overstimulation is ruining your life

Summary

In this video, Abraham, a 20-year-old self-improvement advocate, discusses the impact of excessive screen time on mental health, attention span, and productivity. He introduces the concept of a 'dopamine detox,' which involves reducing high-dopamine activities like social media and video games to reset the brain's reward system. Abraham shares personal experiences of overstimulation and how detoxing helped him regain focus and motivation. He encourages viewers to evaluate their screen habits, highlights signs that a detox might be needed, and invites them to join his upcoming workshops on personal growth and productivity.

Takeaways

• 🕰️ The number 26 years represents the average time people spend on screens during their lifetime.
• 📅 If you're 18 years old, you likely have around 864 months left to live, assuming you reach 90 years of age.
• ⏳ About 93% of free time is spent on screens, including phones, TV, and games, leading to a lack of productivity and mental strain.
• 📱 Excessive screen time can lead to poor attention spans, decreased focus, and mental health issues such as anxiety and stress.
• 🧠 A dopamine detox is about cutting down activities that release high levels of dopamine, like social media, video games, and junk food, to reset the brain’s reward system.
• 🎯 Signs you may need a dopamine detox include difficulty concentrating, craving instant gratification, feeling unmotivated, and anxiety when away from your phone.
• 📖 The detox encourages appreciating smaller, fulfilling activities like reading, nature, and simpler hobbies to improve focus and well-being.
• 🌍 The modern world is full of distractions, and taking control of your dopamine can help you regain focus and productivity in life.
• 📝 Reflecting on your habits and identifying what you’re avoiding can help guide your personal detox plan.
• 🎥 Future videos will cover practical steps for starting a dopamine detox and how to reclaim your focus from distractions.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video?

The main purpose of the video is to explain the concept of a dopamine detox, how overstimulation from screen time affects mental health and focus, and to offer a solution for regaining control over one's life by managing dopamine levels.

Who is the speaker in the video, and what is his mission?

The speaker is Abraham, a 20-year-old who struggled with focus and attention due to overstimulation. His mission is to help others regain focus in a world full of distractions through dopamine detox techniques.

What is dopamine, and why is it important in the context of this video?

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in reward, motivation, and pleasure. In the video, it's highlighted as a key player in making people seek instant gratification, which can lead to addiction and distraction, making it difficult to focus.

What is a dopamine detox?

A dopamine detox involves consciously eliminating activities that provide high levels of dopamine, such as social media, video games, and junk food. The goal is to reset the brain’s reward system, regain control over impulses, and improve focus and productivity.

Why does the speaker emphasize the number 26 years?

The speaker emphasizes 26 years because it's the estimated amount of time the average person spends engaging in screen-related activities over their lifetime, which can lead to overstimulation and mental health issues.

What signs indicate that someone might need a dopamine detox?

Signs include difficulty concentrating, constantly craving instant gratification, feeling unmotivated or bored easily, loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities, and experiencing anxiety or stress when away from the phone or social media.

How does overstimulation from screen time affect mental health according to the speaker?

Overstimulation from screen time can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety, low self-esteem, and attention problems. It also fosters a dependency on instant gratification, which makes it harder to focus on long-term or less stimulating tasks.

What personal experiences does the speaker share about his own struggles with focus and screen addiction?

The speaker shares that he once played video games for 16 hours a day and frequently used social media between games. This led him to lose interest in outdoor activities and hobbies he once enjoyed. He also struggled with focusing in school until he learned about dopamine detox.

How can a dopamine detox improve one's life, according to the video?

A dopamine detox can help reset the brain's reward system, making it easier to focus, improve productivity, and find joy in everyday activities. It can also reduce dependency on instant gratification, leading to better mental health and well-being.

What action step does the speaker recommend for viewers at the end of the video?

The speaker recommends that viewers reflect on the signs and reasons for considering a dopamine detox. He encourages them to think about their phone usage, identify activities they no longer enjoy, and consider how much of their time is spent seeking instant gratification.

Outlines

00:00

⏳ The Importance of Time and Screen Usage

The speaker introduces the concept of time management, focusing on how much time people, especially teenagers, spend on screens. By calculating the months left to live based on an average lifespan of 90 years, the speaker highlights that 93% of a teenager's free time is spent on screen-related activities. This overuse of screens is linked to mental health issues and poor attention span. The speaker teases upcoming videos in the series, aimed at addressing these problems and improving focus.

