dopamine reset.

tuesday, january 10th, 2023.

I wrote about degaming my habits a few days ago. I've been doing a phenomenally okay job at staying off of the fediverse since then. It's helped. I deleted the Mastodon bookmarks on my phone and computer, too. Having to type in that URL any time I get the urge is just enough friction to make me reconsider. My RSS reader is slowing down my online reading habits in a good way, too!

I've spent about an hour on my phone today and most of that has been reading a book. The phone has otherwise been sitting at my desk, untouched. Going for a long walk with empty pockets? Superb.

Full Quiet came in the mail yesterday, and I played it for a few hours on my couch. It's really good. It plays a bit like an adventure game version of Contra or Metroid. It's really neat that indie developers are making new games for the NES. A game this good makes it doubly so!

I've been meditating most days since the new year began. Often, it's just one turn of the mala, or 108 breaths. That's anywhere from 10-15 minutes for me depending on how slowly I'm breathing. If my monkey mind doesn't calm down by the time I make it halfway through, I'll sit through another turn of the mala.

These small habit changes are snowballing into a more relaxed me. It feels like a valve has opened up and the steam is escaping. I'm here for it.

Until next time, be well! :)