What is instant gratification anyway?

Today, I’ve been trying to figure out what falls into the category of instant gratification vs. plain old regular gratification for me. For instance, if I eat something that I enjoy, that’s pretty instantaneous and gratifying. However, sitting down, eating it mindfully and savoring it feels very different than scarfing it down while I watch TV at night (even if it’s the very same food). Now I feel a need to go look up the actual definition of the term. Okay, I just looked it up and found this: “Instant gratification is the desire to experience pleasure or fulfillment without delay.”

So, I’m wondering if what I’m looking to target does not exactly fit that definition. What I’m ultimately trying to reduce are pretty useless habits that have become deeply ingrained and keep me from doing more meaningful, productive, life-enhancing, creative activities. An example is this blog. Right now, I have a few moments of downtime in between work tasks. Normally, I might go scroll on social media or even turn on the TV for a few minutes. Instead, I’m writing – nothing groundbreaking, but it takes much more brain power and creativity than the former. In that regard, maybe mindless consumption is truly what I’m trying to reduce, especially consuming things that (1) take me out of the present moment (2) take very little mental, physical or emotional effort, (3) provide some numbing or distracting function, and (4) don’t add to my well-being or quality of life in a meaningful way. So, essentially, wasting precious time.

Tomorrow, I want to explore another thing I’ve been thinking about recently, which is the constant need for stimulation. See you then!