The Distraction Dilemma

Why I'm ready to quit media... for a while at least

“When your room is a mess, it’s usually because your brain is too full” is a quote that I’ve heard so often and have found to be true almost every single time I take a moment to reflect. The problem however is that instead of tackling my messy room and head, I fill it with even more stuff that I will have to sort out later, and I mean fill by diverting my attention from the problems in general.

We are currently in a distraction dilemma. Everything is vying for our attention and most often we can find our brains scattered across so many different platforms. This, is not good.

My Instagram and TikTok accounts are currently going through their 30 day grace period before they permanently delete. This is a great thing on the one hand, but I have unfortunately replaced that time with watching long form content instead. This isn’t inherently bad, but the amount of time I spend plus the reasons why are not so graceful.

In the moments where it’s too quiet. The moments I have “big feelings” that I’m not ready to digest and/or decfer. When the ‘b’ word (boredom) begins to rear it’s head, I turn to YouTube.

I’ve found myself taking plenty of movie and series breaks because I get too involved. There was one time I watched a movie that was quite traumatic for the lead characters. The ending was so devastating that I found myself feeling physically sick and this sick feeling lasted for 2 months. It took yet another month after that before I was finally able to watch something else. In those 3 months, I didn’t dare watch a single thing because the imagery of that movie kept playing over and over in my head. This happens with every singlething I watch. I remember it all, even when I don’t want to.

‘Oh be careful little eyes what you see’ goes the famous children’s song we used to sing at Church. ‘Oh be careful little ears what you hear.’

I’ve watched and heard many a thing that I regret and yet, I still find myself going back to certain things even though I know the effect it will have on me might be too much to bare.

When all I could think about is watching a particular show no matter what, it would take all of me to stop midway and decide to take that well needed media break. I kind of want to come to a place where I no longer watch movies and shows because of how sensitive I am to them.

I’m not saying media is inherently bad, but when it becomes all consuming, one needs to take a step back and evaluate.

“Are you bored?”

“Got too much free time?”

“Do you want to procrastinate instead of doing something you know you should be?”

Well, there’s something for every one, every excuse and more!

A few years ago I was introduced to a presentation series called, The Distraction Dilemma by Christian Berdahl. I watched with shock mixed in with an undercurrent of horror by what was revealed in this series. Ok… I’m being a little dramatic but to say that I was deeply convicted as each episode unfolded would be an understatement. I could really see the gravity of the decisions I had been making and how there are way too many effects for the results of one cause.

For those who haven’t yet seen The Distraction Dilemma or even heard of it, first of all don’t worry! It’s not a horror series haha; though the topic is pretty serious. Secondly in a short non spoiler filled summary, it is essentially the history of music, the effects it has on the body, soul and mind as well as the differences between recreation and entertainment, and what that means for Christians particularly - though I will say you don’t have to be a Christian to appreciate it. If you love music and/or learning new things and history then you may find it interesting.

It is presented in such a light and sometimes humorous way which really helps keep you engaged and able to digest the deep topics and information.

In episode 10, Christian presents the listeners/viewers to a 90 day media fast which means no music, no tv, no books - bar the Bible and Desire of Ages by Ellen G White and only necessary media such as things needed for work or studies that are non-negotiable.

I really felt that this was something I needed to commit to as I’m currently going through the Experiencing God book and have been able to see just how distracted I’ve been each day or how many of my other choices have been affecting my motivation to spend time with God.

As I mentioned near the beginning of this article, my days were so filled with background noise via music and YouTube shows. Because of my hyperacusis, I spend quite a bit of time each day with something on to distract myself from the sounds that irritate or hurt my ears. This surprisingly though hasn’t scared me too much from doing this fast because I know that I am able to do it. You see, I went a month and a half two years ago without a smartphone and I survived so…. let’s see if I can make that 3 months instead.

The fast is split into two halves. The first half is 45 days of flat out no media. The goal for this section is to have enough quiet to be able to focus on hearing God’s voice and learning how He speaks uniquely and personally to each individual. After the 45 days (so on day 46), it’s time to evaluate the media that was once indulged and decide if it’s ok in reasonable amounts or not. At this point the dopamine levels should be reset back to a more normal and reasonable level, making this decision making session a lot clearer and easier. Pray and ask God for His guidance in this process because most times what seems alright to us is not God’s best.

I’ve read Cal Newports book, Digital Minimalism a fair few times now and want to read it again as I don’t want to overload my system with lots of media that I’ve “missed out on” from my time away. It’s good to take things in smaller doses and have some sort of plan or guardrails in place to help identify what things are tools and should be just tools, and what things are entertainment.

The second part of the fast will be continuing on with day 46 but this time, each week, add one more piece of media and ask God to help with analysing it if it’s something that can be kept or not. After 90 days are up, pray and ask God if another 90 days need to be embraced.

I have a rough list of criteria for my personal fast which I will share in another post, though my overall aim is to have more self control, discipline and integrity. I’m tired of knowing what I can or should do and not following through with it always or for long.

Now it’s time for your own personal reflection.

What things have been asking for your attention that you keep ignoring?

When will you do something about it?

I’m asking myself these questions too and I have an answer for the latter and that answer is July 1st 2026.

✨ Nadine