Throughout my entire life I've always watched and enjoyed Youtube however recently I've caught myself wasting time on apps like instagram and tiktok just doomscrolling. Because of this I've decided to go on a dopamine detox which so far has just been deleting the timewasters on my phone like reddit, instagram, and tiktok. One thing I'm not sure of though is Youtube because it has always been my way of relaxing so I'm wondering if anyone else whose decided to quit social media felt that youtube helped or made it worse. Any thoughts in the comments would be helpful.

I'm pretty nervous about it, as I've never been in the position of the new boyfriend being introduced to the family before. I've already met her parents and sister, but this is going to be a lot of new people. Does anyone have any advice?

I'm kind of scared but after over a decade of being employed at office jobs that were unfulfilling, I realized I want to be a psychologist and started going back to school (while working) this summer. It's been like 15 years since I've been in school but I finally have a sense of direction. I have a fatal heart condition and always thought I would die before I had a purpose.

It was a little project, we only had a few days to put everything together. I was so nervous. Some of my friends and my mom and brother came to watch. Honestly it was so out of my comfortzone but I am so happy that I did it! It was also a really great group of people to work with. Overall: a happy experience that I will always cherish ☺️

I woke up this morning in a good mood and wanted to share the love. So I started to message friends with heartfelt messages about how I appreciate them a lot and love them. Seeing how it made their day, I kept going through friends I'd been thinking of, those I hadn't seen in a while, and those who have heard it many times. Then I started messaging relatives, called my mom and dad, told my little brother, even some cousins I don't really conect with anymore but still appreciate. The responses varied a fair bit. Some people matched my energy, some had few words but I could feel their happiness, some just listened, and some deflected with jokes. I'm sure a cousin or two even laughed at me but I think even they appreciated it deep down. The people that had their day made really deserved it. They truly are great people that I'm delighted to see so happy. I'm just happy to speak honestly to each and every one of these people, to see their happiness, and to know that they all know I love them. It's really a peaceful feeling.

We love our goats so much! My wife wanted to watch the goat slide from work so i setup a live stream for her and we hope they bring you joy and happiness today as well!

https://www.youtube.com/live/GO9v5InN2go?feature=shared

I was chatting with a colleague who recited the first line of a poem. This is the tail of young Freddy Laws whose sexual equipment got caught in the doors. This grabbed my attention. I asked, Where did you hear that from? She told me that all her friends knew it. She was sceptical, at first, when I told her that my friend, Bruce, and I wrote Bionic Fred as a bit of light relief from our A Level studies. The poem had become quite infamous at our school, but, I assumed, had long since been forgotten. Bionic Fred had, somehow, made its way onto the internet then others had written variants and sequels. It seemed magical that my ideas had a tangible life of their own.

Creative perspectives

Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought. - Albert Einstein

I identify ideas to form the basis of an app or blog post. Then I try to put a unique and interesting spin on them. However, I may struggle. Thinking about topics from the following perspectives often unlocks my creativity:

1. Specificity: Explore the details of what we observed and how we feel.
2. Scale: Consider the extremes. Big and small. Loud and quiet. Fast and slow.
3. Surprise: Break from an expected pattern, even briefly.

Specificity

Details matter. It's worth waiting to get it right. - Steve Jobs

There are two types of specificity to explore: Specificity of Observation and Specificity of Experience.

Specificity of Observation

When observing, we should focus on specific, unique details rather than obvious, generics. Let’s say I wanted to write a blog post about a visit to my favourite coffee shop. I should avoid clichéd observations, e.g. coffee is their passion, which lack imagination. Instead, describe specific details. The fine mist that rises from the coffee grinder, glistening in the sunlight. The concentration on barista’s face as they pour hot milk with precision. Bringing these less obvious observations to light makes content vivid and engaging.

Specificity of Experience

Reflect on our feelings relating to a topic. I might, for example, consider how I feel when the baristas greet me and we share a joke. We might trade stories about relatives or pets. Our experiences and how we feel about them provide an interesting perspective.

Scale

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try! - Dr. Seuss

Scale reminds us that memories are formed at the extremes of life, either very big or very small, not in the middle. Every action has a big and small aspect. Understanding these extremes helps us grasp the range of possibilities. In my coffee shop scenario, sometimes I sit quietly reading a book on my own, other times the place is heaving with people shouting. In the first situation I feel calm and happy. In the second, stressed and frustrated.

Surprise

Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun. – Mary Lou Cook

Almost everything we do has an established rhythm, e.g. our tone of voice, sentence length or the catchphrases we use. Patterns like the setup/reveal in jokes become predictable, and once recognised, people stop paying attention. The challenge is to identify and break these patterns in the media we create in. In my favourite coffee shop, international rugby players gathered right next to me before a big match. Surprise elements, even small ones like sentence length or font size, can re-engage the audience.

Other resources

Creative Momentum post by Phil Martin

Ten Ideas Per Day post by Phil Martin

Could Bionic Fred be my lasting creative legacy? What a thought.

Have fun.

Phil…

I bought my custom hat so that I could look more gangsta and badass, but it ended up having the opposite effect. People treat me much kinder and gentler when I wear my cool hat.

Today, i was browsing reddit and i saw someone mention a story from Robert Heinlien called "waldo." it was one of the first science fiction stories i read as a kid nearly 45 years ago. It reminded me of how amazed i felt as a kid when i first started reading science fiction.

Today, is my birthday and it felt so good to be reminded of something happy that i never expected to be reminded of again. i thought if i could have an obscure super power it would be to remind people of something that they had forgotten that really made them feel really happy but would never remember again unless reminded. i wish we could do that for each other.

It’s the little moments in life…pure simple joy. 😇

My payments are on autopay so I haven’t been checking the balance but out of curiosity I logged in today and I’m almost done!! I’m going to pay the balance off in full next payday, I can’t wait!

Me and my brother (left) are taking care of my dad on hospice. He's not going to be around much longer. We haven't all been together in a very long time. Really happy about this photo.

https://preview.redd.it/x3wbufma9r8d1.png?width=1016&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9a7a839afb9b71fb85546d80e4bcddaf8a80f1e

Going back into education as a 30 year old with a kid was really nerve wracking and a difficult, but great experience. Met some great people and I'm so happy with my result given how hard the last 5years have been in my personal life. Just wanted to share. :)

Thx government

It's called "Museums For All" btw

It felt so fucking good. My little brother and I talked about books and our tattoos. My older brother asked for my address to send me an invite to his wedding. My mom and I talked on the phone for almost an hour. We're finally, finally a normal, healthy family. I'm so happy I'm in tears!

I have no where else to share this really, I just wanted to get it out there. The entire time I've been at uni I've struggled with my mental health and constant anxiety over not being good enough, so to find out I got a 2:1 instead of a third or a failing grade has shocked and pleased me so much. I was worried over whether I'd get a grade good enough to do a masters next year but this result has sealed that I'll definitely be applying to one! I should stop being so negative towards myself, I tried my best and it's showed :)