In mid-October this year, I diagnosed myself with something I jokingly—but accurately—called “Square Eye Syndrome.”
It wasn’t a medical diagnosis. It was an observational one. I simply paid attention to what my daily life had quietly become.
Here’s what I noticed.
I talked a lot about plans but rarely acted on them.
My hand-eye coordination felt off.
Independent thought had weakened.
Intentional thinking was fading.
I’d gained weight without overeating.
Fatigue was constant.
Social life had thinned out.
Information overload was relentless.
Decisions felt harder than they should.
My memory wasn’t reliable.
Sleep was poor and fragmented.
None of this arrived dramatically. It crept in slowly, disguised as “normal modern life.” But once I named it, I couldn’t unsee it
Square eye syndrome
.
So instead of researching it endlessly online (which would have been ironic), I ran a simple experiment.
The 30-Day Reset
For one month, I made a few clear, non-negotiable changes:
- No more than one hour of screen use per day, preferably none
- No TV, no scrolling, no video watching
- Music and radio only — sound without images
- Reading physical books, newspapers, and magazines
- Live, face-to-face social interaction only
- At least 30 minutes of exercise daily, usually walking
I didn’t expect anything dramatic. I expected mild improvement, maybe better sleep.
What happened instead surprised me.
The Unexpected After-Effect
By the end of the month, I felt as though I’d undergone something people might call a spiritual awakening — though I don’t think that’s the best term.
What actually happened was simpler and more grounded:
- My thoughts slowed down
- My emotions stabilized
- Memory improved
- Strategic thinking returned
- Sleep deepened
- Weight began to drop naturally
- I noticed my neighbourhood again
- Conversations felt easier and more present
I wasn’t euphoric. I was calm, clear, and quietly alert.
Most striking of all, I no longer felt outer-directed. Screens had stopped deciding what mattered. I had reclaimed that role myself
Square eye syndrome
.
What Really Changed?
Nothing mystical occurred.
I simply returned to what appears to be normal human consciousness when it isn’t constantly stimulated.
Modern digital environments keep the nervous system in a state of low-grade alarm:
- Endless novelty
- No completion
- No silence
- No mental rest
Remove that, and the brain does what it evolved to do.
Independent thought comes back online.
The stress response settles.
The body regulates itself.
Meditation, breathwork, walking, and reading didn’t “add” anything magical — they grounded what was already there.
Is This Response Common?
Yes — far more common than most people realise.
When individuals step away from continuous digital stimulation for long enough, a pattern often emerges:
Week 1: restlessness, boredom, mild irritation
Weeks 2–3: improved sleep, focus, awareness
Week 4: calm clarity, emotional regulation, strategic thinking
Because most people never unplug long enough to pass the discomfort phase, they never discover what lies beyond it.
This Isn’t Anti-Medication or Anti-Therapy
It’s important to say this clearly.
A digital detox is not a replacement for medication or talk therapy when those are genuinely needed. Medication can stabilise. Therapy can help identify patterns and build skills.
But neither can fully compensate for a daily environment that overwhelms the nervous system.
Prescribing therapy without addressing constant stimulation is like teaching breathing techniques in a smoke-filled room.
What I experienced wasn’t rebellion against mental health care. It was positive psychology at its most basic level: removing obvious stressors and restoring conditions that allow wellbeing to emerge.
Why This Works So Well
Most modern mental health struggles aren’t rooted in mystery. They’re rooted in overload.
Screens fragment attention.
Algorithms reward agitation.
News cycles amplify threat.
Social platforms create comparison and urgency.
When those inputs are reduced — not eliminated forever, just bounded — the system recalibrates.
Happiness doesn’t need to be manufactured. It surfaces naturally when interference stops.
The Hidden Problem: Information Pollution
One uncomfortable realisation followed.
The most useful mental health truths are buried beneath mountains of misinformation, hype, and over-promising.
Simple advice doesn’t sell.
Calm doesn’t trend.
Moderation isn’t viral.
So the basics — sleep, rhythm, boredom, movement, quiet pleasure — are drowned out by noise.
Ironically, many people consume more mental health content and feel worse as a result.
A Sustainable Way Forward
The goal isn’t monk-level discipline or permanent disconnection.
The goal is intentional use, not default consumption.
- Screens as tools, not environments
- Audio over visuals when possible
- Reading instead of scrolling
- Walking instead of watching
- Social contact that involves presence
A month-long reset can act as a nervous system “factory reset.” After that, maintenance becomes easier.
A Final Thought
A 30-day digital detox followed by a month focused on simple, genuine happiness will likely improve mental wellbeing for many people more than endless information, apps, or even therapy alone — when the core issue is overload rather than illness.
That doesn’t make this anti-medicine.
It makes it pro-sanity.
Sometimes the most effective intervention isn’t adding something new — it’s removing what never should have been there in the first place.
Related Articles
- “The Fall of the West: How Tech and Pharma Became the New Gods”
- From Digital Serf to Landholder: An Australian’s Guide to Escaping Techno-Feudalism