05:01

🎮 The Impact of Instant Gratification and Screens

This section emphasizes how instant gratification, particularly from social media and games, deteriorates attention and productivity. The speaker shares a personal experience of wasting time on Instagram and video games, leading to what they term 'brain rot.' A contrast is made between the past and present, where now they can spend hours reading or even sitting quietly, highlighting how reliance on screens has changed their behavior. The speaker urges viewers to recognize when they can't just 'be' without constant stimulation.

10:04

🌳 Losing Motivation and Connection to the Outdoors

The speaker recounts how they shifted from an active, outdoor lifestyle to being consumed by video games and internet usage, especially after receiving a PlayStation and smartphone in 2018. They discuss the loss of interest in hobbies and the decrease in outdoor activities, attributing this shift to overstimulation from digital devices rather than simply growing older. The speaker contrasts this with their current efforts to reconnect with outdoor activities, like playing hacky sack or climbing trees, arguing that age shouldn’t stop people from enjoying such activities.

📱 Anxiety and Stress Linked to Phone Dependency

This paragraph examines how phone dependency can induce stress and anxiety, especially when separated from devices. The speaker highlights the phenomenon of FOMO (fear of missing out) and the use of phones for escapism from life’s problems. Drawing on Victor Frankl’s quote about people distracting themselves with pleasures when lacking purpose, the speaker suggests that many waste time online due to a lack of deeper meaning in their lives. They share a personal experience of being overly involved in TikTok during the chaos of 2020, which added to their stress and anxiety.

🧠 The Long-Term Effects of Dopamine Dependency

The speaker argues that long-term dependence on dopamine-driven activities, like social media and video games, can harm mental health. They stress that a dopamine detox can help reset the brain, improve productivity, and enhance overall well-being. The speaker shares their own experience of struggling with focus until learning about dopamine detox, which significantly improved their ability to concentrate. They encourage viewers to take back control of their lives by managing dopamine consumption, framing it as a solution to the distractions of the modern world.

📝 Action Steps and Upcoming Content

In this final paragraph, the speaker encourages viewers to reflect on their need for a dopamine detox by considering signs mentioned earlier, such as constant phone checking or loss of interest in hobbies. They announce future videos on how to start a dopamine detox and a free community workshop for productivity and self-development. The workshop will help participants reflect on the year, plan for the next quarter, and learn about upcoming content. The speaker concludes by urging viewers to like, share, and comment on the video to help others who may benefit from the information.

Keywords

💡Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in motivation, reward, and pleasure. In the context of the video, it refers to the chemical that is released in the brain when we engage in activities that provide instant gratification, like social media or video games. The video explains that high-dopamine activities can lead to overstimulation, making it harder to enjoy simpler, less stimulating tasks.

💡Dopamine detox

A dopamine detox is the process of consciously reducing or eliminating activities that provide high levels of dopamine, such as social media, video games, and junk food. The video's main message revolves around the idea that a detox can help reset the brain’s reward system, improving focus, productivity, and overall well-being by reducing dependency on instant gratification.

💡Instant gratification

Instant gratification refers to the immediate pleasure or reward we seek from engaging in stimulating activities like scrolling through social media or watching short videos. In the video, it’s discussed as a major issue for today’s generation, as it contributes to a decline in focus and mental health, particularly when people become dependent on quick forms of entertainment.

💡Attention span

Attention span is the length of time one can focus on a task without getting distracted. The video highlights that overstimulation from high-dopamine activities has shortened people’s attention spans, making it harder to focus on school, work, or any task that requires sustained mental effort.

💡Overstimulation

Overstimulation refers to the brain being bombarded with excessive stimuli, such as constant notifications, entertainment, and digital content. In the video, the speaker mentions how overstimulation from screens and social media affects the brain, leading to difficulty concentrating, boredom, and decreased motivation for non-digital activities.

💡Mental health

Mental health is a significant theme in the video, discussed in relation to the negative effects of excessive screen time and overstimulation. The speaker suggests that issues like anxiety, stress, and low self-esteem are exacerbated by constant engagement in dopamine-releasing activities, and that a dopamine detox can improve mental well-being by reducing this dependence.

