Hello Bearblog and January Reset
Hello, Bearblog!
I'm moving over from Micro.blog, and Jekyll prior to that. I've been looking for a platform that offers longevity and simplicity, and Herman's recent Manifesto update has convinced me. I'm happy to be here for lifetime.
Dry January
As many people do, I took January as a sober month. Sometime in November a friend of mine shared some challenges they have been having with alcohol and how they took 90 days to reset. It peeked my interest and I was looking for a time to try it myself. Nothing like a new year to start, right?
Although I don't have an issue with alcohol, I try to be conscious around my consumption. When I get into something, I really dive in deep.
There was a period of time where I was super into bourbon, or making old fashioned cocktails, or fruity pineapple based painkillers. Periods of time I'm into beers, then stop. Generally, I've never not been able to stop, which I count as a blessing, Sometimes I think of this as my superpower: no matter the vice, I don't have an issue stopping "cold turkey". In 2024 I had quite a bit more visiting friends, more outings with friends, which are good things, and alcohol was present as a common denominator. It was great to pause, even though it's mostly symbolic.
The unexpected result of this was the drastic improvement to my sleep. I'm a notoriously light sleeper and I get anxious when not able to fall asleep. Removing alcohol had a drastically positive impact on this.
Moderation seems to be the new target for a lot of people. My plan going forward is to manage it the same way: enjoy in social circumstances with a limit, and completely avoid at home.
Socials
I also took a break from Instagram completely and Reddit partially. I removed my Instagram app from my phone and haven't logged in to it since before NY. I found that Instagram had a negative effect on my self esteem and I wasted a lot of time doom scrolling the reels. Not as addicting as tiktok is, but they still surely provide the dopamine hit. As of the time of this posting, I still don't have any desire to install the app. I peeked on my desktop to see if I missed any messages, and that was all I've done so far. Going to continue keeping this one out.
Reddit was a bit more loose since I use it a lot to find a how-to or solve a problem. I simply deleted the app and had to use the browser to login. The added friction and a pretty bad experience on mobile was enough of a deterrent to drastically reduce my screen time. Browsing experience on desktop was good and I'm used to it, and there was no restriction. I typically find that using something on desktop is not the issue. It's the mindless scrolling, opening, checking for updates what becomes a real time suck.
February
I'm still figuring out what to take on for this month. I'm planning on daily walks and reduction of caffeine intake, but nothing "formal". We shall see how it goes!