There is definitely a correlation between my digital activity and my stress and anxiety levels. And I do more than ever to keep the latter in check: massages, reflexology, yoga, acupuncture, exec coaching — oh, and lots of wine and off-loading to friends. One thing I haven't yet tried is a digital detox. But the truth is: I am addicted. I find myself craving distraction. I’m a distraction addict and digital is my drug.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been trying to let myself be bored, and to note the type. A confirmed distraction addict, I often found it torturous, but at times surprisingly rewarding.

Some people are just gluttons for punishment. A pair of self-professed online distraction addicts, Robert R. Morris and Dan McDuff, have created a tool called “Pavlov Poke” that will zap them if they spend too much time on Facebook and not enough time working on their dissertations.

In a Gaumont film from 1910, Rosalie et Léonce à théâtre, a pair of women audience members annoy the male viewers in front of them by identifying with the spectacle to the point of bursting into hysterical tears. A typical article from 1914 details the female distraction-addict's abuse of the image: