What happens when we turn off the path to distractions?
I’m doing The Artist’s Way course—a 12-week self-directed book with a ton of exercises meant to help spark creativity. Dochii, Kerry Washington, and 100 other people on my TikTok feed have been telling me to give it a go.
I’m currently on week 4, which has the rule: no consuming media. In my book (from the 1980s), it refers only to reading: no books, no magazines, no bus bench ads, nothing. More recent versions have been updated, including no movies, no TV, no podcasts, no music, no social media. Nothing where another person’ or artist’s voice is louder than your own. The idea is by interrupting input channels, we’re able to better listen to our own voice. Sort of like turning down the radio when we’re driving to a hard-to-find address.
My inner voice has gone from I’m bored to Maybe this is how I should live my whole life to how does anyone do this? About one hundred times. I’m taking it seriously, because I want to get the benefits of a stronger creative voice. Even my searches for information are now limited. I know that it’s so easy for me to click away for a minute and suddenly I’m back on Reddit.
I’m realizing—embarrassingly—how much I seek comfort. I put away the dishes and “reward” myself with time on Tiktok. I do a mundane task and think, this would be better with music, and now that’s a default action (making boring things enjoyable). But it feels as though I’m filling up every moment of time with the voices of other people.
There’s also a distinction I’m noticing, that I don’t like about myself. There’s a different between media that excites me, and media that helps me turn my brain off. When you’re anxious, sometimes dulling your brain is good—giving it less things to focus on calms it. But how reliant is too much when it comes to dulling the senses?
Some media forces my mind to be an active participant in my entertainment. An action movie; a good fiction book; a piece of music that really builds; a podcast where an interesting idea is being discussed. All these things force my mind to be an active participant in its own entertainment. 20-second TikToks; background music that I don’t pay attention to; a TV show whose premise resets at the end of every episode… These are things I indulge in when I need to use my brain a little less actively. I’m a passive viewer in this state.
This week has made me reflect on how I travel. Because if I’m really honest with myself, a lot of travel content is stuff that I happen upon when I’m looking to distract myself. I learn about new destinations, restaurants, and experiences through mindlessly scrolling on TikTok. I discover things I didn’t know I wanted to go to—like a pig café in Budapest, or Heaven’s Gate in Tianmen Cave. Things pop up on my feed and I get super excited!
But there’s a huge difference between seeking that content, and that content being pushed on us. It feels like the difference between ordering a restaurant meal, instead of the waiter just bringing whatever they like. Curating life experiences is hard—because when we spend enough time on these websites, they learn what we like so well that we stay there. (And speaking candidly, I know I probably stay too long!)
I’ve been reflecting on how algorithms can alter our experience of the world. I’m happy that I get fed new things—but constantly getting new pieces of information can be overwhelming to an anxious mind. And overwhelm is something I try really hard to avoid!
Not only does it overwhelm, but sometimes—when I’m online too long—the opposite can happens. I’m not sure that “underwhelm” is technically a term, but when everything feels new and special, nothing does. I save all the things that excite me to a folder I never open. I doomscroll, looking for more and more excitement, because nothing scratches that itch anymore.
And oddly, I feel like these distractions are very easy to walk away from while I’m travelling. When I’m purposefully in a new location that I’m truly excited about, I’m not spending my lunch hour on TikTok or Instagram. I’m taking pictures, enjoying local cuisine, and making the most of where my attention is going. I might use my phone in the evening to relax after a long day of walking, but it’s not something I’m constantly reaching for throughout my day.
All this is to say—I’m actually really enjoying my media-free week. Now I wonder—what good can come from turning off other people’s voices, and deciding to listen only to my own? If you’re thinking of doing a phone detox or a “dumb” phone switch, then a limited time run where you stop using social media, online videos, and digesting other people’s stories might be a good way to start!
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