Overstimulation is Ruining Your Life

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#aperture #philosophy #psychology #overstimulation #boredom

[incognito]

It’s kinda funny that I’m learning about this on an app that’s purpose is to overstimulate you.

[kayskreed]

I remember as a kid the sensation of being 'bored' and having 'nothing to do'. And yet, aside from daydreaming, it was during those times that I found the most inspiration to try something new, or do something I hadn't done in a long time. But now as an adult not only having more responsibility but many more options to keep myself distracted, I rarely have the opportunity to experience boredom and therefore rarely feel inspired. I believe it is all connected.

[lonesome]

As someone who regularly spends 6-8 hours a day on the phone thi was pretty inspirational. And honestly, social media addiction is pretty damn real, and incredibly hard to get out of

[cwcpants]

“All of humanities problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

Blaise Pascal

[Deepanshuk]

"Next time you find yourself reaching for your phone when you're bored, REMEMBER, you're choosing to voluntarily shock yourself instead of looking out the window and contemplating on your own metaphorical apple falling from the tree. You'd be surprised what your mind can achieve, when you just allow it to wander, for a moment."
-Aperture

[sidarthus]

As someone who spends most of his time in his head, it's absolutely amazing what it can do for you. I'm a student, and I realized a few years ago that when I let myself just blank out for an hour or two everyday, my grades began to improve and I actually understood the topics completely the first time. I am currently in the 99th percentile for math in my grade level, but I used to get C's in math before this. I'm in a school that provides a lot of opportunities to get ahead, so I do have some outlying support, but the point I'm making is that your mind already has the tools it needs to exceed even if you don't realize it. It may not be in math or whatever, but your brain is literally a supercomputer; it will figure things out on its own if you let it.

[InnuendoXP]

As a middle of the pack millennial, this hit very close to home.

As a kid I used to be able to spend a whole day from dawn to dusk reading books, I'd be able to happily sit quietly or walk around aimlessly & just think, for hours at a time.

As a teenager I spent every available moment playing videogames, improving my ability to play guitar, or playing around with basic crafts like making bows from raw timber & still managed to read a book now & then. I didn't even want a mobile phone because I didn't like the idea that I should be accessible to other people 24 hours a day, wherever I am, and was the last of my friend group to get one.

Since my late teens & through most of my twenties, the internet & social media has absolutely dominated my life & headspace. Whenever I manage to quit one, I just find endless novelty in another one.

I don't even have the patience to really sit down & play videogames anymore. I can't even play a round or two of a roguelite or racing game without a podcast playing in the background & I'm too mentally restless to get immersed in story -driven games that I used to absolutely love.

It's at the stage where I consciously realise every day that I'm compulsively sinking endless hours of wasted attention & mental effort into things that don't fulfill me & won't improve my life.

For brief intervals here & there where I can't use my phone, I'm amazingly productive, attentive & inspired. It feels almost superhuman compared to my usual state of plodding compulsive behaviour.

I really wouldn't be surprised if in a few generations, the way we allow devices & systems to be designed today to maximise engagement for its own sake now will be viewed the same way we in the modern day view the 19th & early 20th centuries where arsenic tonic was fed to children & wjere you could buy morphine, heroin & cocaine practically as regular household remedies.

Anyway I guess the best kind of success this vid could get would be the worst outcome for this channel - people stop compulsively watching endless YouTube videos lol. I really feel like I want to put my phone down & never pick it up again, but it's just not an option now.

[adamelenordID]

The sad part is, people around me considered me a freak, because whenever we have nothing to do, I was just daydreming instead of looking at my phone. That makes me kinda uncomfortable daydraming in public. When my friends and wife caught me daydreaming, they be like “Whats the matter? Do you have a problem?”, while strangers be like “such a psychopath”

[cameronpavelic]

What makes overstimulation even more popular these days is that it’s so common amongst peers and strangers, that not participating in it draws attention to yourself. If your focus is on the world around you that others are living in, and not sucked into your own personal stimulus, people begin to wonder what your intentions are to be so interested in their world. It makes people uncomfortable what you may be thinking, and we live in a world where making people uncomfortable is extremely discouraged.

