#quit scrolling

[agirlwithglam]

this will stop your addiction to scrolling.

do you even realise how long an hour is? 2 hours, 3 hours, and it goes on.

in this post, we will be chatting about all things scrolling. learnings from a book i read, sciences, information from articles, the negative impacts of it, and ways to fix it. grab a snack and a warm cozy drink, because this is gonna take a while! ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

many times i sit at home thinking that that i "haven't got enough time" to use a whole hour of my day just doing one thing. but then i open my phone, i impulsively go to youtube shorts. "one video" i tell myself. but its never just one video is it? i ended up on my phone for a bit over 1 hour that day. it was disgusting. it made me so mad. i could have spent that time on a hobby, a skill, with my sibling, going for a walk, reading, doing something, anything else! but i didn't. i was so angry i immediately put my phone on airplane mode and switched it off.

see, the thing with scrolling is that you dont even realise how much time has passed! at first it may just be 2:30 but then the next minute you look at it, its already 4pm. and boom. 1.5 hours of time, valuable time has just been gone, evaporated, into thin air. do you not get disgusted of yourself?

the amounts of negatives to scrolling will easily outway any value it brings. whether its youtube, instagram, tik tok, twitter, etc. whatever value or thing you're trying to achieve from these, there will ALWAYS be a better alternative!

this is one of the concepts in the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. it talks about the philosophy behind reducing the time you spend on technologies. see your time as money- say an app charges you by the minute. would you use it as often? you'd probably try to find different ways to getting that same "value" you think your receiving from these addicting apps.

example (for more older people):

you may tell yourself that by being on twitter for hours on end is useful because it can help you get knowledge, news and new connections with people, but that same value you can get- if not more- from just attending monthly or quarterly events, or having a conversation with people, or hand picking a few honest and effective articles to read for a couple minutes each day. as you see, immediately you start to get the same effects you'd be getting from twitter- but more + with much less the amount of time.

or an example from platforms like yt, tiktok, etc.

if it is planned and you've actually told yourself "i have worked very hard, i deserve having a bit of down time to scroll and switch off." , go ahead. (of course there are ways to get that same brain switch off feeling like doodling/ colouring, writing a diary and letting your mind wander, reading a fiction book, taking a bath, etc. but if you've intentionally made this choice, if you truly think this is whats right currently, go for it.)

but lets be real. a lot of the time, its unintentional. even if we have chosen to do it thinking that it is the best thing to do, are you really willing risk hours of your valuable time? "one more video" we ALL say that. its not new. so dont you ever get tired of your excuses? tired having your time thrown away just because you couldn't control yourself? what is that pleasure we get from scrolling?

dopamine.

scrolling activates the brain's reward center by releasing dopamine. every new mini video, like, comment is always keeping us hooked, making us want more and more until it never ends. until its 10pm at night and you're still here. on your phone.

ok so i know i've yapped on a lot. in fact you're probably too lazy and have to less of an attention span to read it all. (yep, also the effect of scrolling.) so,

heres a list of all the harms of scrolling: to enlighten you, not to scare you. (okay maybe a bit to scare you)

lesser attention span. as i mentioned earlier, scrolling reduces your attention span which means it reduces the amount of time you can spend reading, walking, just sitting idle. or you even may not be able to watch a movie without having something on the side like your phone to scroll on! (guilty😬). when that happens, you know something is seriously wrong. if you want to be able to watch a movie without needing all these different distractions, keep reading.

makes you more bored. yeah! i was surprised by this as well ngl!! this also applies to the point about attention span. scrolling can make you feel more bored because all that scrolling, and your brain being super hyper will make you feel bored at the things you used to feel excited by (ex: watching a movie! , reading a book)

increased anxiety and stressed. imagine not being able to stay away from your phone for even a few hours without feeling stressed. thats just so sad but also a truth for many of us. not just that but it can also leave you feeling overwhelmed and hopeless.

sleep disruption. this isn't new. we all know that scrolling late until night not only can affect your sleep schedule/ sleep timings, but also the blue light from your screen stops your brain from making melatonin (a hormone that helps you sleep), which then also affects your sleep. and we know what that can lead to.

on top of all that, it can make you disconnected from real life, nature, increase comparison, harms relationships, productivity and focus and the list goes on.

but you probably don't want to listen to this anymore. you're here because you may be feeling angry. angry at yourself, at your phone, at the internet for taking away so much time that could be spent living a happier life. you have actually felt the harms and now want a change.

