Probably one of the best posts on this site in a while.

If you feel it is overstimulation you should try to stop watching tv. You won't miss it as much as you think and it has a lot of benifits. First, you won't be overstimulated that easy anymore. Second, it makes you creative in finding things to do to fill your free time. And last, its so much better for your body because you start moving around more. On that note, how much do you exercise? More exercise could really help with concentration problems.

I don't think it is a romantic fallacy. I'm far from a luddite, but I think in many ways technology does more to keep us apart than it does to bring us together.

One of the easiest first steps is to turn off the tv. Let's face it, there really isn't much of anything worth watching on tv these days and whether people like to think they can be influenced or not, all that advertising only leads to personal dissatisfaction and increased consumerism. If there are a couple of shows you really, really enjoy and don't think you can give up yet, use a DVR to record them or watch them on Hulu or Netflix. That way you are in control of when you watch them instead of having that decided by a network programming exec.

Another idea is to designate a certain block of time each day to be free of all electronic media. Turn off the tv, the computer, the phones, the radio, the ipod, all of it. Spend that time reading, talking face-to-face to your family/friends, enjoying nature, meditating, exploring a hobby...whatever you like.

And, most importantly, turn off all electronic media and phones when you are eating and/or spending time with family/friends. Never give precedence to electronic media--even phones--over the people right in front of you. (I understand there are people in certain situations that can't turn their phones off for emergency or work reasons, but even those people aren't required to answer every single text, email or phone call immediately.)

Technology isn't bad. I love my smart phone, my computer, my Kindle. (I couldn't actually care less about tv.) But these are tools we have to learn to manage or we risk letting them take over our lives. If we are constantly stimulated by electronic images and sounds we can suffer mental health consequences. Use them wisely and judiciously.

Sounds like overstimulation to me. I've been in this exact situation. Overstimulation can lead to downregulation of dopamine receptors which means you become desensitized to pleasure.

The solution is to cut out anything in your life that is addictive, causes cravings, or that you find yourself doing excessively out of habit. Sugar and alcohol were big ones for me. Cutting these out and generally being more mindful of my actions/habits completely solved my ADD symptoms. Doing the same should make reading and other less stimulating activities a lot more enjoyable for you.

Good grief! When I was a child there was no tv, no internet, no i-phones. My parents belonged to clubs such as amateur dramatics, we listened to the radio - really listened, Dan Dare was my favourite! - read books, played cards and board games, knitted, sewed, visited family, went for walks. I don't remember being bored.

Mind you, I'm not saying I would like to go back there. The world we live in now is a wonderful place, but we still need to relate to the real environment around us.

It's called the tyranny of the urgent. Here is an article that describes it and goes back to its earliest roots - the telephone, which was the first time that people were able to invade your home behind its walls - http://www.ocregister.com/articles/urgent-27869-many-less.html

we've been without tv for 7 years, brought it back for 2 (cable came free with one of our apartments, so we got a tv for kicks) and got rid of it again a little over a year ago. It made a HUGE difference in our lives -- opened up more social time, got us out of the house more, and honestly, I think that, at least for me, it restored my generally hopeful, positive demeanor, which had been slipping into a very cynical, harsh, manner over the 2 years we watched the tube. I still have a cell phone and internet, but just ditching the TV and radio (I still listen to my own music playlists) made a huge, huge difference for both myself and my companion.

I've moved on to the next level, though my companion isn't ready yet-- I've started using oil lamps and candles after dark, and shutting down all my electronics (computers, etc.) 90 minutes before I go to sleep. I've found that I sleep better, even though we're in the midst of a huge city, and that I wake more refreshed, and with a generally more positive outlook. (At the same time, I've also noticed that I'm becoming less tolerant of the constant 'raging' of the city -- I don't think I'm cut out for city life, in general.)

I spent 2 years traveling around the world alone, just me and a backpack. It was great! I highly recommend everyone get a chance to be "alone in the world".

Not only did I experience great external adventures {Swimming with iguanas on the Galapagos, attending Mahout (elephant training) school in Thailand, and riding the Andes on a Peruvian Paso stallion}, my internal adventures were just as great. Spending 20 hours on a bus (sans iPod) is a great chance to reflect on one's life and it takes time to put together the pieces of our lives.

I came back from this tech free adventure a changed individual, and much of that change would have been impossible with the constant chatter of technology in the background. Given it took me 4 months to stop checking my stocks every time I hopped into an internet cafe ( letting the Family know I was still alive), it amazed me how much addictive control some parts of my electronic life had on my daily behavior.

