# Do you get depressed when you are using electronics too long?



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I certainly do. I get this heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach, especially if I post too many opinions on a forum, I'm not joking! And my life starts to feel disorganized and I feel sidetracked. When I open up talkclassical and facebook too frequently, I start getting this nasty feeling in my stomache anticipating my expected stimuli in the form of notifications.

I think screens in general, glowing at me, make me uncomfortable. As does sitting still in a slouched position for too long...


----------



## TrazomGangflow (Sep 9, 2011)

Electronics are a bit of a distraction for me personally. I'll be trying to complete something and I decide to take a "5 minute" break to go on the internet or something of that nature. Then I realize that I just wasted an hour and a half using some pointless gadget. The more technology I purchase the less productive I become. Isn't that ironic?


----------



## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

I have chronic depression anyway. I rely on a computer to get work done, if that's part of the problem then I think it's a fair trade-off.


----------



## Guest (Jan 30, 2012)

The radio frequencies emitted from a PC screen can 'in some cases' severely damage the cerebral cortex causing all sorts of side effects from headaches to severe depression, it all depends on your individual make up.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

I get depressed when I'm away from the computer for too long. That's 15 minutes.


----------



## Guest (Jan 30, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I get depressed when I'm away from the computer for too long. That's 15 minutes.


You've got it bad. Try substituting away time with a good shot of Whisky it will break the dependency


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Andante said:


> You've got it bad. Try substituting away time with a good shot of Whisky it will break the dependency


I'm more into Водка.


----------



## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

In the long term, or done for too many hours a day, looking at a computer screen ruins your eyes. Doing eye exercises, including taking your eyes momentarily off the screen and say focussing on something at another distance, can prevent this from happening - eg. what I do is look out the window and focus on something outside, or even focussing on something like a lamp or piece of furniture across the room...


----------



## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

clavichorder said:


> I certainly do. I get this heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach, especially if I post too many opinions on a forum, I'm not joking! And my life starts to feel disorganized and I feel sidetracked. When I open up talkclassical and facebook too frequently, I start getting this nasty feeling in my stomache anticipating my expected stimuli in the form of notifications.
> 
> I think screens in general, glowing at me, make me uncomfortable. As does sitting still in a slouched position for too long...


This is completely natural, iT's the concentration and the thinking that you're putting into it. When I'm into some great long thing as over the last few days on the anti-semite thread that Polednice was kind enough to fix up. First you may well be dealing with some rather strange people but also some very difficult subjects. I end up shaking--so stop giving yourself something more to worry about , CHILL OUT.


----------



## Guest (Jan 30, 2012)

Sid James said:


> In the long term, or done for too many hours a day, looking at a computer screen ruins your eyes. ...


I was told the same thing when I was a teenager but not concerning PC screens 



ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I'm more into Водка.


 A poor substitute you don't even get a decent headache with wodka.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Andante said:


> A poor substitute you don't even get a decent headache with wodka.


I make it myself. Alcohol content: 67%


----------



## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

I get depressed since I weak up, so...


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I make it myself. Alcohol content: 67%


Whoops. I put that 9 upside down.


----------



## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I get depressed when I'm away from the computer for too long. That's 15 minutes.


and when you compose then?


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

aleazk said:


> and when you compose then?


When I am sitting at the computer posting stuff on TC with my pencil and paper in front.


----------



## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> When I am sitting at the computer posting stuff on TC with my pencil and paper in front.


oh, I see... very avant-garde. I'm writing my "toilet suite", guess where I get the inspiration :tiphat:


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

aleazk said:


> oh, I see... very avant-garde. I'm writing my "toilet suite", guess where I get the inspiration :tiphat:


I often have music by *Ligeti* blasting away on YouTube as I compose/post stuff on TC.


----------



## Polyphemus (Nov 2, 2011)

As a fan of depression I substitute Gin and Tonic in copious amounts to counteract the 'away from keyboard' blues. I have, in extreme cases, been known to put Wagner's Ring cycle on continuous play, which may also indicate a masochistic streak.


