# How do you deal w/ Super Stimuli?

![](https://39669.cdn.cke-cs.com/rQvD3VnunXZu34m86e5f/images/deaf8528c2d3e1480d24f30deee8952cf78bb6f390693ea0.png)

From [neel.fun](https://neal.fun/stimulation-clicker/)

I remember watching Youtube videos and thinking "This is the last video, I will quit after this". However, as soon as the video ends, my preferences would suddenly change to wanting to do one more! 

Many of us understand this false dichotomy:

1.  Quit mid-way through the video
2.  Quit ~~after the video ends~~ at 3 am 

So I would (sometimes) stop binging videos, but only if I quit mid-way through.

Then short-form videos wrecked me.

These (tik-toks/shorts/reels) have NO "middle of the video" to have a moment of reflection. I'm constantly in that "high preference for the next hit" state. The algorithms are optimized against me and they're only getting worse!

From [social dark matter](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/KpMNqA5BiCRozCwM3/social-dark-matter), if it's taboo to admit to some "problem", then you won't hear about how many people have that "problem"[^d1rk11z1xw] 

My shoddy estimate[^390d56hdn0q] tells me that:  
\- 1/2 people reading this "waste" 1.5 hrs/day on unendorsed hyper-stimuli  
\- 1/4 waste 3+ hrs/day  
\- 1/5 waste 4+ hrs/day  
\- 1/10 waste 5+ hrs/day

And it's embarassing to talk about! I'm only writing this post because I have been productive/non-binging these past 2 weeks. 

Solutions are likely personal, but here's what worked for me.

Keeping electronics & chargers outside of bedroom
=================================================

When I waste time, it's usually on my side, in bed w/ my phone up to 3am (or when my phone dies). 

Turns out I can simply keep my charger outside my bedroom and hook it up at night. In it's place, I've been reading fun, hard-cover fiction books, like [The Martian](https://www.amazon.com/Martian-Novel-Andy-Weir/dp/0804139024?tag=googhydr-20&source=dsa&hvcampaign=books&gclid=Cj0KCQiAs5i8BhDmARIsAGE4xHzOpcCbzr30O3k-Ezyglce655f_MbpsfhMPPqWkfYu7FE2gPd0eD6UaAmq1EALw_wcB), which I really enjoyed and look forward to:)[^nqgjvwe9gd] 

Since I've started associating laying down in bed w/ *only* going to sleep, I've gotten much better sleep (so unintuitive, right?)

You too could move your chargers outside your room, read fun books, and get great sleep! 

Seeing a Psychiatrist
=====================

I think I might have ADD, so I scheduled an appointment with a psychiatrist with that ADHD-specialty advertised. I got an off-label prescription for [Wellbutrin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bupropion), which isn't an ADHD treatment (hence "off-label"), but has worked for me so far!

[Other](https://old.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/yd4bwu/had_my_first_appointment_and_doctor_prescribed_me/itpxcyc/)'s on wellbutrin have said it doesn't help them w/ ADD specifically, but instead allowed starting better routines/habits, which is similar for me (see "Keeping electronics & chargers outside of bedroom")

Even if the effects wear off eventually, I do now have a psychiatrist to figure out a new solution. I predict I'll have found the medication that works for me in 5 months at worst, and I'm glad I started the process.

Take Vitamin D
==============

It's currently winter and I don't get much sunshine, so I started taking vitamin D (w/ the wellbutrin, so unsure on the counterfactual).

Advice that previously worked for me
====================================

These are things I currently do which help or worked for a time but weren't sufficient.

Screen Time Passcodes that I don't Know
---------------------------------------

You can set app limits for your phone, such that you need to enter a passcode to add more time to[^shpe77n35na], but I thought "but I'll know the passcode so I can just enter it".

But someone else can make the passcode instead (h/t to Thomas Kwa). Ideally this is someone you are in regular contact with (a partner/roommate) that can give you more time, but maybe it's embarassing because you told them you want to spend less time on it. 

So I have a 5 min timer shared across instagram, youtube, X/twitter, & reddit. 

A month of minimal social media usage
-------------------------------------

Alex Turner [spent a month w/o social media](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/fri4HdDkwhayCYFaE/do-a-cost-benefit-analysis-of-your-technology-usage) based off of [Digital Minimalism](https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Minimalism-Choosing-Focused-Noisy/dp/0525536515/):

> The book’s remedy: stepping back from non-essential internet usage, so that you can evaluate what really matters to you. After a month has come and gone, you add back in those digital activities which are worth it to you.

I did this back then and it was one of my most productive months! I do recommend reading the post if you intend to do so. You really do need good alternatives (e.g. reading books, calling friends, fun/exciting hobbies).

Just one cup of Coffee in the morning
-------------------------------------

If I drink coffee past 3pm, I have trouble falling asleep at 11pm. 

Maybe Meditation?
-----------------

Usually if I'm meditating 1+hrs/day, I can be quite productive and happy, but that's a lot!  It also requires being skilled at it/not trying too hard, which is hard to explain.

I mention this because I signed up for that jhana Jhourney meditation retreat as a hedge in case other things don't work out for me. It's expensive though (like $1k-$3k), but a DYI version is close to these [guided meditation sessions](https://old.reddit.com/r/streamentry/wiki/beginners-guide#wiki_part_six.3A_radiating_mett.101_.28weeks_5-8.29) (which might require skills earlier in that guide) with a bigger emphasis on relaxing (e.g. laying down while meditating and being okay w/ napping) and even more playfulness/ experimentation. 

New Year, New You
=================

Hyperstimuli is bad and is just going to get worse. More people than you'd naively guess are affected by it due to selection effects, but I've succeeded (for 2 weeks, lol) and am much happier as a result. 

I do jokingly tell my partner "New year; new me" when I choose to go to bed earlier. And you know, it is a new year, so feel free to use that as a good excuse to change your habits and live a better life. 

I hope any of this advice is helpful for you, but I am also curious: how do you deal w/ super-stimuli?

[^d1rk11z1xw]: "problem" in quotes because it's problematic relative to the current society (e.g. being gay was taboo in the US) 

[^390d56hdn0q]: SourceMost websites gave the average social media usage (for everyone in US) as 2 hrs 14 min But for children/teenagers, ~1/5 spend 3+ hours on tiktok alone. I sadly couldn't find a graph like above for adults and for all social media usage. Extrapoloating, we could add an hour for other usage and subtract 30 min, assuming teenagers spend more time.For me, the endorsed amount of short-form videos is 5 minutes and 1 hr for long form videos (if I'm watching it w/ someone).Suppose everyone ideally wants 30 min/day, your avg person is spending 2 hours. Your top 20% is spending 3-4+ hours. Then 1/2 people reading this are "wasting" 1.5 hrs/day, 1/4 are wasting 3, 1/5 4, 1/10 5 

[^nqgjvwe9gd]: I would recommend something funner/not too fun. I used to read meditation books, but those were too boring so there wasn't much incentive to go to bed early 

[^shpe77n35na]: on iPhones, you also have to select a button that makes the passcode required, otherwise you can just skip it. Who designed that?