If you get a chance, take a break from it all. The world isn't going anywhere and will be ready to pick up where you left off, if that's still what you want.

IMO your life is what you make of it in this regard. Cut some distractions out of your daily life.

I spend a ton of my free time on the internet and on facebook, but I rarely watch tv shows and movies, I don't have a fancy phone and don't text or call much. I have rather a lot of RL friends I do lots of RL things with, as well as working often very social jobs. And I have a fiance. I'd actually like a lot more free time without talking to anyone, but I'm an introvert...

I born in '85 but grew up with very limited access to technology due to my parent's rules. I moved out at 18 and I only have had my own computer for 2 years, never owned my own tv. While I have to credit my lack of early exposure for some of this, as well as with my obsession with reading (I spend most of my time on the computer these days reading), I don't necessarily think that the forms of entertainment/time-wasting/mindless relaxation I've indulged in instead of screens have been any better for me or more productive than facebook, etc.

I think it really depends on the individual and the combination of genetic predisposition and life experiences/environment that determines whether or not its healthy for you or anyone else. The amount of stimuli and distractions available today is certainly a stressor but whether or not it plays a major role in your overall health depends on you and the amount of stress from other factors in your life.

I think the root of the issue has more to do with some kind of personal dissatisfaction and less to do with modern circumstances or technology. In the past people (men especially) would have specific roles, a set of guidelines to follow, today we tend to be lost. Without rites of passage and well defined expectations of men, it's hard to know what to do or where we stand in relation to our peers. I think that finding your purpose would do wonders for your social confidence. The other aspects may follow or you may find that you simply feel differently about them.

Quit chronic Facebook. I log in to accept friend requests and maybe send a message when I can't simply call/text or I don't have an email (a rare occurrence!) It's ok for keeping in touch, but shouldn't be the hub of your social interactions.

TV for TV's sake sucks. I watch a few quality shows, and that's it. No need for cable TV for that. Hulu is cheaper by far. Or go outlaw if you can't get what you want on Hulu. I have maybe 5-6 shows I watch religiously each week, that's just 5-6 hours of "TV" time per week (versus most people watching that much, daily.)

Just in case anyone is keen to reduce the time and soul vacuum that certain social networks can easily turn into, Account Killer is a handy way to remove yourself from some of the more "challenging to escape" services.

Whenever I've gone without TV, Internet, phones, etc (Hiking the Appalachian trail for several days, spending a week in a cabin without "luxuries", etc.) it has been an overwhelmingly positive experience.

I'll typically feel anxiety leading up to the trip and will post a ton of stuff on my blog, facebook page, etc. but when I get out there, it all just fades away and I realize how peaceful and rewarding life can be when one rises and sets with the sun, eats close to the earth, and finds joy sitting by a fire gazing at a sky thick with stars.

We have a tendency to overestimate the negative impact of things like losing our connection to the phone/internet/etc., but we are supremely adaptable and, quite possibly, "wired" to live a simpler life.

I've posted in the past about the naturalistic fallacy and in no way romanticize a life without modern conveniences. I am fortunate enough to choose whether or not I go without technology, but in the context of my privileged, sheltered, and safe life, a few days or weeks without technology is extremely refreshing.

On the downside, it did allow for great frauds like the Kennedy assassinations + MLK, Jr. being perpetrated by "lone gunmen" and for the duping of the masses into believing things like "FDR got us out of the Great Depression." On the plus side, you did actually have to "talk to people" more frequently. Or is that another downside? Hmmm.

On a semi-serious note, for those of you who have not lived through this, it is difficult to convey what it was like when The Three Networks and The Papers of Record (Pravda West [AKA NY Times] and WA Post) were virtually the sole sources of info for The Sheeple at Large. Nevermind that all of those were in the pocket of the CIA's Operation Mockingbird.

I have yet to see a TV host or program close with, "Thanks for joining us, but you've probably had enough for now. Please turn off the set and enjoy some quiet time." The medium demands constant allegiance. Color me heretical but: viewers have the option not to comply. My television comes with a functioning on/off button. I watched Game 6 Thursday night, then turned off the TV, went to bed and soon fell asleep. I suppose sleep might have been difficult had I spent more time in front of the TV or lay there wondering if there might be something crucial to check over at Facebook.

Blaming TV and computers for encroaching on one's psychic space is like blaming the spirits section at Safeway for "inciting alcohol craving."

"What was it like psychologically?" Thoreau offered memorable reflections, entitled Walden. Cultivate quiet, calm, inner space with at least as much diligence as today's external world seeks to diminish it.

I lived without much tech in the 90s and things were sooooooo much better in some ways back then.