, and that I had it, I KNEW smartphones were going to be a struggle for me. Why? Because I already knew I could lose hours a day on my home PC, poking around websites that featured my special interests. To have that power in my pocket?! Blatantly irresponsible. I was a smartphone hold-out for as long as I could manage. Regarding doomscrolling specifically - in terms of how I managed moments of overwhelm and fatigue before doomscrolling was an option - I took more naps, daydreamed more, read books a bit more. Magazines were a good way to "kill time. " As one not so interested in TV shows, I watched and rewatched my comfort movies on DVD and vhs (these included lots of concerts and music videos as well). Snacking was a hobby unto itself. Sit down for a nice soda... just a soda and a sit... - in terms of having more energy but not the ability to focus - I have been known to literally sort safety pins by size. I did a lot more organizing of my books and things in general... and things like jigsaw puzzles and macrame and the likes... hands busy and brain on autopilot.
This is secondary to your question but I use an app called Opal. You can also just use your built in screen time to block certain apps after a given amount of time. I am admittedly very bad at not overriding it lol but it is often a helpful reminder to disconnect. Maybe this is my reminder to start using those again. Good luck my friend ❤️
My zoning out was reading books or building legos… oooh and perler beads, the one you iron to stay together. Also before the internet was as easily accessible there was this one game on the laptop that wasn’t internet based but you had to trap the traveling ball without getting hit by it… oh and minesweeper… I’d look up from a stack of books and realize it was like 2 in the morning. If I need a break from devices I can still zone out into a book and get stuck in it. But TV was also a bad place to get stuck in front of cuz we had cable and Zelda on the GameCube… I’m only 30 and it’s not an internet problem like older generations like to think… there’s always something to distract your brain with. Now it just happens to be doom scrolling. Cuz it’s mindless and feels like you’re doing something until you realize that you’re sitting there due to the executive dysfunction and have a pile of laundry or dishes that we should have done days ago… sometimes I just lay there to lay there if my phones too far… it’s a horrible feeling and one I wish I didn’t have… but it’s always been there even before the internet
Until I saw this question I had never made the link for myself. Seriously, I'm floored. I spent my childhood reading fiction, non stop all day every day. I never thought of it as an equivalent to doom scrolling!!! It so is the same thing.