[disclaimer: not all of these tips can apply to you depending on your job, your situation, career, relationships, etc etc. take and apply whatever you can.]

tips to stop scrolling (as much):

delete all the social media apps. anything that you scroll on frequently, delete it. this isn't to say that you can't access it at all, you can have it on your laptop or ipad. but the point is that it will increase the friction between you and opening that app.

switch up your feed. this is the very least you can do. start by pressing "not interested" on anything that isn't providing you any actual value. start following people who do provide value. slowly, change your feed to a more positive, motivational page which just makes you feel more inspired/ better every time you leave from it.

set a screen time limit on your phone + set the password as "i failed". this is something i got from online a while ago and its such a good idea! not only will the screen time limit prevent you from further usage, but also setting a password like "i failed" makes you really feel the impact of betrayal to yourself which will make you refrain from doing so!

slowly by slowly, work to reduce the amount of time you scroll everyday.

find the alternative!! okay so now you arent on your phone, aren't scrolling. now what? if you dont already have things that you can do in this immense amount of free time you have, then of course you'd surrender back to scrolling. fill your days with hobbies, new skills, being with other people, with nature, with meaningful and fulfilling activities. "do more things that make you forget to use your phone."

linking back to the earlier point, GET A HOBBY. ngl, it is SAD to only spend your days, vacations, weekends on the damn phone. get off of it! is your life that sad an empty that you have literally nothing better to do then scroll on your phone? thats actually pathetic.

switch off notifications / put on do not disturb- so you dont get constantly reminded

find out why you start in the first place. for me, it used to be an escape to bad things happening in my life/ around me. once you get to the root cause of why you actually start, work back from there. is there away you can remove that trigger from your life? if not, find a different activity that can help you with that trigger.

keep your phone away from your bed. i do this its actually really helpful because it gets me out of bed to have to turn it off which means i dont go back to sleep. also: if you can get a alarm clock which isn't your phone, even better!

things you can do instead of scrolling:

read a book (if its fiction it may be more enjoyable, but its your choice!)

have a shower

set some goals & a to do list for the day

do a puzzle

wordle

try a new skill/ hobby: crochet, guitar, writing

paint/ draw. and stop making thinking it has to be perfect!! if you see it as perfect, it is.

journal / diary writing

hang out with a friend/ someone

cook/ bake

go for a walk or run

learn something new

put a facemask on

listen to a podcast

sleep

yoga/ exercise

write thankyou notes to people

gratitude list

skincare/ a fun grwm of you!

go to a restaurant

style your clothes

make a wishlist

clean out your camera roll

listen to music & just chill

dance

scrap book- phsysical or digitally!

clean/ organize a space

watch a TV show/ movie- WITHOUT your phone.

go swimming

learn about plants so you can start gardening

other things to read:

Psychology behind it, neuroscience, etc.

why you can't stop mindlessly scrolling + tips

BOOK: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

reddit

[pickledclowns]

Do. Homework. Now.

[o0kawaii0o]

Roronoa Zoro

[fee-phy-fo-fum]

A primrose. A four-petaled flower said to symbolise youth and young love. Giving it to someone sends a message saying "I cannot live without you".

replaying isat to appreciate some conversations id previously overlooked because theres so many little things here and there to appreciate. this was one of them.

