If they really are micro breaks, as in a few minutes, try doing nothing. Just being alone with your thoughts a few times per day is good for you. We’re not made to have our attention grabbed by media 24/7.

Honestly I think it would be quite healthy if we learned to be a little more bored during those micro breaks.

Uh… Lemmy?

It provides exactly the same or better experience from my perspective.

…I browse Lemmy?

As in: my interaction with Reddit has been already reduced to a bare minimum, before I migrated. As such what you’re calling “not enough content” was already enough for me to replace whatever I still did in Reddit, plus a bit more. (I’m far more active here than I was there.)

I dunno, lemmy seems to not do it for you, but I think that’s a good thing.

I’m not trying to ignore what you’re asking, but this is one of those things where you may have the chance to get rid of part of the digital world rather than just changing what part you use.

If it’s only a few minutes here and there, you don’t have to fill the time with distractions. Post reddit, when lemmy isn’t enough to fill time (and my disabled ass has way more time than anything else), I end up going back to the way I used to spend short periods of time pre-reddit.

I just don’t do anything external necessarily. I may end up doing something like wiping down the counter/table, or whatever little chore is handy, but I just let myself drop into mindfulness. Not in a fully meditative sense, but just moving and letting myself process the sensations while my mind drifts a little. Kind of like when you’re in the shower, only more active.

The physical sensations keep the mind busy enough that thoughts don’t get heavy or pulled towards the next task that’s necessary. That lets the mind drift and rest pleasantly.

That’s a great way to spend five or ten minutes. It refreshes, and it really feels like more time than it is, so it feels like more of a break than chasing some specific activity does.

Time doesn’t have to be filled with the external.

Try to remember that Reddit spent years using algorithms and dark patterns specifically designed to addict you. I say this because I struggle with the same thing. I want off Reddit but have been visiting daily since 2011 so it’s not easy.

So don’t be too hard on yourself and keep weaning yourself off the habit. It may take some time but you can do it.

This was done to you, and it’s pretty damn insidious, but it’s not a severe gambling addiction or crack cocaine so ultimately it’s low stakes. You’ll get there and good for you for trying.

Good question. I like Lemmy because there is no doom-scrolling. Of course it’s a bit more complicated if you want some distraction available whenever you want. In the old times people read magazines or newspapers. Maybe an RSS feed reader with some blogs, but that won’t be interactive. You can also use Mastodon or other social media. Mastodon is a bit more populated than Lemmy. I also like podcasts and there is a plethora of good podcasts around… But that’s not “micro”.

Depending on how long these breaks. I’ve taken podcasts as a way to unwind.

Also, YouTube is still a good option for short videos. It might not be easy though to filter out based on duration.

Started reading books again. Refreshing!

being bored is good for your brain btw

I use my phone to read books. Every micro break is a couple or more of paragraphs I read. I lost count of how many books I already finished instead of just doomscrolling…

Listen to some music, perhaps?

I like to keep up with the news, too, when I have a little free time

Mastodon maybe? Not quite as Lemmy but if you follow a couple prolific accounts it can fill up fast with posts. Plus there are trending posts as well.

I browse Lemmy. Sorted by top 12 hours in the voyager app. That gets me through a few hours each day during the week. Then on the weekends when I have a little extra scroll time I go to mastodon when Lemmy is exhausted, and then I visit the few Lemmy communities I subscribe to sorted by new. I also have Feedly for RSS feed articles and Pixelfed occasionally. I have an almost 2 year old. My husband has a couple mobile games (mostly Pokémon related) that he’ll use for a few minutes at a time.

Edit: I’ve also used Libby to read ebooks. If I have to stop suddenly because kids, I’ll just highlight whatever word I stopped on and pick back up later.

You could try to take up smoking

/s