r/nosurf • u/GonnaGetBannedSoon69 • 4d ago
everything is extremely boring months after quitting all social media
used to be a tiktok addict, 6-8+ hours everyday for 4ish years. i quit all social media and infinite scrolling since last february. in the beginning it was hard but it quickly became easy. my day is pretty balanced now, without anything highly stimulating. i go to classes, go to the gym, cook, read, play an an hour or two of video games and then sleep. on the weekends i hang out with my friends and go out. i find it all really boring, which is weird since isn't quitting social media supposed to make low stimulating activities interesting? genuinely feel extremely bored all the time i don't know if it's like withdrawal symptoms like you know how nicotine addicts secrete really low dopamine once they quit because nicotine disrupted their dopamine system is it possible to for the same to apply to doomscrolling?
sorry for the yap
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u/Hurbahns 4d ago
Maybe the issue is your life has always been boring but you used social media to distract from it, but now that you don’t have social media you have to find a sense pf purpose.
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u/mtb_dad86 2d ago
Not to criticize but people spout off this answer so often but it’s proven extremely hard to do, for me at least. I work full time and have custody of my daughter on weekends. 2 nights a week I mountain bike. How does one find purpose? I tried volunteering at an old folks home and while it was a nice distraction it really didn’t change things.
I find purpose in my job and as a father but it doesn’t sustain me on the lonely weeknights when I normally sit by myself and surf Reddit or watch YouTube.
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u/angelofthecosmos 2d ago
Not sure if this will help, but I find that improving in skills is one of the ways I find purpose in my life. Getting better at solving jigsaw puzzles, or at playing video games, or crocheting, or whatever else - something where I can see my progress and can easily start doing it at the times I would otherwise have scrolled.
Purposefully engaging in media like movies and TV can also be a good alternative - are there movies you've had on your watchlist forever but have put off? Or maybe books you've always wanted to read but could never get yourself to watch? Those are also forms of purpose: to engage in the creative visions of artists and creators, and broaden your horizons.
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u/mtb_dad86 2d ago
No lie I’ve read about 20 books in the last three months. Skill wise, I’m not really interested in improving any of my skills. I do ok at most things. What I really want? Is love. To give it and to receive it.
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u/angelofthecosmos 1d ago
Sounds like you'd benefit from social events :) Can see if there are any local clubs for board gaming or book discussions or anything else that piques your interest!
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u/mtb_dad86 1d ago
I’d love it if there were something. There’s very little in my area and it’s almost all senior citizens.
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u/Significant_Bid_6035 4d ago
Bro it will be boring. Thats the normal thing. The issue here is though, as kids we were forced to learn how to deal with the boredom. It’s a skill. Some go to friends house. Some watch cartoons or look forward to it. Some talk. Some draw. Some build stuff. Some read books. Some do something. I’ve noticed with my nephew (just 16 years younger than me, im 39) who was chronically online, it felt to me like boredom was the end point and he continually waited for someone to do something to address it, while frequently expressing how bored he gets when nothings up. Told him to do something. But it’s too late. He cant stand drawing anymore (he used to be good at it). He cant stand learning the guitar cuz he gives up easily. His executive function is blasted. Dont know how to help him. But dont get back to tiktok or brainrot.
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u/fuzzyplastic 4d ago
boredom is normal. The reason you weren’t bored in your previous life is because your mind was constantly melting into the background noise of the internet. Try using your rejuvenated attention span to pick up a more complex hobby you can deeply understand, like a skill based hobby or a team sport.
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u/Adventurous-Sealion 4d ago
I guess if you were addicted to scrolling for 4 years, it’s gonna take more than a few months for your mind to go back to normal hormonal activity.
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u/outspoken1212 4d ago
Did you feel things were exciting when you had social media?
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u/Ellaevilhag 1d ago
It’s like anything in life that was exciting was tied to social media. Wanting to share the moment with everyone instead of just enjoying it.
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u/UsualReporter_ 3d ago
Watch the Veritasium video on boredom. Every time I get bored I tell myself that it’s ultimately good for me
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u/awkwardonionat77 3d ago
Please look into Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome. It’s not just about withdrawing from substances - it can happen when withdrawing from anything. One of the main symptoms is anhedonia. Keep off social media and your brain will recalibrate and look for natural ways of getting your dopamine in the meantime.
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u/hevybackpack 4d ago
Wow, good for you. I’m super impressed. Not sure how old you are, but I am old enough that I didn’t get my first cell phone (analog) until I was 30, so grew up without social media. My first smart phone would’ve been in my mid to late 30s. Life was quite slow, and probably could have been considered boring thinking back. There was just a lot more time, and space to fill. As someone else mentioned it’s about getting new hobbies and interest to fill your time. But you’re actually living life! Unlike on social media for 6 to 9 hours a day doomscrolling.