[iamcreative_]

I tend to just look outside and watch nature occur..the tree, birds, etc. It's actually calming to just sit there and watch true life take place. I feel as if we humans have to much that distracts us from what really matters in life and that animals see thing (especially in today's times) completely different regarding living. Meditation is what I use to stay focused and present in this life of mine..

[nasirdjedi]

my friends tend to make fun of me for the amount of time i spend doing nothing and conjuring up random shit. but after watching this video, i realize that's when im most creative and productive. now i feel a little bit more proud of my art and the things i like to think about, knowing that something actually valuable might come out of it one day

[skitykittycat]

It’s really not the boredom for me… it’s my mind is often a nightmare. I love the moments when I can just sit quietly doing a mundane task and let my mind wander. I journal so much in those moments and I discover great truths about myself and my life… but then the anxiety and depression hit and that’s what becomes unbearable.

[Tatertotmaster]

As someone who likes to draw, I sometimes run out of ideas and have a difficult time thinking of new drawing ideas, and for quite awhile now my thought process was "I just need to get inspired." and the way I decided to try and do that was to watch videos, shows and basically any media I enjoyed. I thought the more media I consumed, the higher chance I'd have of finding something that would give me a good idea. Maybe next time I'll just sit down with my sketchbook open until I think of something. This is an excellent video.

[kyote]

i just realized, he makes his videos like essays. he has: intro, a few bp and evidence - explanation, and the conclusion. well done bro

[avriel]

So, I'm ADHD, and it's really interesting being a person who has low dopamine already. I NEED to be stimulated, or at least, I thought that I needed that. When I stopped adding things to my life, when I deleted social media, when I got rid of all that, and stopped listening to music as much (i still listen to it a lot, although last year I listened to it for over a fourth of the whole year), my life and mental wellbeing changed. I now, it seems, am the only person I really know that can put his emotions into words nearly instantly, and can understand why I do things and where my own motivations come from in very quick formation. Along with that, I went from hating being in silence to loving it, to talking to myself about topics that I wanted to go deeper into, to praying more, to meditating, and all of that. I can sit in silence with nothing but my own self and think deeply now, and it actually has become quite enjoyable as all other moments on youtube or anything else (save this channel which keeps me thinking) often kills all my brain activity. Now, I'm not saying this will cure your depression or be fun for you like it was for me, but all I know is that the way that I viewed the world did change, and the way that I went through life was shaped by it. Boredom isn't a killer, it's simply the basis of our thoughts, but we're so against it in favor of flight that we forget sometimes that we need to be grounded.

[InsaneDropBear]

I thought school was what killed my creativity, now I'm thinking it was also partly the increasing stimuli that occurred as schools, society and homelife was flooded with the growing tech "necessities"

[nuthhi]

I like to go on walks once a week out in nature and my surroundings and just think or talk to myself about my feelings or emotions. While this may not be perfect for others, making time for you to think about yourself or just think in general is very important.

[uremawifenowdave]

You’ve just inspired me to delete YouTube after a year of using it to get through a chronic illness. I’ve been toying with doing this for quite sometime, but would find myself reaching for the phone beside my bed and losing myself in YouTube for hours of the day. I think I’m long overdue for a change. Thank you for your eloquence and for giving me the needed push to consider doing this. My chronic illness is just going to have to find another outlet while I’m bedridden. Once again, thank you.

[serinab]

I used to be fine being alone with my thoughts, bored, but in the current period I'm in I'm uncertain about the future and have regrets of the past and so being alone with my thoughts is terrifying because I spiral so much I start having anxiety attacks.

[CamJames]

Glad I came across this. I recently was pushed out of my startup leadership (i co-founded it) and spiraled into a situation where I was living in Ft. Lauderdale for two weeks in this apartment I hated. I just went outside every day and fed the ducks near this lake. I was reading sometimes, and other times I was just staring out at the lake for hours. It revitalized my sense of purpose and motivated me to get back to the things I love, in the city I love: Atlanta.