[Guest]

Hi, I just have one wish, to unplug from the web and come back into the real life! Where is my blue pill?

I'm a 21 years old massagist from NY, and when I come back after work, tiered from standing all day long, I just turn on my laptop, and suddenly, it's 2 am. How do you manage to keep your offline life, when you have a pc at home?

My obssesion is icq, blogs, myspace and any web place where you can meet interesting people. Forums are new to me, but I thought to give it a try.

ps: I'm a total newbee at forums, so I'm sorry if posted in the wrong place, just got here and saw this one.. Please be kind to show me the right place where you can just talk with people.

[akaslickster]

Hi, I just have one wish, to unplug from the web and come back into the real life! Where is my blue pill?

I'm a 21 years old massagist from NY, and when I come back after work, tiered from standing all day long, I just turn on my laptop, and suddenly, it's 2 am. How do you manage to keep your offline life, when you have a pc at home?

My obssesion is icq, blogs, myspace and any web place where you can meet interesting people. Forums are new to me, but I thought to give it a try.

ps: I'm a total newbee at forums, so I'm sorry if posted in the wrong place, just got here and saw this one.. Please be kind to show me the right place where you can just talk with people.

I suggest finding work around the house, or watching TV or go to sleep if you are on the web too much. I am working 2 jobs now, so I am limited and unable to over do it. It's a very common thing these days, just don't let it take over your life. Signed: Dear AKA

[unreality]

Hi, I just have one wish, to unplug from the web and come back into the real life! Where is my blue pill?

I'm a 21 years old massagist from NY, and when I come back after work, tiered from standing all day long, I just turn on my laptop, and suddenly, it's 2 am. How do you manage to keep your offline life, when you have a pc at home?

My obssesion is icq, blogs, myspace and any web place where you can meet interesting people. Forums are new to me, but I thought to give it a try.

ps: I'm a total newbee at forums, so I'm sorry if posted in the wrong place, just got here and saw this one.. Please be kind to show me the right place where you can just talk with people.

if you wanted to "unplug" why are you joining forums? If I were you, I'd just not even come back here to check for replies... although obviously you did if you're reading this. So, after this, no longer visit Brainden, or any other forum unless it's absolutely necessary. Then stop reading/commenting blogs unless you find them always new & interesting & insightful... if you're doing it because it's routine then just stop. But if it's something you love doing then why not, just don't spend so much time on it. I'd say cut back on the blogs and icq, and in some cases, where appropriate, maybe make an announcement how you'll be on less as you have more and more things IRL to be attending to. If you love doing something or if you love being part of this-or-that community then don't leave it all together... retain connection with it but just don't go on as much and spend more time "outside". You can still maintain a vast social network and not have to care for it every second... just come on occasionally, keep up with the community, etc. But if anything is superfluous or routine anywhere in your web life then cut it out, delete it from your bookmarks and force yourself not to go back. The internet can be addicting

[Guest]

I don't think you should neccessarily "unplug." If you're staying on forums to long, then you just need an alarm to tell you to get off. I've got parents, so I can hardly get on anyways, but on most computer's you should be able to get an alarm app.

[andromeda]

Follow the white rabbit... or in this case don't! Cause I'm pretty stuck in here too

I dunno... visit friends, go to movies, museums, theater, read books, move somewhere with a really bad internet connection... er... um... Mars nah they could probably set up a good connection there too

[Guest]

erm...... (this wouldn't exactly unplug you but) you could set a timer for about an hour when you go on and when it goes off you can do something else like read a book

[Guest]

Have a baby and lose your job. I haven't been online in weeks!

What is unfortunate is that what we all experience here is much the same as an addicted gambler. There are small random rewards (replies to posts, comments from friends, etc.) that heighten the anticipation levels and release all of those cool neurochemicals that make us feel good. That's how addiction works and it's a lot more prevalent than most folks suspect.

That being said: Moderation is the key, as with most things. Cutting yourself off "cold turkey" only heightens the endorphin response when you fall off the wagon, and statistically you will.

To start, you have to do something different when you walk through the door, instead of get on the computer. Call your mother (she's been asking about you). Do the dishes. Walk to the store and flirt with the cute guy/girl in the frozen foods section. What you do doesn't matter, as long as when you get home and mindlessly sit down with the laptop, something inside you triggers and you tell yourself that you HAVE to do something else first. Anything.

That alone could be all your brain needs to get things going. Just keep trying to disrupt the bad habit and keep the replacement activity fairly random, the mind is a powerful tool if you give it the opportunity to work for you.

Good luck!

[andromeda]

Walk to the store and flirt with the cute guy/girl in the frozen foods section.

Um... at the frozen food section I'm trying to think more than ten ways to use that package of frozen fish as a weapon

What you do doesn't matter, as long as when you get home and mindlessly sit down with the laptop, something inside you triggers and you tell yourself that you HAVE to do something else first. Anything.

Yeah... I do have do to something else first, plug it in. My PC is not working without electricity.

I'm hopeless