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Trying to form healthier habits in 2025

I'm trying to form healthier habits and become more mindful of how I spend my time and what content I consume. I have set a timer on my phone that cuts off my access to both Instagram and Facebook after 30 minutes of use (combined, not 30 min for each). Mainstream social media has absolutely deteriorated my mental health and my sense of self. I used to do nothing but sit and doomscroll, consuming shit tons of brainrot, comparing myself to other people, and all of the negativity on the platforms was really getting to me. Instagram and Facebook are both infested with hatred and pessimism. I don't want to delete them though because I want to stay connected to my friends and family. So I just get on there for a few minutes everyday to see what they are up to. I love spacehey because it encourages creativity and doesn't feed users dogshit content. Users actually have to search for content, which I think is a good way to encourage mindful media consumption. Users have to think about what kind of content they want to consume rather than just being spoon fed garbage. 

Another habit I am trying to pick up is commonplace journaling. I have a physical journal and I use the program Obsidian to write. I just write mundane thoughts and things that happened throughout the day. For those who don't know, a commonplace journal is kind of like a diary but scrappier. It is meant to be a culmination of all of your raw authentic thoughts. There should be no pressure to perform in the book or overthink. The issue I have always had is that I write in my journals as if someone else is going to be reading it. I have to remind myself that I am writing this for myself and myself alone. This journal is for me to reflect on my thoughts and get to know myself better. A commonplace book doesn't have to be in any certain format or consist of any certain things. I guess it's like a diary with no rules, not that diaries really had rules in the first place. But I know a lot of people never keep up with writing in diaries because of the internal pressure we put on ourselves for it to be perfect, aesthetically pleasing, or trying to set a schedule for when we write in it. Just write whatever you want whenever you want. Even things you don't think are important. 

I also want to spend more time outside this year. I told myself the same thing last year and I think I went on 1 walk in the park the entire year. I want to do more this year. I want to take a walk at least once a week and chill in the woods. I don't know why I don't do it more often. I love taking a walk and finding a nice place to sit and enjoy my surroundings. I think a big part of my mental health issues is how little time I spend outside. Literally the only time I spend outside is the walk from my house to my car to wherever I'm going. I don't get nearly enough sunlight or fresh air. I want to feel connected with the planet. 

Overall I want to feel more connected to myself, people around me, and the planet. I want to stop consuming nothing-burger content, and passively consuming content in general (consuming content without really retaining it). I want to consume with intent. I also want to create more; I want to start scrapbooking again and start redesigning my website. 

Tell me about similar goals that you guys have. I know a lot of people have been realizing how bad their social media addiction really is, especially after the 12 hour TikTok ban. Have you guys been taking steps to cut down as well? 


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Reply by deadinderry

posted

i'm trying to cut back on a lot of my spending this year; already i got rid of all of my subscription services apart from spotify, which i do use about seven hours a day so i figure that one i'm getting my use out of. i would also like to eat better because i am not, you know, getting any younger here and should probably stop having candy for dinner.

commonplace journaling is something i have attempted to do in the past; i used to journal extensively but dropped the habit a few years ago, and last night i wrote in a journal, full page, for the first time in a while. felt good.


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Reply by Neooooo

posted

My goal for this year is to recover fully from the state my gallbladder disease left me in (I have not worked out in months bc of it), to learn multiple choreographies and get back into tap dancing, and then to generally work on my upper body strength.

I already eat a plant-based, vegetarian diet but I honestly still eat a ton of frozen food (especially fries), which I'd like to reduce ASAP.


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Reply by Sneeze

posted

yes to all of this! 

"Instagram and Facebook are both infested with hatred and pessimism." YESS i deleted insta off my phone, ill log in every once in a while on my laptop to post or interact w/ family but no more depressing reels and brainrot lol

and i've been keeping a journal for a couple of years and its so cool that more people are getting into it too!

my goal is to learn how to drive this summer! My passenger princess days will sadly be over soon.


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Reply by kei

posted

I resonate with you so much! 

My goal for this year is to find what I truly want to do, what kind of job resonates with my goals and values in life. 

And also to make the presence of fear less in my life. Sometimes i fell like it controls my decisions and self-image..


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Reply by H I M E

posted

I resonate so much with this post.

I've been weaning myself off social media since the beginning of the year. It's a constant barrage of negativity, fear mongering, moral posturing, and comparison that just leaves your headspace in a gray fog. I still have accounts on sites like Facebook, Reddit, Tiktok etc. but it's mostly to check in on what my friends post, or post a picture of my cats or my latest cosplay. It wasn't worth it to me to navigate through a sludge of trash content and ads just to find snippets of things I like.

Journaling is also a marvelous hobby and one I do almost every day. I actually have multiple journals! I make collages, have a commonplace journal like you mentioned, my LiveJournal, my reading log, my dream journal, and I'm making my way back to SpaceHey too! For me, it's a great outlet. I can dump my thoughts or do something creative whenever I feel like it. And I've always been a sucker for cute stationary, so it's a win-win for me.

I just don't want to be a part of the rat race that other people are exhausting themselves with. I want to live my life with intention, and simple things like "less screen time" and "more writing" are some of the steps I've taken to make a life I want for myself.


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Reply by ann2ra

posted

That’s what I was thinking about for the last month. When I went on a walk with my friends or just watched random people I realised how addicted humans are to their phones nowadays. I mean, I think we could have been just fine without it but it consumes our time, energy, attention. Everything in our phone was designed to keep your attention (in my opinion) and it's just scary. 

I wish I could rid of that thing but it’s where my friends, memories, grades, family are. But at least I think everyone should be more aware of their screentime on social media.



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Reply by Ashu

posted

I feel the same way about social media. 

Back in the late 2000's we used to have a whole computer room dedicated to the use of the internet and the PC. That was back when the internet was something we used once in a while and with a purpose in mind. Instead of that, today people "log in" to social media right after waking up, which has ha considerable ill effects on our society. 

Lately, im trying to be more mindful of smartphone addiction. Instead of opening tiktok or Instagram to scroll for hours to prevent a thought of my own from forming, I'm trying to live in the moment in which I am and sit with my own thoughts. It's a hard process especially when we have thoughts that cause us to become anxious, but this uncomfortable feeling is something i'm willing to endure to live rather than be a zombie who's brain is full of spoonfed media. 

Im also trying to slow down in general to appreciate the moment, things dont have to be awesome and i dont have to be super happy all the time. It's really calming to know all you have to think of right now is breathing. I use the square box breathing method which is really great for anxiety, at least mine. I've found myself decreasingly wanting to open my phone for a nonexistent notification, and rather enjoy my surroundings.


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Reply by Sophiaaa

posted

I’ve been on a similar path lately, trying to reclaim both my mental and physical well-being. For me, a big shift started when I began addressing my physical health more seriously. I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and it was honestly overwhelming at first. But taking control of that part of my life gave me motivation to focus on other areas too. 


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