bigc wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2024 2:10 pm

Wood Goblin wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2024 2:03 pm All things analog: shooting on film, listening to music on vinyl or 78s, reading books on paper that I get from the library. Anything that gets me off my phone and away from distractions.

It's been remarkable to me how attenuated my anxiety is from avoiding all things digital. I'm 50, and one day thought 'my brain grew up without this stuff, so I should really take advantage of that', and haven't looked back.

(I say as I type on a screen while working).

At minimum, everyone should shut down their screens an hour or two before bed. Read, do restorative yoga or meditate, write in a journal, whatever. Not blasting your eyes with light before bed should help you sleep better too.

bigc wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2024 2:14 pm the forces that require that action have created the sense of responsibility you feel for their inaction.

This. I'm so fucking sick of it. I'm stealing that.

enframed wrote: Wed Oct 09, 2024 9:18 am

bigc wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2024 2:14 pm the forces that require that action have created the sense of responsibility you feel for their inaction.

This. I'm so fucking sick of it. I'm stealing that.

Word. What a bunch of clowns. It's your responsibility to act since we're in the position to act but do fuck all.

John Berger, 'How to Resist A State of Forgetfulness' has done some good to me and several people close to me. (It's collected in his short book Confabulations, recommended reading.)

I'm still quite socially isolated, and I need to address that - get to the local community centre and find out what i can do for them - but things that have helped recently:

• leaving the house with no earphones, just my keys, early mornings, listening and watching, my camera and a notepad
• the internet is forbidden from the bedroom, i wake up with a real alarm clock
• i call my blood relations more often. we don't really get one another, but no longer have to, and we're only here a short while

i wonder how zack is doing.

dfglv wrote: Wed Oct 09, 2024 10:04 am
[*] the internet is forbidden from the bedroom, i wake up with a real alarm clock

Same. I also wear a watch. It's good to know the time without using the phone, and it's a nice thing to wear as an accessory.

I and a few friends created a virtual music book club. We meet every other week for two hours or so. Its been great to read books I wouldn't normally choose and its great to gather with a bunch of people who dont live near each other to talk and provide insights. This has been great way to keep me reading, as the previous few years I almost stopped reading for pleasure, which was really weird. It's like having a fun college English class you dont have to pay for.

So yeah, books are great.

There is a ton of free info out there, never been a better time to teach yourself a skill or new hobby. I taught myself photoshop and am going to move over to illustrator soon. It is making me want to learn screen printing. Just for fun. Bad, good, whatever. This may sound dumb, but I learned I am pretty good at making cookies, so I keep fucking with that, and its been fun (and fattening) and I've found some joy there. My wife is learning to speak Japanese, and has come a long way. Keeping my brain active with little new things really keeps me from losing it sometimes and helps me avoid doom scrolling.