Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Laundry is over rated

Internet addiction disorder (IAD), or, more broadly, Internet overuse, problematic computer use or pathological computer use, is excessive computer use that interferes with daily life. According to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_addiction_disorder.

I seriously don't want to add another problem/disorder to my life but I think I am hooked to facebook, blogging, reading blogs and reading anything related to sustainable living. Is this a bad thing? A bit :(

I even looked up if there was such thing as an addiction to the Internet, i think that says it all really.

Often i use the Internet as a tool to keep me connected to the goings on in the "real" world. Some might say that it isn't the real world it is the virtual world. I guess it is the real world for me since i am not able to be out there as much as i would like. The Internet just tops me up i guess, makes me feel connected to my friends and allows me to maintain relationships where i would be inadequate otherwise,if it was just up to me returning phone calls and keeping to pre- made plans, FAIL.

I have found the most incredible friendships through support networks, without my addiction i wouldn't have found these soul warming connections.

I also find that i can escape into the world of others, like escaping into a good book. I know i have said this many times already. It is very comforting at times, you can feel really low and then read something funny or read a great quote and it can lift that kind of mood that you know is going to make you into a dragon, hence my family should be happy i have an Internet addiction.

Knowledge is at my fingertips, i thrive on absorbing information like water to a sponge. The instantaneous-ness of the Internet is so appealing.

The "addiction" has allowed me to blossom and become the Nicola i want to be. It has allowed me to print my words and throw them into the world to be imprinted forever wherever my words lay. Nicola is enabled here in the Internet world.

Problem is........it has interfered with my family and home. I am writing my words to put out into the world all while my laundry is waiting to be folded. Yeah so!!! Its been there all day.
I haven't been present with my son today, not much anyway. I could tell he was bored so i made him some play dough but most of the day i was speaking to him over the laptop screen.

I am supposed to be having a break from facebook but i found a short film that was relevant to my OT page so there i go and share the link to facebook. Can i resist it? Do i want to when i feel i can help others?

I wanted to disappear from facebook for a while and spend less time on the Internet but i found i was thinking of reasons to look up things. So i caved.

I need to find a balance. I know this. I guess in all honesty, i feel less alone when i am on the Internet. Gee, that's getting to the point of venerability here.

Goal = Do laundry before i am allowed to surf.

4 comments:

  1. Did you do your laundry?

    I try to allocate myself a max of 2 hrs a day. Otherwise it eats too much into my life and I end up reading about doing instead of doing.

    But bordering on addiction.

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  2. I did do the laundry as soon as i pressed publish. Perhaps i inspired myself ??
    I must do the same 2 hours will be torture though, i can be on all day sometimes.
    I am definately reading about doing instead of doing.

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  3. I absolutely have internet addiction though I think a large part of that is due to the fact that there isn't much else I can do. Like you say, the internet keeps us connected and is gold for those of us who love to learn.

    Having said that I think it is probably not great for our health to be plugged in constantly. That is why I only access it via my laptop so that I can force myself to turn it off and know that the effort of rebooting it will stop me from checking twitter!

    I would suggest starting small by perhaps turning off your connection for an hour a day and then slowly increasing this time. Hope you find your balance.

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  4. I'm glad i am not the only one and glad we can relate with not being able to do much else Tamara :)
    I am trying my best to reduce the amount of time spent online and your suggestion of slowly does it is one that might just work. Fingers crossed.

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