----------



## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I don't mean to sound flippant, but I think it's much more likely (and important to recognise) that it's how you're using the internet, what you're doing, what your emotional reaction to it is, rather than the physicality of a screen or your sitting position.


----------



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Edited.

bla bla bla bla bla


----------



## Guest (Jan 30, 2012)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Whoops. I put that 9 upside down.


You were probably psised.


----------



## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Yes, which is why you don't see me around here as much anymore.


----------



## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Yes!


----------



## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Whoops. I put that 9 upside down.


I should think you put yourself upside down.


----------



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Polednice said:


> I don't mean to sound flippant, but I think it's much more likely (and important to recognise) that it's how you're using the internet, what you're doing, what your emotional reaction to it is, rather than the physicality of a screen or your sitting position.


I was wondering about this too. Perhaps also a lack of natural light and social interaction?


----------



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I think its an addiction. It just feels like my life is wasting away and I feel like such a slob when I'm on here for so long.


----------



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

science said:


> I was wondering about this too. Perhaps also a lack of natural light and social interaction?


There are other reasons to be depressed, more legitimate ones. Don't assume. But currently, I am not depressed. Was a few days ago.


----------



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

clavichorder said:


> There are other reasons to be depressed, more legitimate ones. Don't assume. But currently, I am not depressed. Was a few days ago.


Sorry, I didn't mean to be assuming anything. Just wondering.


----------



## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

clavichorder said:


> I think its an addiction. It just feels like my life is wasting away and I feel like such a slob when I'm on here for so long.


I completely understand that feeling, and I'm sure you know I've had it at times myself. Having said that, there is only so much (a very small amount, at that) that talking to us can do. Those feelings of wasting away and being a slob are a cycle of self-loathing that you have to identify and break, and for that it may well be worth you looking into some kind of therapy if you haven't already.


----------



## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

I don't get depressed but I don't like electronics in general,...except these:










These allow me to play music that is the exact opposite of depression!


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

The first thing I noticed while computer busy, after a very long history of active piano-playing, was the inclination toward terrible posture, along with, if you are a player of about anything, an extremely limited range of motion at what is a relatively very small keyboard.

If you persist in staying online, get up, stretch, walk around, roll the shoulders back, ROTATE YOUR HEAD in as many degrees of 360 as you can -- you've been still far too long, too readily and too often this can happen while using a computer.

When I used midi, or notation software, the very same of all the above can readily occur.

The duration of time you sit at a computer and when you should take those breaks is as per the individual. I resent the hell out of it, am still relatively 'flexible' but now, 'lock up' sooner than when I was younger. I get up at least every forty minutes. This is very different than if I am actively playing or playing / composing, but still, I TRY to maintain that forty minute 'rule.' It still gets overlooked by falling into something, or 'concentration.' 

Consciousness of the problem, and acting on it fairly regularly, helps.

If your eyes have been set to focus at one short distance any period of time, simply look up and further --the greater the distance in contrast the better - out a window is good. It works the eye muscles, and literally influences the 'breadth' of your mental horizons. if you can afford it, go for a flat screen vs. a CRT monitor - the best CRT is still a constant flux of minute flickering which is directly responsible for a kind of fatigue, fatigue, in one manner of speaking, synonymous with 'depression.'

There are times, either frustrated with the content I am looking at (fora) or otherwise 'too deep into the tunnel of that little screen' where my inner cop says "Back away from that computer, Sir. Do it now!"


----------



## Guest (Mar 14, 2012)

kv466 said:


> I don't get depressed but I don't like electronics in general,...except these:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


@kv466 The very thought of that stuff scares me stiff :cheers: :kiss:


----------



## Mesa (Mar 2, 2012)

It looks a lot more complex than it is. After all, guitarists can operate most of it 

^And very useful post, PetrB!

I never really thought about that before. I have my piano to my right hooked up to whatever software, which i can use by swivelling 90 degrees from my computer. I have to adjust my seat higher to get full range, but because there's usually a back-and-forth i usually can't be bothered. Most of the time at the keyboard i'm slouched with T-Rex arms, so i've only just realised the bad computer posture is directly transferrable...


----------

