Try this alternative media detox

Read if you're feeling overwhelmed!

There’s a palpable air of pomposity to people who succeed at dopamine detoxes or media cleanses. We admire those who are able to live an ascetic life free from the chokeholds of shortform videos and Netflix binges, mostly because it seems so impossible. I have aimed to become such a person for years, stoically stacking up structures around what I will and won’t allow myself to consume. With each success, I feel smug. With each failure, I feel guilt.

The closest thing to a media cleanse I have tried is the reading deprivation week in week four of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way (recap here). Over these seven days I made a bunch of exceptions for myself knowing there was no way I could fully commit to a full media cleanse. I couldn’t bear to part with music or watching movies with friends. Still, it was a worthy endeavor and I found that I didn’t miss much. Cutting out most media gave me the gift of quiet time, boredom, and then clarity.

Media cleanses are easier when we can go outside in nature & DO THINGS!

During my three weeks of travel in Asia, I observed what media I genuinely wanted to consume while on vacation mode. I didn’t closely read any of my usual newsletters or blogs. I put down the nonfiction book I’d been plowing through for a while. I turned off my daily email digest of book highlights. My brain wanted a break from anything “creativity” related, allowing my physical environment to be my main inspiration. Instead I read bits of a novel and watched some K-pop related videos before going to bed. These gave me a tizzy of delight, or dopamine if you will.

I didn’t realize how my unintentional “productive media” cleanse had gotten rid of my internet-induced anxiety and overwhelm until I sat in front of my computer and started scrolling Substack Notes. Because Substack is filled with many artists and writers I love, it is also a form of media that precipitates doubt over whether I am doing enough or supporting others enough. I see what others are sharing and reposting and it beckons me to do more and do it faster.

A rudimentary mapping of distracting vs. overwhelming forms of media

I have my projects to work on; I have my newsletter to write. There isn’t much more I want to do than this. I don’t want passive media intake to threaten this clarity of mind. The anxiety that returned upon my casual scroll through Notes led me to realize that I would rather choose fun media over work-related media, aka “productive media.”

This overwhelming “productive media” often adds to my anxiety over what I could be implementing and learning and making. It fills my brain with endless pathways and possibilities. It’s not only overwhelming but also distracting me from the work I have in flight.

This strategy was echoed and crystallized to me by

Michelle at SPACIES

during her recent webinar on key strategies for non-linear minds. She shared a recipe for those facing overwhelm or burnout: the low information diet.

For thirty days, you say no to the following:

• Educational content, including classes (You don’t need another class!)

• No work-related¹ podcasts—gossip and silly goose content only

• No work-related social media or articles

• No documentaries

• No nonfiction

• Limited news intake

Instead, you say yes to:

• Hobbies

• Light, fun media (comedy podcasts, movies, sitcoms)

• Fiction

• Socializing with friends or community

• Exercise

• Making bad art

• Making bad anything

Nowadays when I want to take a mindless break or relax for the night, I’ve been reading light books such as Emily Henry’s latest romance Funny Story or Chanel Miller’s fantastic middle-grade novel Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All. More recently I’ve been swept up in an excellent K-drama called Lovely Runner.

Sure, these dopamine-boosting media can distract me from tasks, but they help me laugh and cry and feel lots of feelings that I normally have to keep at bay in order to get things done. I can be myself more brightly, letting that ease and delight permeate my relationships and art and sense of self.

If you’ve been feeling lots of overwhelm, I hope you try this version of a media cleanse! Seasonally it aligns well with summer fast approaching ☀️ Do report back and let me know your experience if you’ve tried something similar.

1. Replace “work” with “art” or “writing” or whatever domain feels overwhelming to you!