Today is day 0/30 for me. I'll do an extreme version. I'll abstain from: 0. PMO/P-Subs/edging. 1. Movies/ T.V. series. 2. YouTube. (there are some educational channels I'll still frequent, such as EasyGerman) 3. All social media. 4. Carby/ sugary foods. (this is not really a weakness of mine, so little effort will be required) 5. Video games. 6. Music. 7. Disturbing news media. Let's go!
Day 1/30. First day complete with no major problems. I've added Universal Man to my whitelist of youtube channels and I've been watching a bit of him to substitute TV and such. Fair exchange, I would say. In the future that may be further replaced with documentaries. I've got a couple about WW2 to finish up. Stay strong, brothers.
Welcome seekers! I wish you luck. I'm starting again with all of the activities. One day at a time. Day 0!
Hey @Bihari I'd like to join this challenge! For the duration of my participation I will live by the following rules: 1) I will abstain from all activities & indulgences which reward an unwarranted amount of dopamine (considering benefit vs reward). Some examples: 1. The dopamine payoff of eating sweets is higher than that of eating vegetables, but this added reward is not warranted because the nutritional benefit of eating sweets is less than that of veggies. 2. If I put aside some time to inquire about WW2, then I have a few options of how to go about it. For instance, I might read a book or watch a YT video. In that case, I might want to watch a YT video more, because it is more stimulating. Hence, I must evaluate whether the added reward of watching YT is justified.2) I will abstain from using all computer devices / TV / radio for the purpose of "play" or "killing time". 3) To use a computer device / TV / radio, I will first have to decide on a valid purpose for doing so which also does not: 1. Dispute my commitment to this detox -- "do I really have to do this right now?" 2. Violate any of these rules or my conscience. I made these rules so as to make my own framework for this challenge and maybe avoid the need to blacklist individual activities, make individual exceptions to some, and whitelist others. Please, feel free to tell me what you think about it! Otherwise, I am basically doing an extreme version of this challenge. As for my approach to day-to-day life: 1) Before doing anything I will critically evaluate and plan what it is that I should be doing and for how long -- I will base this on long-term benefit, self-improvement and abstaining excessive dopamine. 2) Having decided what I should be doing, I will consciously and critically evaluate the most effective way of accomplishing it -- then follow it through. Today is day 1/30
Day 3/30 complete. I can feel a rather deep boredom settling in. I pick up more books. I feel the urge to seek out less trivial sources of entertainment. I am pleased with the results so far.
I'm already dopamine detox about more than a couple months, but have broken only sugary food about 2 months ago so I guess that'll do it. Monk mode here - would love to participate, count me in 2Months 7Days im fully dopamine detox (I must watch YouTube for physical therapy exercises and self treatment). Abstaining from all activities apart from YouTube for injury treatment. 2Months and 7Days Mode - Extreme. Wouldn't be able to check in daily but I might be able to later in.. and I don't hear music but sometimes there's music coming out from different places, we can't stop that from happening but prevent as much as possible. @Bihari
Day 2/30 complete. By using the rules I outlined for myself in my previous post, I have decided to abstain from / not do all the banned activities, excluding eating "carby foods" and possibly "disturbing news media". Both yesterday (day 1) and today went well. I abstained from all my prohibited activities and I lessened my screen time -- while only using the computer/phone for what I deemed constructive. Also, another major consideration regarding screen use, is whether one uses it not only for Yet, I found myself instinctively trying to grab my phone, juice, and some candy a couple of times, but managed to stop myself in time. I think that such moments of being on autopilot could potentially seriously made me relapse on this challenge, which is why I must do something about it... hmm...
Day 4/30 complete. I'm feeling a bit of withdraw. But, there is a lot less friction in my mind to pick up a difficult book and enjoy it. I'll get a handle on this.