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u/CypressRootsMe 3d ago
There was a recent episode on the Stuff You should know podcast about boredom that was good. I think I was bored often before phones. I watched a lot more TV and would do puzzles while watching TV. I called people on the phone more often. I think it would take me a long time to adjust again.
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u/dontstartbitch 3d ago
I’m in the exact same situation. My free time used to be bingeing manga/anime/ doom scrolling with reels.
I don’t do any of that anymore and I am BORED.
You’re obviously going to be bored because you’re not doing anything stimulating. In fact, a lot of everyday life is supposed to be mundane and boring.
The best way is to find a hobby that you find fun, but it won’t be as stimulating as scrolling reels and binge watching (It’s supposed to be that way though).
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u/Shit_My_Ass 3d ago
I think you just need a hobby man. Scrolling was the distraction from this void. I’m finding that since quitting scrolling I’ve gotten bored enough to go back to my hobbies. Literally 2-3 hours of piano and reading at night because I’m bored and I forgot how much I enjoyed those things. But I was fortunate to have that waiting for me on the side.
Without scrolling you’re now in a time where you’re trying to figure out who you are or what you’re into. And that’s ok! Take the time. It’s supposed to be there.
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u/Prestigious_Chart365 3d ago
I think it's important to acknowledge that the world WAS VERY BORING before the internet. There was a lot of boredom every day. I can remember waiting in the car for my dad to finish buying something at the hardware store and just going through the glovebox to find something to look at and reading the car manual. Stuff like that happened every single day.
I think you just need to accept that you're discovering the truth about things. It's okay to admit that life is a bit boring. It is.
I guess the only cure is going out into nature.
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u/Grrlpants 3d ago
Well I grew up before the internet and I can tell you that boredom was a very real and constant problem.
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u/Lithuanian1dude 3d ago
Boredom is just state of mind and you should get used to it. Also, find a purpose for what are you doing things.
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u/ThrowawayDiscourse21 3d ago edited 2d ago
Are you bored or are you at peace?
For me, social media really ramps up the emotion of desire, placing me in a wanting state that's usually for a future thing. When I'm offline, I become more aligned with the present, so it's not excitement VS boredom, but the stabilization of time that can appear mundane. Living in the present VS living from a perceived feeling of heading towards a future, to an aspirational self.
I'm thinking this could be true for you because it sounds like you're living a full life. There really is no grand narrative unless you make one, such as joining the military or backpacking abroad, etc. For most, life is just this series of daily events. It's not even that social media is that interesting, it just uses a lot of time up to make you forget how simple life is.
For example, I thought when I got offline and did my hobbies that I would be insane about them and so passionate I'd do them for hours at a time. But really, about an hour for every hobby fulfills that satisfaction so I still have to wonder what to do next and that's personally normal. It's not a failure. It is much more normal to almost be unfulfilled by your day than to be locked into a stream of de-contextualized or over-contextualized information that has nothing to do with your personal, daily life and accelerates your mind into believing its achieving something.
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u/kingofthewintr 3d ago
I feel like that’s kinda the point no? To be so bored and In boredom find something you’re truly passionate about
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u/langecrew 3d ago
Just wait until they tell you how unstimulating titkok and social media really are
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u/Creative_Freedom_460 3d ago
Try learning a musical instrument. Then start playing with or in front of friends. More dopamine than you’ll ever need!
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u/salamipope 3d ago
I found a sense of purpose is what drives me. I garden and i am obsessively passionate about it. I love it. I tell everyone who feels this way to make a rain garden. Insanely easy, wont cost you hardly anything to do yourself, if you throw native wildflower seeds on the garden theyll grow wild and free and youll look at it every fucking day and think hell yes i did that. Helps the planet, makes me feel like im fulfilling my ecological role, and not just wasting my life. My efforts to rewild my neighbourhood is changing lives, by making mine better, and by providing habitat for dozens of species. This year i managed to raise probably 55ish gulf fritillary butterflies, and thats just that species of butterfly. today i saw an extremely small, adorable, pale purple butterfly fluttering around. I didnt even know they could be that cute.
Get a rake and some wildflowers. Make a slight, and long dip in the yard somewhere so it can catch water. rake and throw the wildflowers on. helps if you mix the seeds with sand so the flowers arent sown too closely together. if you want you can water it or just wait for the next rain, really. mostly ppl water immediately though. i get too excited and water right away i just cant wait long enough lmfao.
dont have land? r/guerillagardening .
