Hooked on the Screen? Me too.
I used to spend most of my day out and about, occupying myself with fun activities and spending time with friends. In this new world, I find myself trying to replace what brought me joy with alternatives. Unfortunately, most of those alternatives are on the screen. I find myself on my phone more than ever these days, and it doesn’t feel like there are many other options. When so much of my social life exists online, anything extra (those habits from before the pandemic) really add up. I worry about dependency, I think I go to my phone to try and manage negative emotions. I don’t really know how to change this during the pandemic, it is hard to find things to do when options have become to limited. I feel anxiety about spending time online, but I am also feeling increased social anxiety as the experiences have become so limited. It is a difficult time to be alive, and social media helps and hurts in different ways.
So what can we do? The most helpful advice I can give is giving up the parts of your phone that cause stress. Throughout the year, I have really brought my phone use down to a few apps that actually bring me joy and those that allow for communication. I found that Instagram made me feel left out and frustrated by social events often pictured, so I spend a lot less time on there now. I also think it is very important to live in those safe, social moments that still exist. When I am with friends or enjoying something outdoors, I try to set my phone aside and focus on where I am. In one of the articles I read this week, it mentioned turning your phone off for an hour or two. I think I will start turning my phone off when I am spending time with my family or roommates to make sure I am getting the most out of it. I also think I should delete those apps that I don’t use anymore, no point in tempting myself. Finally, I went ahead and turned the notifications I don’t need off. I really look forward to the day my life can be active and truly fulfilling again, but until then I can manage how much I use my phone and how much control it has over me.
