I sit in front of my computer,
Rearranging words.
And searching for motivational pictures,
I can post on my social media page.

Hoping someone will read them,
And click on a like.
Or better yet, click on my heart,
So I’ll know, that somebody cares.

Most of the time,
Nobody writes a comment.
I guess no one really wants to—
Get to know me.

I’ve been posting for sometime,
And still haven’t made many friends.
All I have is a handful of old ones,
Mostly acquaintances and family,
Who’ve accepted my pity friend request.

I feel like, I’m only practicing,
For the day I become famous.
But, deep down I know,
I am just writing, on a digital diary,
For my eyes only.

Sometimes I read others’ posts,
And notice, how theirs resemble mine.
Other times, I’m jealous of the influencers,
Who have lots of followers,
While I only have a few.

Funny, I never knew I was lonely,
Or felt like, I needed any attention,
Until I got hooked on this app!

By: ElRoyPoet © 2019

Feel lonely? There are 4 types of loneliness. Here’s how to beat them

“Cravings can repeatedly override plans and resolutions to moderate or abstain from drug use, and this can be a disruptive, frustrating, demoralizing and traumatizing experience for those who battle these cravings—an experience that for some lasts a lifetime.[…] While there are various interpretations of the exact role of dopamine, it is well established that psychoactive drugs cause artificially high bursts of phasic dopamine to be released by mid-brain dopamine neurons. […] When drugs are encountered, dopamine is released in anticipation of reward, but then the drug itself—due to its chemical effects—causes an additional dopamine boost when ingested, signalling that the drug is ever increasing in value. The result, on this mainstream view, is that these boosts in dopamine trigger cravings that overestimate the amount of reward that is expected, and so explain the excessive motivational pull of cravings.[…] People who use drugs want to numb out, to feel alive, to feel accepted or socially connected, to be freed from mental or physical pain (including withdrawal symptoms), to not feel anxious, to feel included. These emotional experiences themselves can become the objects of the desires driving addiction, and drugs are a vehicle to satisfy them, at least temporarily. A craving for a cigarette can be a desire for control and order in a stressful environment. An alcohol craving can aim at feeling comforted and safe. A craving for ketamine can be a desire to feel relaxed and relieved from worries. In severe addiction, a craving might aim at a feeling of complete self-annihilation, to be freed, no matter the cost, from the painful conditions of daily life. […] Cravings are sensitive to emotional and psychological needs and values, and this helps to explain why they are so motivating. Imagine a mundane craving to check Instagram or Twitter. Built into that craving, one might also find a desire for attention, validation, social connection or interaction, a cure for loneliness, emotional numbing, maybe the self-punishing urge to compare and despair, or for what the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau called amour-propre, a form of self-love that is constituted by the recognition or approval of others. Next time you find yourself having a craving, reflect on how you experience it. Is it your brain anticipating a spike in dopamine, a flood of pleasure? “ Excerpt from Why we crave

While we can’t control the feelings and thoughts that pop into our heads, we can control what we do with them. Bricker’s work using acceptance and commitment therapy in smoking cessation programs suggests we shouldn’t keep telling ourselves to stop thinking about an urge; instead, we must learn better ways to cope. The same applies to other distractions like checking our phones too much, eating junk food, or excessive shopping. Rather than trying to fight the urge, we need new methods to handle intrusive thoughts.
Use this 4-step method to handle unwanted thoughts that can derail your focus.
Step 1: Look for the Discomfort That Precedes the Distraction, Focusing In on the Internal Trigger
Step 2: Write Down the Trigger
Step 3: Explore Your Sensations
Step 4: Beware of Liminal Moments
Excerpt from How to Disarm Internal Triggers of Distractions

“I didn’t eat the candy to feel good, I took it to forget that I didn’t feel good. But in the end, I still didn’t feel any better, but now I have another reason to not feel good—I forgot, I also have an addicted personality.” By: B. Bondsman

Commentary: If you possess an addictive personality—you’re in luck—because there’s probably an app or medication readily available for that. In our modern consumer driven world, it is very hard to overcome addictions, because there will always be a market for vice (internet entertainment, gaming, gambling, shopping, social, and the list goes on). For the addict to overcome his poison of choice, the addiction must become more trouble than it’s worth, it must become an illicit drug and the addict must transition from loving his master to hating it.