💡Productivity

Productivity refers to the ability to efficiently complete tasks and work towards goals. The video suggests that reclaiming control over one's dopamine levels through a detox can enhance productivity, as it helps people focus on meaningful activities rather than being distracted by instant gratification or unnecessary online content.

💡Distraction

Distraction is a central concept in the video, representing anything that pulls attention away from important or meaningful activities. The video argues that modern digital life, especially through social media and gaming, is designed to distract us, making it harder to stay focused and productive. It proposes a dopamine detox as a way to reduce distractions.

💡Reward system

The brain’s reward system is the mechanism that releases dopamine in response to pleasurable activities. In the video, the speaker explains that modern digital habits have hijacked the brain's reward system, leading to a cycle of seeking instant gratification. A dopamine detox is recommended to reset the reward system and help people appreciate simpler, less stimulating activities.

💡Instant gratification cycle

The instant gratification cycle refers to the repetitive loop of seeking quick pleasures, which release dopamine and make people crave more of the same activity. In the video, this cycle is presented as a problem because it leads to overdependence on activities like social media and gaming, causing a decline in focus, motivation, and mental health. Breaking this cycle through a dopamine detox is suggested as a solution.

Highlights

You have approximately 333-334 months of free time left in your life assuming you live to 90, after accounting for sleep, work, and other necessities.

The average teenager spends 312 out of their 333 free months looking at screens, with 93% of their time being devoted to digital entertainment.

5 hours a day is likely spent on mobile devices, contributing to overstimulation and a decline in attention span.

Abraham, a 20-year-old, struggled with overstimulation and a short attention span but found improvement through dopamine detox.

Dopamine detox involves consciously eliminating activities that provide high amounts of instant gratification, such as social media, video games, and junk food.

Dopamine detox aims to reset the brain’s reward system to regain control over impulses, improving focus and overall well-being.

Signs that you may need a dopamine detox include difficulty concentrating, constantly seeking instant gratification, feeling unmotivated, and increased anxiety.

The constant craving for instant gratification from social media and quick entertainment can lead to multitasking, which reduces productivity.

A dopamine detox helps to appreciate smaller, more fulfilling activities by resetting how your brain responds to rewards.

Feeling unmotivated or bored with previously enjoyable hobbies is another sign that dopamine overstimulation may be affecting your well-being.

Anxiety or stress when away from your phone may be due to an overreliance on digital platforms to escape problems.

Distraction from personal problems using social media and entertainment leads to inaction and a cycle of stress.

Victor Frankle’s concept of distracting oneself with pleasures when a deep sense of meaning is lacking reinforces the idea of dopamine-driven escapism.

A dopamine detox can kickstart personal growth, helping regain focus and productivity in areas of life that matter most.

Abraham encourages viewers to join his community and participate in a free workshop to reset their goals and regain control over distractions.