(made minor edits to make euphrasie glitchy + clean up mira's hair)

on four petaled flowers:

[jewfrogs]

this post sucks so bad massachusetts takes its name from the indigenous massachusett people who were genocided and whose land was stolen and that would be obvious if you would think for a single second and look up the etymology before posting. mocking a native language that was eradicated for centuries and is only now beginning to be revived is not fucking funny it is ignorant and racist and cruel

[distorted-destiny]

the idea of them mirroring each other without knowing is so sweet Can they stop making me ill

[motherhenna]

Moon-kissed child of Hircine: / Accept mine proffered blessing do / So thou wilt never flee or rue. / From faun to fear-bringer, / Nadir to night-singer / Even the odds and return those who huntest thou to basest parts / Hearts and all.

My Skyrim Dragonborn, Vakna True-Thunder shortly after turning an unlucky band of highwaymen into a three-course meal. Wanted to make an illustration alluding to her history with lycanthropy and the Daedric Prince of Prey over the course of a decade. After all, where is the sport in hunting an unarmed prisoner on the run--a young messenger for the Jarl of Windhelm himself who had yet to see even her sixteenth winter? The pursuing Dominion jailers and hounds never had any intention of playing fair, blood moon or not, so Hircine offered the desperate girl the power to even these odds and make his forest a proper hunting ground once more. And in years since, she has certainly never let this power go to waste.

[elodieunderglass]

I haven’t watched Dungeon Meshi, but I always enjoy the dashboard osmosis experience and have a peculiar visual memory. Here is what I believe Dungeon Meshi to be mostly about. No complicating experiences with the text, or indeed character references, fed into this extremely clear vision, which I believe I torrented directly from the astral plane at the same time as the creator was logged on

[lilarus]

So I meant to post this not last year, but the mfking year before that. This is from tesfest 2023 and I'm actually so fricken annoyed I forgot to post it way back when.

Any rambling that doesn't make sense, ignore it. This shit was supposed to be posted how long ago with other accompanying pieces... and yes the sword is detachable :)

#tesfest23 day 7!

FINALLY

Prompt: profane or sword

And with this I'm FINALLY done with the tesfest stuff!! I do wish I could have prepared this all in advance so that it'd be in time with tesfest but it uhh be like that.

Progress and more rambling below

Progress pics

This is kinda my fave piece ngl. Just. All parts of this came together so nicely for this piece so well. Considering making the sword into a book mark bc it's so pretty :3c

Mini OC (x Miraak) lore for tumblr

The idea behind this piece is that my Miraak had plenty of clothing options available, especially because he was with Sirestia while in the cult. Sirestia was the "master forger" who made all of the masks once they'd learnt the ropes and took over that task. Miraak's initial mask looked like the tusked mask from ESO, made for him by Sires so ig they can be blamed for the pussy mouth that just gets exacerbated by Miraak's time in Apocrypha...

I had so much fun just making all of these. It really tested my art progression (like how long I take in the process) and output. It also helped in my alcohol marker art. Like, A LOT. Next stop is color pencil and more digi art. Both of which I have wips sitting there looking pretty batting their eyelashes at me. Also not the music I listen to hitting me with the steel chair about two pieces I need to finish (for one) and start (for the other).

[falmerbrook]

Secret Santa gift for @valtheimm of their Nerevarine and LDB, Rhea and Eris, and their journeys from Morrowind to Skyrim.

I trawled through their tags to get a vibe on their look, backstory, aesthetics etc. to get inspiration, so I hope I didn't mess anything up and I hope you like it valtheimm! Happy Holidays!

[front-facing-pokemon]

[wybienova]

ghost trick fans will literally say shit like "play ghost trick" and "i can't tell you anything about it" and "it has the best dog ever" and "spoilers in tags past this one"

[tiwazmannaz]

[thana-topsy]

O’ Father, Unmaker, O’ Sithis, Dread Lord!

The following journal was found next to the body of Tyrdren Suranni, former Dark Brotherhood assassin.

