Staying Unplugged (Mostly)

I was writing in my gratitude journal and having my coffee yesterday when I happened to look down at the random mug I grabbed that morning.  'Enjoy the journey.'  It was a fitting message, especially doubled with the quote on the front of my journal.   I love noticing these little inspiring things.  Glimmers.

For the last few years, I have consciously made an effort to wean myself away from the internet and to limit my screen time.  I will be the first to admit I have gone back and forth quite a number of times.  I have deleted my Facebook profile over 5 times.  I am not sure what it is I expect to find when I create a new one and return, again, but it's mostly brain-rot. 

For me, it's not just about staying offline.  It's become more a thing of digital minimalism.  I feel disillusioned by the internet, in general.  Back in the day when websites were personalized and forums were cozy places for niche hobbies, it was fun.  In the first couple years when the internet was made public, it was almost magical.  And entertaining.

These days, big companies and corporations have their greedy hands dipped into everything.  Social media exploits the information of it's users for the sake of selling ads.  Most websites these days do the same thing. 

Honestly, social media and companies like google have monopolized the internet.  It's not magical anymore.  For the most part, it's not even interesting.

I'm burned out with online gaming, which is another hobby I used to do via the internet.  I've just lost interest.

I think it's sad, everywhere you go people are glued to their screens.  They are so immersed with the facade of all these falsified lies on a screen that they don't even bother to look up and acknowledge the real life, the real people, in front of them.  And I've resolved NOT to live that way.

Anyway, I've had people ask me what I am doing to fill the void of time that remains once you wipe out an activity that previously ate away at your time, like all of it.  

At first it was hard.  Like I said in a previous post, sadly not a lot of people are interested in communicating in ways other than social media.  It seems to be too much trouble to send regular telephone text messages.  And there seems to be this weird paradigm that if you are not on social media and can't be texted via Facebook Messenger or on Instagram, you seem to be too much trouble to keep contact with.  

I feel like people almost favor the odd social media 'friendship' over a real connection.  And, I guess that's okay if that is what works for them.  I am not really into fair-weather friends anyway, but like I said it really limits your social interaction.  I have managed to keep three actual friendships with friends I have had for a very long time and who keep in touch with me via my actual telephone number.  I never did create any lasting relationships with connections that I made exclusively across any social media app.  I think that goes to show they aren't real connections.  Once the app and your account are gone, they all disappear!

So, to answer the question of how I fill my time:

1.  These days I only use an internet connection (or my devices) for:  audio books and e-books (I utilize Amazon, Libby, Open Library and Hoopla).  I use my laptop to create artwork via Photoshop.  I also use my laptop or tablet to write posts on my blog.  I am big on podcasts, so I do utilize YouTube to watch podcasts and documentaries.  Every now and then I watch the occasional movie.  All in all, I try to spend less than an hour actually looking at a screen (unless I'm reading).  I limit internet browsing.  

2. I no longer play online games.  I used to play games on various websites, but I am trying to do new activities that are screen free.  I have a few PC games (purchased from Steam) and the original Sims game and I play these from time to time (a few times a week, an hour or two at most at a time).

3.  I have had to find new hobbies that do not require a screen.  

So here is a list of non-screen hobbies I have taken up:

    1.  Adult Coloring.  This is a hobby all itself.  You collect coloring books, collect different types of pencils, markers, pens.  You can collect coloring sheets from various places online.  You can even utilize an AI art creator and create your own pages!  I do this too.  

    2.  Jewelry Making.  I mostly like to make earrings.  I make bracelets and necklaces as well but the earrings are super easy, fast, and there's just something satisfying about completing a gorgeous pair of earrings to wear (or share).

    3.  Book Annotating.  This is especially fun if you are already a reader.  This hobby is all about personalizing your books as you read them.  Write notes, ideas, reactions in the margins.  Underline or highlight your favorite quotes, passages and descriptions.  You can even get those tiny sticky notes to save special pages and passages.  You can doodle, take notes, write your own poems or descriptions as you read...anything goes!  It's like turning a good book you're reading into a little journal of sorts.

    4.  An Interactive Reading Journal.  This is somewhat like keeping a journal except its all in relation to the books you read.  For example, you write your reactions, ideas, and feelings about the characters, what you are reading and what is going on inside the story.  You can relate the text to your own experiences or other stories you've read.  You can summarize key points and themes.  You can even write your own dialogue between yourself and one of the characters...or dialogue you wish your character had said.  Anything goes, it's your own journal.  I love keeping an interactive reading journal, it takes the hobby of reading to a whole new level, it deepens your understanding and retention to the material you read.

    5.  Collecting Ball Joint Dolls.  These dolls come in various sizes.  They all have their own unique eyes, wigs, clothing, styles and accessories.  It's really an artistic hobby and also allows room for self expression as you get the satisfaction of creating (or ordering) these dolls exactly how you want them to look.  I also enjoy creating my own accessories and scenes, dioramas for my dolls.  For example, I've created a little cafe scene with two dolls having coffee together.  It truly is fun and they are beautiful to look at!  You can even sew and create your own clothing for them, doll furniture, and so on.  Many people who collect ball joint dolls also enjoy doll photography, where they put their dolls in specific scenes and poses and take photos.  I enjoy doing this as well.