Transcripts

26

years I want you to remember that number

because it will be very important in a

moment that is if you have the attention

span to make it long enough if you were

to live to 90 somehow that would mean

that you would have been alive for 1,80

months so for the sake of argument if

you're currently around 18 years old

then that means that you have about

864 months left to live assuming you

live to 90 531

of those months go to sleep school and

work eating driving errands and the

bathroom you spend actually over 2 years

in the bathroom so that leaves us with

about 333 to 334 months of time left and

with that time we can do whatever we

want with it we can go have fun we can

explore we can engage in Hobbies we can

hang out with our friends build

relationships all that fun stuff right

well out of 333 months the average

teenager you spends about 312 of those

looking at a screen I want you to pull

out your phone and go to the screen time

settings you will see how many hours

that you spend each day on your phone

it's likely that at least 5 hours a day

is spent on your phone and the rest is

probably spent watching TV or playing

games and if the average teen is

spending 8 hours a day looking at a

screen on entertain mment then that

means that 93% of your free time is

spent looking at a screen 26 total years

of your life if you're struggling with

mental health problems right now this is

probably why if you're struggling with

bad attention span right now this is

probably why and I know that correlation

doesn't always equal causation but as

we'll discover over the next few videos

over the next couple weeks it's the

truth and if you're struggling from

those things I understand I have been

there as well and this video series that

I'm doing will help you I'm going to be

releasing a lot of videos over the next

few weeks detailing everything I know

about this stuff so who am I my name is

Abraham I am 20 years old and my mission

is to help you gain focus in this world

of distraction I used to struggle from

over stimulation and my bad attention

span held me back in school and in work

for for years I couldn't focus in school

and I always thought that there was

something wrong with me but there isn't

anything wrong with me and there's

nothing wrong with you what you need is

a dopamine detox so why should you

consider a detox well I will explain

what dopamine is first so dopamine is a

neurotransmitter that plays a role in

reward motivation and pleasure but I

want to highlight pleasurable activities

because those ones release dopamine

making you you want to repeat them and

the more stimulating an activity is the

more that you're perpetuating a cycle of

instant gratification to the point of

dependency dopamine detox is not

actually detoxing from dopamine itself

that's not how it works dopamine detox

is the conscious elimination of

activities that provide high amounts of

dopamine so this is social media video

games junk food and other things like

that the goal of a dopamine detox is to

reset your brain's reward system to

regain control of your impulses and

doing this will give you a chance to

appreciate the smaller more fulfilling

activities in your life this will

improve your focus and productivity

through narrowing your concentration and

it will just improve your overall

well-being by finding joy in regular

less stimulating and stressful

activities so I have a list here and I'm

going to go through some signs that you

may need a dopamine detox so I have a

feeling that one or many of these things

are going to stand out to you so listen

closely number one difficulty

concentrating or easily distracted so

maybe you struggle to focus on

schoolwork or other tasks that you set

for yourself or you keep switching from

tab to tab or task to task you don't

know which one to focus on or you want

to focus on a bunch at a time so you're

multitasking but everyone knows that

multitasking is not productive when I

used to try to sit down and do homework

I would get the urge to check something

on my computer and then I would go

online or on YouTube and then I would

tell myself that I'm going to go back to

the work after after I check this thing

and then I never would I was trying to

multitask your brain can only move in

One Direction at a time so number two

constantly craving instant gratification

so this is when you're feeling the need

to check your socials or your messages

or you're just always seeking quick

entertainment like Tik toks or Instagram

reals that variable reward system is

really really enticing when you're bored

because you know you're going to find

something that Sparks your interest it's

just a matter of time when I used to

play video games I would watch Instagram

reels in between the games during the

loading screens I honestly had no idea

at the time that I was maximizing brain

rot

but I was doing like a brain rot

speedrun playing fortnite and then in

between the games just scrolling

Instagram reals ah that was so terrible

versus now the other day I was waiting

in a doctor's office for like 2 hours

and I for one of the hours I just read a

book and then for the other hour I kind

of just sat and stared at the wall which

is not something that I ever would have

been able to do before so if you can't

just be then that is a problem so number

three is similar but a little bit

different and it's feeling unmotivated

or bored

easily so this is specifically when

you're losing interest in hobbies that

used to be enjoyable for you and when

you're doing those things you're always

bored and you're restless and you just

want to do something more fun more

stimulating I've always been more of an

outside kid growing up I've always been

scootering biking and skateboarding and

jumping over things and climbing trees

and all that stuff I've always been an

out Outsource Outdoors kid but

everything changed back in 2018 when I

got my first PlayStation so I went from

being a kid who was Outdoors all the

time to playing video games for 16 hours

a day at my Peak that wasn't daily but

and on top of that I had just gotten a

phone with internet access too so it was

just doubled suddenly I didn't want to

play outside anymore the way that I used

to I still did occasionally but it

didn't bring me the same joy as it did

before I used to have so many different

interests like origami or just random

things like parkour just you know all

