Monk Mode: How I am winning the war against Snapchat, Instagram, and Dopamine Vampires

[SamuraiRod]

If you are unfamiliar with the term "Monk Mode", it's basically this: Sacrificing the unnecessary distractions of life to focus on and improve what is necessary for your well being.

With that being stated, let me fill you all in on a little background about my C0VlD-19 experience: It has been hell. Not fire and brimstone hell. Not the devil running me down with a pitchfork hell. I have been fairly healthy. I am blessed to have a family providing for me as I work on myself during this time. The hell I am talking about is mental hell.

I'm in my last semester of college and am due to "graduate" this semester. Whether that be via an email saying "Congrats!" or by a freaking Minecraft Server, it doesn't matter. I do not care.

What I do care about is my family, their well-being, and my purpose coming to pass in this world. Before the C0VlD-19 outbreak neutered my state, I was somewhat thriving. I was able to develop healthy habits and patterns of behavior which pushed me closer and closer to my own personal goals. However, when it became socially unacceptable to set foot outside, I broke.

My habits which I spent months cultivating and years reconstructing my brain for had all come to naught. I didn't know what I should do. I barely knew who I was anymore.

Over the past 3 weeks, most of my behavior has been the following: Eat excessively to make myself feel good. "Beat around the bush" to make myself feel worthwhile. And sleep up to 14 hours a day to escape the bland reality that I failed to accept.

Now I realize many of you on the forums are seasoned players in this shared game we call life. You have your thriving businesses, above-standard lives & wives, and significant experience to hold it all up.

Why am I telling you this?

I've come to realize during my short 21 years on this Earth thus far ( 5 if you count from the age where I started to think for myself ) that more is less, and less is more.

What the hell do you mean, SamuraiRod? I mean that I had all the social media apps available because I convinced myself that these are tools for my success. Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and even TIkTok. I've made content on all platforms and had a good amount of people positively interact with that content.

But, that same sword that I was polishing for battle was the same sword that pierced me unknowingly.

You see, the point of social media is not for you to portray your best self when you log on. The point of social media is for you to log on, stay on, and never disconnect. Even when your phone is off, your first few thoughts go to the sports highlights that you are missing. When your phone is low, you begin thinking of ways to update your "friends" on your whereabouts on these apps. The toxic cycle that I went through over the last few weeks was ever so fueled by me actively seeking pleasure from these applications.

Eventually, I had enough. I can't even remember the Reddit post I read, but it inspired me to fully discipline myself and take control of my situation. Not for me alone, but also for my family who was losing sight of the ambitious and intelligent guy they saw on a daily basis. I uninstalled every application I used for pleasure, deleted accounts, and placed restrictions on every outlet that would tempt me. The only pleasurable thing I have in my possession right now is a Sudoku App on my phone and a Rubix Cube.

It's only day 2. When I tell you that my productivity and happiness has skyrocketed so far, I make absolutely no exaggeration. I feel like an absolutely new man and am actually planning shit out and getting it done. Despite not having access to a gym, I am finding unbelievable enjoyment doing calisthenics and other home-based workouts.

I don't know if anyone on this forum is suffering from any form of depression or shock from the sudden changes. Perhaps you are on your A-game and everything is going great for you. That's awesome!

But for those who find themselves unusually unproductive & lethargic, bitter at every positive post that pops up on their timeline, and find no purpose in even getting up & doing something great for themselves, I sincerely hope that my post inspires something great inside of you.

It's a tough time in the world, but with the right mentality you can make it through.

 

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[peterb0yd]

Hey man, glad you're making progress in terms of finding a way through the boredom. It sounds like you had a healthy realization and decided to take action. Awesome dude. Good on you.

Be prepared for what is to come next.... doubt and more boredom haha. This is a good thing.

You made some drastic changes in your routine. You're feeling a productivity high. That's great, but highs are short-lived. What's not great is if you can't withstand the changes and end up falling back into your old habits and "relapse". Not only that, but you'll feel even more guilt than you felt before.

When I was your age, I wanted to drop all my bad habits. I watched porn, smoked pot, drank every weekend. I knew I wanted to eliminate all of these habits, but I also knew that if I cut them all out at the same time, I would fail to get rid of any of them. So I started small and looked long-term. I cut drinking out first, then porn, then weed. Several years later, all three have been eliminated.

You've taken a big step by cutting all social media (great habit to eliminate btw). Now, my advice would be to find a project idea that sets you on fire. Something so awesome that you won't even think about social media. Spend a few days searching for this. A project with a big why attached to it. If someone were to ask why you're doing this project, you should be able to give them a crystal clear answer without hesitating. That kind of project will give you more energy.

At least it's been working well for me!

 

[Einfamilienhaus]

The point of social media is for you to log on, stay on, and never disconnect

Great sentence. I was surprised by this simple fact. How I couldn't recognize it?

 

[Kid]

I admire your approach but... what is snapchat??

 

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