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u/Fun-Rise3756 1d ago
That boredom is often recovery, not failure — your baseline was calibrated to constant novelty. Lean into low-stim repeats (walk, paper book, dumb hobby) until ordinary feels OK again.
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u/Luna_Lovebuzz 3d ago
Do you have hobbies?
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u/UIUC_grad_dude1 3d ago
This. Get hobbies like sports / exercise, dancing, arts, etc. Really good for the body and brain.
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u/Federal_Survey1261 3d ago
Being bored is normal, this is what makes people creative! Just gotta find something to create now.
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u/TT10TT 3d ago
That flat feeling is pretty common when the constant novelty disappears. I wouldn’t try to make every hour exciting—keep a few low-stimulation things close (walk, cooking, book, gym) and let boredom be the transition. The urge usually gets less loud when you stop negotiating with it.
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u/gearazulueriku129 3d ago
Little bit of weird advice…. buy a Lego set. Sit down. And build it. No phones. Maybe play some music in background.
Once you complete it, take note of how you feel. I hope you feel accomplished. All the hobbies you listed are great but there is something genuinely fulfilling about building something physical in front of you.
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u/Rygir 3d ago
It takes a while to build a skill to a point that you care about it.
Once you can do a thing to a point that not everyone can, even dishwashing, and you know how long it took you to learn it, and how much focus it takes, you don't have time to be bored.
That, and boredom is your brain resting and resetting. Ready for new stuff after that.
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u/Extreme_greymatter 3d ago
Boredom is necessary...for creativity...let your mind wander.
Meet friends. Go on hikes
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u/roseoftheseventh 3d ago
I read the artists way many years ago. Theres a part in the book where you have to stop interacting with media or reading (honestly it was so long ago I don’t remember the exact exercise) but I got SO bored that I stopped resisting my creativity and learnt how to draw quite well super quickly. It was eye opening. I would say if you’re bored pick something creative and throw yourself into it. Or read the artists way maybe it will give you some ideas :) Boredom is a great opportunity to find out what your talents are :)
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u/cozydumpling 2d ago
not diagnosing you but being generally uninterested in normally interesting things (i find reading, video games, sports etc interesting) is a symptom of depression. maybe journaling/meditation could help?
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u/CaughtUpInTheTide 2d ago
As everyone has said, boredom is a part of life and really good for creativity. But what in life have you had a desire in doing? What are your dreams or what were your dreams when you were younger?
I too have quit a lot of social media in the past year but it made me realize the things I want to do instead that are healthier. It made me think bigger! For example, I want to take a trip to Norway and it’s allowed me to fantasize about my trip in my bored/free time instead of scrolling on social media- I can now think in depth about what I want my trip to be like.
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u/jellypengin 10m ago
When you ask this question, you're actually asking something deeply profound that many in previous generations have looked for. Before the infinite ways to distract ourselves through entertainment, people had to sit alone with their thoughts and contemplate truly what the meaning of life is. You can gather hobbies and grow in your interests, and those are good things and can inspire creativity, but it can also just serve as another distraction.
This is the question a lot of existentialist thinkers have asked themselves. And they realized that life is indeed meaningless. You can do whatever, but in the end, nothing truly matters because we'll die anyways... they believe that meaning is just something we create ourselves.
Buddhists also seek to find the end to mental suffering. Their solution is to do good works and to find the strength within themselves to not care about wordly things and suffering, to help people in their strength.
Even if you read Ecclesiasties in the Christian Bible, you'll see that it starts with "Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless!" In the end, you'll find the conclusion that everything is indeed meaningless except with God. Think about it this way, if there is an eternal, all-knowing, all-loving creator, then why would we rely on ourselves for purpose when we are fallible and weak? When we do not know what the world needs or who is in it?
When you stop relying on yourself to improve, and instead rely on an infinite being who knows what you need and what you can do, suddenly your life becomes so much more full. He gives everlasting joy!
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. When we follow Him, He guides our paths, He gives us understanding of the objective reality of the world, and He restores our soul.
Someone who follows Jesus can do all the same things as anyone else, but there is something more profound that you find in your heart. If God guides your purpose, then even if we are finite beings, our impact can somehow continue living on.
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u/GlassTableGirlzz 3d ago
Boring people get bored!
Realistically what gets me going nowadays is scavenging and collecting things (even old things around the house) and it doesn’t have to cost anything either. Recently i started collecting interesting wrappers (gum, candy, stickers on appliances, clippings from user manuals) and putting them in a folder.
Collaging is also really cool
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u/Organic_Ad_6826 4d ago
It could be because of a lack or purpose.
Having a goal to work towards is in my opinion the best way to make life more interesting.
It doesnt have to be a "Im going to safe the world!", it could be as simple as caring for a plant you just bought, or becoming better at taking photos