Grew up before feeds, is the long and short of it.
this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2023
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I find audiobooks help a lot for being able to finish books nowadays
When I was a kid I could just devour books if I was interested in them otherwise it's was a struggle. Straight up to the point of forgetting to eat and whatnot.
Audiobooks though allow me to do things while listening which is cool.
I only got diagnosed with ADHD about 6 months ago as an adult so getting those good habits is still a struggle but way easier with meds as long as I don't get distracted before they kick in.
I also had started with audiobooks but then as i wanted to feel more solemn and to connect to myself more closely and naturally, i switched to physical books. Having a mediator between you and your thing (in this case book) really still makes things a lil uneasy for me. When u can just go with your own comfort listening yourself speak the words in a book in your mind, really makes me feel lot better compared to having a mediator between. It feels like when I'm reading on my own, i am in my natural habitat.
I'm not officially diagnosed with ADHD or anything but I do struggle to focus on a singular task, I have a sneaking suspicion that I do have something like that. Anyways, I can't read books because I just can't focus on them, same with long articles or any long block of text really. I also would recommend audio books, I've "read" tons of great books out there that I otherwise would have never touched. I also use TTS to "read" articles I find online.
I'd recommend talking to your doctor as getting an official diagnosis can open up a lot of possibilities for support if you do have it.
I was diagnosed at 29 and my biggest regret in that matter was not looking into it sooner.
Find something that interests you! I struggle to read full books, even when I love the setting. However, I can read shorter stories online without a problem
Create a reading space, no tech allowed. Then every time you want to go read (could set alarms for that), you set everything aside, go to your space and read.
I think the world has been trending toward short-form content for a very long time now.
We’ve gone from reading books, to skimming articles, to skimming article comments. We’ve gone from TV, to YouTube videos, to TikTok style shorts. We’ve gone from playing video games to watching other people play them in the background.
I noticed that I personally feel happiest when I invest my attention into longer form content. So I have been trying my best to cut out the digital sugar.
- I read books.
- I set a side large chunks of time to immerse myself into video games.
- I subscribe to RSS feeds and read the full articles minus the comments.
I found that these changes have greatly improved my feelings of wellbeing. I’m sure that my SSRI had nothing to do with it.
That transition to the modern world has significantly contributed to us thinking that we were happier when we were kids. There were lesser things and it was fun to give everything plenty to time to soak it all in whether it's a video game, a book, nature or a vacation. Now it's just too much.
How do you stop yourself from sliding back into scrolling again?
I do slide back from time to time to be perfectly honest! What really helps me though is muscle memory. For example, the Books app on my iPhone sits where my (third party) Reddit app used to be. That way when I reach for my phone during those short moments of downtime throughout the day I’m more likely to read something a little more meaningful.
For video games specifically I try to consume less meta content such as gameplay videos and reviews. I fell into this trap where I would spend so much time researching a new game and watching other people play it that by the time I got my hands on it a lot of the novelty wore off and I had little interest left.
We've gone from TV to YouTube videos
I don't know if I'd consider going from 22 minute sitcoms to 2 hour, 45 minute video about the history of Bloons part of the evolution.
My journey started a year ago.
One day, fed up with who I am and the seemingly intractable mess I’d made of my life, I started repeating one mantra to myself. Apparently it was the perfect mantra for me:
“I can make my life a little better today”
It’s been like magic.
I love that. ♥️
Give it a shot, if you like.
Understimulating environment. I just go to my car where I can read but not much else. My laptop doesn't really fit between me and the steering wheel, internet is only on my phone, I don't have a TV or gaming consoles there...
1 chapter before bed. I used to try to read in big marathons, but it would burn me our for a while, I would almost never find the time, and I wouldn't make as much progress as I should have