Alternative coping mechanism?
I watch a ton of youtube An unhealthy amount of my time is spent watching stupid videos. I've tried deleting the app, website blocking, time restrictions swapping to music but time and time again I end up back to youtube. It ruins my productivity so badly where it affects my education and sleep.
I can't stand to be alone with my thoughts and myself as a whole. A quiet room is terrfiying to me. I watch videos to combat the silence and not feel so alone but I need something better. What can I subsitute for youtube or how can I learn to be ok with my thoughts.
@SilentSnowfall7
Hey there, thanking for reaching out through the forums and sharing your issues. The internet is a very addictive place, You start with a video and the next thing you know that hours have already passed by. It is a very common problem these days so I understand that we end up regretting after spending so much time on it. Self-control is very essential in these cases, once you start, you need to tell yourself for how long you can afford to spend time in there, there is no easy way to do it.
I also get where you are coming from, silence fills our mind with uncontrollable thoughts and it is very natural to not want to go through that or have such thoughts in our minds and the best way to do that is to distract ourselves. I cannot suggest what might work best for you, however, if you have any hobbies or something that you like doing even those things can make you feel better and serve as alternate ways to be productive and also do something that you actually enjoy. Take care of yourself and I hope this helps <3
@BlissfulSummer I could also use some advice. I cope with my depression and boredom by smoking, and occasionally cutting, and I have tried before to get my hands on drugs. How do I stop wanting to do drugs?
@SilentSnowfall7
Sometimes when my thoughts are to loud I listen to music even louder. Bigger projects that tie into your interests can help to, for example creating an entirely new song, drawing a whole page of animals of people in different poses, or perfecting a recipe. The longer they take, the better! You can even do these things while listening to music if that helps. In the end the thing that worked for me the most was spending lots of time with people. I know it might be harder to see friends right now with corona, but hopefully that will change in the near future. Making plans with people and sticking to them can help draw you away from screens, and maybe they can help you find something you can enjoy even when they're not around. These are just some tips that helped me, best wishes to you!