The Mental Tax of AI: Why "Fake" Content is Exhausting My Brain

No. #Dailyvlog #vlog #DJIpocket3 #filmmaking #youtubetips My main camera* https://geni.us/DJI-Pocket3_Bo My stills and second camera* https://geni.us/Fuji_Xm5 My most important piece of tech* https://geni.us/Samsung-Fold5 I colorgrade all my videos with Dehancer. Use discount code YOUKNOWTHEBO for 10% off at https://www.dehancer.com * * This is an affiliate link. You do not pay more, but you will support the channel😉 Thank you very much This is my second channel. Check out my main channel here http://youtube.ISMONO.com INSTAGRAM https://instagram.ISMONO.com PODCAST on Spotify https://geni.us/IsmonoPodcast-Spotify PODCAST on Apple https://geni.us/IsmonoPodcast-Apple If you enjoy my content and you would like to support my channel, you can check out my Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/youknowthebo ARE YOU A CONTENT CREATOR LOOKING FOR ADVICE? You can book 1on1 coaching sessions. Contact me via email ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ It’s January 2nd, 2026, and I’ve made a big change to my phone: I’ve locked out of Instagram (0:31). While I’m still available for direct messages via my computer (1:15), I’ve realized that the rise of high-quality AI content has turned "doomscrolling" into an exhausting mental exercise. The AI Content Problem (2:09): I discuss the "mental tax" of constantly evaluating whether a video is real or AI-generated. I also share a personal story about a colleague who shared a fake AI dog rescue video (4:05) and the heartbreak of not wanting to "shatter the heart" of people finding rare moments of positivity in fake content (5:51). The Replacement Strategy (8:09): To avoid falling back into old habits, I’m leaning into my "swap" methodology. When I’m not using my Anbernic retro gaming device (8:09), I’m turning to my old Kindle (8:37). I’m focusing on reading for pure joy—fantasy and sci-fi—rather than heavy self-improvement books, to ensure the habit actually sticks (12:15). As a freelancer, being "always on" is part of the job (9:53), but this is my attempt to find a different headspace in 2026. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 00:00 - Happy New Year! 00:31 - Why I logged out of Instagram 01:15 - How to reach me now 02:09 - The "Mental Tax" of AI content 04:05 - The AI dog video story 05:51 - Protecting family from AI reality 07:10 - Locking out for mental health 08:09 - The Retro Gaming & Kindle Swap 09:53 - The Freelancer "Always On" struggle 11:49 - Habit building: Why I'm reading fiction 13:09 - Outro: Let's talk books ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