    6.  Collecting Reborn Dolls.  Reborn dolls are gorgeous baby dolls that are so artistically made and painted that they resemble real babies and children.  Much like collecting ball joint dolls, you can dress them, accessorize them, create spaces for them to sit or sleep.  Many women take the hobby a step further and enjoy feeding the dolls, bathing them, changing diapers and so on.  Personally, I love dressing mine.   I have eight so far (which is kind of a lot).  They each have their own sleeping/sitting space.  I love shopping for clothes and accessories for them.  They are gorgeous to photograph.  And they are so comforting to just hold and cuddle for a few moments!

    7.  Puzzle Books.  I feel like this is such an old-fashioned activity.  Something people did in the 70's through the 90's.  It's something that I think gets the stigma that says it's only for old people.  Trust me, it's not.  I am talking word finds, crosswords, sudoku, mazes, even the fat kiddie fun pads that have silly little activities that are super easy and simple.  Honestly, when I do these I am not looking for intellectual stimulation, instead I am looking to relax and unwind and it's totally okay to have some quick easy fun with a kiddie puzzle if that's what lights you up for a minute!

    8.  Baking and Cooking.  I use cookbooks to find recipes, which is easy because I have collected a whole stack of them.  Usually I bake some type of cake at least twice a week.  I also try to pick out one new recipe to try each week.  I've actually learned how to make some things that I like a lot and now I make some of them on a regular basis.  It's a hobby all it's own to look through cookbooks, pick recipes out and go shopping for ingredients.  Aside from trying new things, I actually cook dinner almost every night so it's a timely process just to prepare food, cook and then clean back up.

    9.   Keeping an Art Journal.  The great thing about an art journal is...anything goes.  Create word art, create collage art, do sketches, use colored pencils.  You can doodle.  Free write. Combine sketching with collage.  Create your own little crossword or word finds to fill in later (trust me, you will forget where you put most of the words).  Art journaling is such a relaxing activity.  All you need is a notebook, a gluestick, an ink pen, some old magazines and a few colored pencils to begin with.

    10.  Creating and working on Binders.  You can create a binder of anything.  Right now I have two.  I have my Life Binder, and a Recipe binder.  The life binder is a lot like a planner.  It has sections for current things, a calendar, to-do lists, schedules.  It has a section for blog ideas. A section for goals.  A section of books to read.  Movies watched.  Pretty much anything going on in my life that I want to organize.  The recipe is pretty self-explanatory.  I write out and keep all of my recipes that I know how to cook and that I enjoy cooking.  Or things I have cooked and want to cook again.  You can find tons of binder printables on Etsy.  I also like to just print out blank lined paper so I can write and create what I want with it.

    11.  Decluttering my house and selling anything I don't want/need/use on ebay.  I just began this hobby a month ago and have over $2000 already.  I love getting rid of things i don't want and don't intend to use again.  I use the extra money to fund my new hobbies.  All you need is to create an Ebay account and start taking photos of your stuff and listing it.

    12.   Paint by number / sticker by number.  The painting takes a lot more time and effort.  The stickers are simple and easy.  I prefer the sticker by numbers but enjoy both!  The paint by numbers come in a variety of skill levels.  The sticker by numbers come in books.

    13.  Evening Walks.  I prefer to walk in the evening when the sun goes down and the humidity isn't quite as thick, especially in the summer months.  I walk anywhere from half an hour to an hour.  Not only is it great exercise, it's not just walking though.  I pause to take pictures...of flowers, a cute cat, the sky.  My daughter usually walks with me so it's nice quality time spent together.  

    14.  Swimming, hanging out by the pool.  I have a small above ground pool in my yard during the summer months.  It's the perfect size for floating, hanging out on a float.  I've also invested in a huge umbrella and some lawn chairs, so I just hang out by the pool, read, drink iced tea, enjoy the weather.  When I get too hot I jump back in the pool and cool off.  

    15.  Window Shopping and Thrift Shopping.  On the weekends, or once per week, I enjoy browsing the local thrift shops and antique shops.  Sometimes I find a little treasure, sometimes not.  I like to stop by the cafe and get a nice iced coffee while I browse.  It's fun and it gets me out of the house for a bit.

    16.  Journal Writing.  I've been doing this since the 7th grade!  It's so simple.  It only requires a decent notebook and a working pen.  I always write with a pen because pencil led eventually fades!  My journal is my constant companion.  It's a place where I write favorite quotes or snippets of conversation that I hear.  Sometimes I use a prompt to write with.  Sometimes I write poetry or lists.  Most of the time I just free write and dump whatever is on my mind.  My journals really are a document of my life over the years.  They contain memories and pieces of my life that have made me who I am.  

    17.  Creating Content.  This includes planning, and working on, all my blog posts here.  Working on artwork.  Writing poetry topical to this blog.  Planning and working on future products for my blog and shop.  A lot of hard work, writing, and organizing goes into maintaining this little blog!

So there you have it.  A growing list of activities I have used to replace doom-scrolling, mindless browsing and social media!  And I feel a whole lot better (mentally and physically) for having done this.  I have absolutely no intensions of going to back to social media or the crazy screen/internet usage again.  I feel liberated.