--

As one reaches the end of their life, it is only natural to look back on the branching paths of possibilities past and become reflective of one’s choices. I feel privileged, as both a Dunmer and a career assassin, to have lived as long as I have. In my two hundred and eighty-odd years of life on Nirn, I have spent well over half of them in devotion to our Dread Father, the Lord of Chaos and Change, Sithis.

I began my worship in the same way as many who come to Sithis do: through entering communion with the Night Mother. I consider my joining of the Dark Brotherhood to be my true birth, and, like my first birth, it was not without a great deal of pain and suffering and loss of blood. But I do not wish for this to dissolve into a memoir, for I would much rather use my final hours in praise of the Unmaker.   

I have read innumerable texts on both the founding of our Family and its failed predecessor, the Morag Tong, and I have yet to find my own feelings about our Dread Lord put into words. There is an appropriate amount of fear and awe to be expected when speaking of Sithis. His is a name I have never taken in vain. Yet this fear has always felt counterintuitive to me. Even as a young assassin I did not fear my own death, in the same way that I did not feel remorse for taking a life. There is no guarantee that any of us shall see the next sunrise. If not by my blade, then by another.

I have faithfully followed the Five Tenets for the entirety of my service and devotion, and I have witnessed only on one occasion the appearance of the phantasmal apparition known as The Wrath of Sithis. It is a moment I shall never forget. To see a man’s flesh ripped to ribbons by a spectre he could not touch… I was forever changed, but not for the reasons you might think. When I beheld the Wrath of Sithis, I was struck with clarity that upended the entire paradigm of my life: 

The Sithis we fear as mortals is not the truth of Sithis. 

That pitiful wraith who disposed of my colleague was not sent by our Dread Lord as punishment for breaking the Five Tenets. No. That spectre was something of mortal creation.

One might be led to believe that this would cause me to have a crisis of faith, perhaps even leave the Dark Brotherhood altogether. This was not the case. In fact, I felt great joy at this realization. The Tenets were rules to be followed by a strictly mortal organization, which were entirely reasonable and easily accomplished. However, I was still unsettled by my own family’s view that sending a soul to the Void was somehow punishment. 

I ask you, what is life? What is death? Are we not stuck in an unending prison of consciousness? Of suffering and loss? Are we not trapped in a dream from which we can never awaken? 

Now I ask you this: what is the Void if not the promise of release from the unending cycle of mortal suffering? 

This was my revelation. Sithis, Dread Father, Unmaker, Bringer of Ends. He is the opposite of Life—the antithesis of mortal suffering. To send a soul to the Void is to enact the greatest kindness one could offer: eternal rest, peace. 

Unmaking. 

It is for this reason that I know the hour of my death, for I am the one to order it. I have performed the Black Sacrament with myself as the target. It is only a matter of time before one of my siblings appears to release me from the suffering of a world to which my spirit shall never return. I shall dissolve into the nothingness of That Which Is Not. 

I leave this final journal with a record of my assassinations, as well as an account of the techniques I have perfected over the many years, in hopes that others might follow my path and walk into the Void unafraid. Let us all step forward into our own Unmaking, hand-in-hand.

O’ Father, Unmaker, O’ Sithis, Dread Lord! Accept me as your child and render me into naught! 

From nothing we were created, and into nothingness shall we return.   

[leander-was-here]

Safe return.

“You’re alive!”

“You made it back.

We both did.”

Thinking about Ulfric and Galmar as young legion soldiers both making it out of a bloody battle from which the legion had to eventually retreat (considering the Thalmor were probably kicking the empire’s ass) Only after the chaos has finally settled did they manage to find each other alive and well after.

Don’t think it was possible to ever separate them in battle after this one time. Alongside Rikke of course. Then you have yourself the coolest imperial trio. You’d wish you were them in highschool.

[sysig]

Recently had a silly Handplates dream where Papyrus was trying to snoop around Gaster and Alphys’ lab, but didn’t know who Alphys was and so was trying to pass it off as his own lab lol (Patreon)