types of things that I used to do for

fun when I was a kid that I just

suddenly stopped doing and I know people

might be saying well you just got older

that's what happened you didn't want to

play outside anymore but I would

disagree strongly with that because I

play outside now like I I go outside and

I like to just play hacky sack with

myself or like when I go to the park I

just jump over stuff I fell out of a

tree a couple weeks ago you know like

it's you don't just because you get

older doesn't mean that that you can't

like have fun in the ways that you used

to so the fourth sign that you may need

a dopamine detox is that you have a lot

of anxiety and you're feeling very

stressed and especially when you feel

anxious or stressed when you're away

from your phone for an extended period

of time you can't go anywhere without

your phone it's either because you want

to have that quick instant gratification

of social media at hand whenever you

need it or you just have fomo where it's

like you you you're scared of missing

out on the messages or maybe the news or

whatever's going on you just don't want

to miss out on something that you think

might be important but in reality it's

not and you may feel stress being away

from your phone or socials for a while

because you might be using these

platforms to mentally escape from your

problems you're mentally escaping online

Victor Frankle in his book a man search

for meaning he has he writes if a man

cannot find a deep sense of meaning he

distracts himself with Pleasures I think

that a lot of us waste so much time

online and just on instant gratification

in general because we don't know what

else to do and it's a lot easier to

distract ourselves with something

that'll bring us pleasure in the moment

then face the reality of our situation

it's too daunting to take action

sometimes so we choose distraction and

distraction leads to in action I

remember back in 2020 I was chronically

online and I'm sure as you guys remember

that was a terrible year that was when

Co hit there were protests there was the

elections there was so many things going

on and being on Tik Tok during that time

period was just terrible I didn't

realize it was terrible at the time but

I was I was so bombarded by all the

different news different opinions that

were going on and on top of that like

just like the Mindless entertainment

that where Tik Tok was still relatively

new at the time as well and it was it

was really bad I felt like I needed to

be informed about every little thing

that was going on and I basically based

all of my identity on things that I saw

online I thought that I was better than

most because I wasn't building a

parasocial relationship with anybody and

I never have but really what I was doing

was no better because I was being part

of a collective internet identity that

was you know like rigid on one side

rather than the other now if you have

these signs can you imagine the

long-term effects that this would have

on your mental health it's the constant

comparison the low self-esteem escaping

from problems I genuinely believe that a

dopamine detox will Kickstart your

growth in these areas cuz your mind

needs time to work on itself and not

only that you can get back your

productivity like I did you can do more

of what actually matters to you I

seriously thought that there was

something wrong with me because I could

never focus in school and it wasn't

until I started working on my own and I

started getting into this digital

detoxing dopamine detoxing thing that I

realized that I really wasn't the

problem I still struggled with Focus but

it had gotten a lot better ever since

learning about this stuff the truth is

that the modern world is out to get you

we live in a world of distractions so

you are not the problem but you are the

solution you have the power to take back

control of your life by taking back

control of your dopamine so here is an

action step for this video I want you to

think about some of the signs and

reasons that we went over for why you

may be concern considering a detox or

you may need a detox then let me know in

the comment section what you think so

ask yourself and you can even Journal

this as well do you find yourself

constantly checking your phone what

activities have you stopped enjoying how

many of these signs resonated with you

over the next coming weeks I'll be

releasing the next videos in this

dopamine detox series as well as some

other big things coming out very soon as

well and the next video will be how to

do a dopamine detox so I will share

practical steps that you can take to to

start your dopamine detox and reclaim

your focus we are already more than

halfway through 2024 and if you're

anything like me some of your New Year

resolutions may have fallen by the

wayside or you have just completely

forgot them and it happens life gets

busy priorities shift and our goals can

get kind of pushed to the side but it's

not too late I invite you to join us for

a special weekend Workshop hosted by me

in my free community app perception

Alliance hosted on June 29th we will

will reflect on the year so far discuss

what went well what didn't and plan for

the next quarter this is a really good

opportunity for students creators and

anyone focused on productivity and

self-development and the workshop will

be recorded So if you can't attend live

then you can watch it there again

completely for free you have nothing to

lose by showing up and at the end I'll

also be announcing something even bigger

than the workshop that will also be free

so you have that to look forward to as

well I will see you there if you got

value from this video I I don't usually

ask this but I highly encourage you to

like comment and even share this video

especially to someone that you feel may

need to hear it it really helps me help

more people I'm sure you may be able to

think of a friend who could benefit from

this information so please share it with

that person and for more frequent

content and updates regarding events and

launches and things like that you should

join my Weekly Newsletter the Saturday

self-improver and also follow me on

Instagram I will see you next next time

with more tips on how you can start a

dopamine detox and you can watch that

right here and with that all said

remember purpose is your priority and

distraction is your enemy

[Music]