Colleen! I also have OCD and the scrolling is hard for me too! I had a professional explain that it was often a kind of "checking" - for folks with OCD it can feel like checking the door lock multiple times. You have to check ten apps before you do anything and then check them again if you didn't get the right feeling from it! It's paralytic!
Thank you so much for sharing this today, it made me feel much less alone! You're a legend. ❤️
Thanks so much for sharing this comment, I now think maybe I should go ahead and share my original OCD post. I think it’s what makes me good at my job, but if it’s out of control, hoo boy.
Hi Colleen. Thank you for sharing so vulnerably. I haven’t been diagnosed with any condition but often find myself doom scrolling. I feel much better when I switch off facebong and instacrack and lean towards Substack. People on this platform seem less interested in starting flame wars. Rather, they share their different perspectives from a point of concern and desire for common interest.
I use Chrome for most sites, Firefox for socials. I use Linux so I can easily create different workspaces for different tasks and apps. I think there is a Mac plugin that does this. It's like having different computers.
I’ve found some of the stuff I use on my MAC way too easy to turn off. I like how customizable Cold Turkey is and I can’t get around it with other browsers and blocking the link to the block killer means I can’t get around it. Whatever works is my motto.
I have some similar issues. My brain fog is intermittent and not nearly as bad as yours. So I can relate enough to know how awful this must be to deal with. Cold Turkey Blocker is the best thing. I’ve been using it for years, and I would be so much less productive without it.
Are you layering your blocks? I have a whitelist for websites I need for work and 30 minutes I can use to go anywhere online except for certain toxic sites that I keep myself locked out from at all times. But I also have another block on everything except my writing apps that’s in effect until from midnight until 10:00 AM.
I also password lock Cold Turkey. I don’t know the password. My partner keeps that for me.
Howdy fellow member of the Brain Fog Club. Yes, indeed, I do layer my blocks, and while I know my Cold Turkey password, I lock it so I can't bypass it while a block is active. To get around it, I have to deinstall, and reinstalling all the blocks and exceptions is a pain. So I only use it in an emergency. I let myself use Sirius XM and Youtube because I love having vidoes of fireplaces, ambient music, and other soothing things on while I work. When my old computer began to die, my management apps wouldn't work and my focus got so bad I could barely get anything done. There are websites that are so bad for me, I won't go to them at all. Just not worth it, not even for five minutes.
I use the YT Music app because YouTube is too distracting for me. It does music and videos. Sometimes I write listening to ambient tracks and sometimes metal. I limit YouTube to my tv. And I use 1Blocker, a Safari extension, to block comments on sites. That's mostly just to avoid wasting my 30 minutes of free internet time reading comments.
I actually allowed myself 5 minutes for some sites that were too toxic for my 30 minute block. Until I admitted that anything that needed a 5 minute limit needed to be cut off entirely.
I have been blocking sites and unsubscribing without an app. There is an option to select your preferences and blocking is always available. You can remove advertising too. Thank you for sharing this with everyone!
Colleen! I also have OCD and the scrolling is hard for me too! I had a professional explain that it was often a kind of "checking" - for folks with OCD it can feel like checking the door lock multiple times. You have to check ten apps before you do anything and then check them again if you didn't get the right feeling from it! It's paralytic!
Thank you so much for sharing this today, it made me feel much less alone! You're a legend. ❤️
Thanks so much for sharing this comment, I now think maybe I should go ahead and share my original OCD post. I think it’s what makes me good at my job, but if it’s out of control, hoo boy.
I understand that completely! ❤️
Hi Colleen. Thank you for sharing so vulnerably. I haven’t been diagnosed with any condition but often find myself doom scrolling. I feel much better when I switch off facebong and instacrack and lean towards Substack. People on this platform seem less interested in starting flame wars. Rather, they share their different perspectives from a point of concern and desire for common interest.
Full agreement. A lot of people tried to convince me to leave this platform for political reasons, and I’m so glad I didn’t.
I use Chrome for most sites, Firefox for socials. I use Linux so I can easily create different workspaces for different tasks and apps. I think there is a Mac plugin that does this. It's like having different computers.
I’ve found some of the stuff I use on my MAC way too easy to turn off. I like how customizable Cold Turkey is and I can’t get around it with other browsers and blocking the link to the block killer means I can’t get around it. Whatever works is my motto.
I have some similar issues. My brain fog is intermittent and not nearly as bad as yours. So I can relate enough to know how awful this must be to deal with. Cold Turkey Blocker is the best thing. I’ve been using it for years, and I would be so much less productive without it.
Are you layering your blocks? I have a whitelist for websites I need for work and 30 minutes I can use to go anywhere online except for certain toxic sites that I keep myself locked out from at all times. But I also have another block on everything except my writing apps that’s in effect until from midnight until 10:00 AM.
I also password lock Cold Turkey. I don’t know the password. My partner keeps that for me.
I do as much work analog as I can.
Howdy fellow member of the Brain Fog Club. Yes, indeed, I do layer my blocks, and while I know my Cold Turkey password, I lock it so I can't bypass it while a block is active. To get around it, I have to deinstall, and reinstalling all the blocks and exceptions is a pain. So I only use it in an emergency. I let myself use Sirius XM and Youtube because I love having vidoes of fireplaces, ambient music, and other soothing things on while I work. When my old computer began to die, my management apps wouldn't work and my focus got so bad I could barely get anything done. There are websites that are so bad for me, I won't go to them at all. Just not worth it, not even for five minutes.
I use the YT Music app because YouTube is too distracting for me. It does music and videos. Sometimes I write listening to ambient tracks and sometimes metal. I limit YouTube to my tv. And I use 1Blocker, a Safari extension, to block comments on sites. That's mostly just to avoid wasting my 30 minutes of free internet time reading comments.
I actually allowed myself 5 minutes for some sites that were too toxic for my 30 minute block. Until I admitted that anything that needed a 5 minute limit needed to be cut off entirely.
I get ya. But I find the fireplaces and 4K scenic videos really relaxing.
I have been blocking sites and unsubscribing without an app. There is an option to select your preferences and blocking is always available. You can remove advertising too. Thank you for sharing this with everyone!