How often during the day are you turning on your phone, scrolling on your social media accounts, checking your email, or watching TV? Yes, this is the world we live in, however there are some benefits to temporarily unplugging from technology and decreasing your screen time. Give your brain a break and feel less stressed! We are in consistent go, go, go mode and when you add continual focus on screens to that equation, your brain can become more tired and possibly overwhelmed with constant input. Having social pressure to reply right away to texts or select "like" on a social media post from family members or friends can be overwhelming. Setting up boundaries can help with this. What you could possibly do is check your social media perhaps only once a day. Choose to check your text messages at the end of your day, knowing that it can wait. If it’s an emergency, possibly have your loved ones call you instead of texting. There are many options for this and it will be different for each person based on their lifestyle and preferences. It is your time and so it's important for you set the example for how you want others to respect that.
Give yourself peace and take your time back! Constantly reading other people’s social media posts can lead to symptoms of comparing what is going on in their life, to what is going on in your life and can cause feelings of jealousy or depression. You can also find yourself falling prey to bad habits of checking your feed often throughout the day, thinking you might be missing out on something. Another thing that may occur is after scrolling on your social media for a while you will look up and find maybe an hour or two of your life has passed you by. Keep in mind, most people only post their highlights or exaggerate on how amazing their life is going, but know that they too go through hardships, but don’t post about it. You need to be present in your life with what is going on around you. Stay in control of YOUR TIME and where you are spending your energy. You can free up so much time by putting your phone down and turning off the TV.
Enjoy the down time! With the extra time from turning off technology, you can spend more time with the people you enjoy being with and create lasting memories. You can read a book, take up a hobby you have always wanted to try like painting, dancing, or learning to play an instrument. You will be adding value to your life and not giving away your time reading about someone else’s life online. Technology is amazing and has its benefits, but in moderation.