By the time I realized I was glued to the phone at work during my breaks, I had to tear myself away. But when I realized my colleagues were engaged on social media and I had nobody to interact with – it was back to my gaming world.
So much for trying to be more socially active.
Others found more success.
Redditor Clear-Chef asked strangers on the internet:
"What is something you thought you enjoyed but then learned you are actually much happier without?"
Those who pried themselves away from the things they thought were bringing them joy discovered they were much better off without them – like smoking or even cooking.
I understand the benefits of deleting my gaming apps, and there may be another attempt in the future.
Just don't ask me to give up coffee. It will never happen, and if you deny me my cup of joe, I'll scratch your eyes out.
Smoking
"Cigarette, smokers know how enjoyable smoking is, but after enjoying smoking for years I realized I had to stop, because even in a small work or activity I get out of breath easily. Now that I had stop smoking, my stamina begins to improve and I got a lot of work done everyday without worrying of getting out of breath."
One-Sided Friendships
"Energy-draining friendships."
"I'm just tired of supporting friends through their hardships all day long and only talking about issues etc."
"Notwithstanding the fact that it's often one-sided, friendships were you just enjoy one another without constantly talking about your/their issues is a breath of fresh air and a very welcome comfort bubble where you can just escape reality."
– Terroa
Getting High
"Weed. My boyfriend is a huge stoner, so for a while I felt pressured to try and keep up. But I'm one of those poor souls who spend the entire high ruminating on how they are not having a good time, so I don't smoke. More for the boyfriend anyways."
Out All Night
"Partying, doing drugs, and staying up all night. Turns out I actually enjoy waking up feeling good and well-rested."
Extracurricular Activity
"I used to be super involved in post-work activities- volunteering, running groups, leagues, etc. The pandemic shutdown made me realize all these things were draining me as I wasn't getting enough time at home just unwinding. I was racing from work to whatever, and then getting home just in time to sleep."
– wrilbo67
It's In Everything We Eat
"Sugar. The first few days are hell but once you get over that hump, being sugar-free will change your life!"Gaming
"A specific kind of video game. Anything that wants daily play to manage progression. Gacha Games. Destiny. Whatever. If it plays off my fear of missing out I'm just done. They create a stress that I neither want nor need. It's manipulative. It's awful. I am of the opinion it's unethical and want it and the micro transactions that often go with it regulated because many times they're aimed at children who are far more susceptible to it than I am. There's too many horror stories of kids dropping hundreds of bucks off their parents stolen credit card to get V-Bucks, Clash of Clans Gems/what have you."
– Aminar14
Booze
"Alcohol."
"I figured I'd give sober October a spin. So far it's been pretty amazing. I haven't missed it at all and I don't think I'll go back to drinking. It's only been a couple of weeks and I've already lost a bit of weight."
Certain Gym Memberships
"Going to the gym. It was a specialized strength gym in a warehouse, gritty and full of people who trained hard. I was there for 7 years, made friends, met my husband, competed, and set gym records. Huge part of my life."
"But it was actually full of drama and bullies and law breaking and it was unbelievably dirty and unsanitary. People I thought were my friends turned out to be catty and awful. During quarantine they secretly stayed open (we did not go), cops were called a few times, they had online bullying witch hunts, and currently nobody wears masks or distances at all - according to the idiot members posting on social media (our state mandates masks)."
"Good f'king riddance. We built our own garage gym and it's like a huge weight was lifted (ha)."
Chop Chop, Bye Bye
"Cooking. When I was younger I used to love helping my mom and grandma cook. Now its just annoying to me. It sucks cause I know that when I start to live on my own, I'm going to have to know how to cook for myself to survive."
