To Unplug Or Not To Unplug?
- What concerns, if any, do you have about your own reliance on technology or unhealthy Internet habits?
The article “What’s all this fuss about “digital detox” — and does it really work?” talked about how screen time is not good for mental health and how the author of the article did not realize how many times they checked their phone during their coffee chat (Ghaffary, 2019). I am concerned that I am addicted to technology and the internet like the author. It has become obsessive and I cannot really go a whole day without checking my phone or the news. I need to know what is going on in the world. I have to check the news about Covid, politics, etc. As of late, especially because of the Derek Chauvin trial, I have watched the trial and check day-to-day updates because I do not want to miss anything. It concerns me that my FOMO (fear of missing out) has really increased since the pandemic started. Due to Covid, I cannot go anywhere. Everything is done virtually so I am virtually going places in my head when I Snapchat, check the news, go on YouTube, etc. I check my phone multiple times a day to either go on the internet, YouTube, Netflix, chat with friends and family, or do my homework. I either spend all day on my phone or check my phone every hour of the day. I get stressed out if I do not check my phone which scares me because I was never like this before the Pandemic. Before Covid, I hated technology. I did not have a reliance on it as much as I do now. I actually did my best not to go on social media or have social media accounts. I trashed my friends for being addicted to their phones but now I am.
- Have you experienced any stress or anxiety associated with being overly “connected” online in terms of time or attention — to people, apps, work, or tasks?
With the trial, you would think I would want to disconnect because what happened to George Floyd negatively impacted my mental health but I am making my mental health worse by following the trial the way I am. I get stressed out when I hear the details of his murder over and over again. I get angry which is not good for my health. In the article “It’s Time for a Digital Detox. (You Know You Need It)” it is stated that “Too much screen time can take a toll on our mental health, depriving us of sleep and more productive tasks, experts said” (Chen, 2020). The impact of my eyes being on a screen 24/7 whether it is for homework or watching YouTube as a form of TV is not good. I have been getting more headaches due to the increase of screen time. I am not sleeping well at all. I am tired all the time. I waste time on my phone reading the news all day. Also, I feel more depressed because our country and world are so screwed up that every day something worse happens than the previous day. There was another shooting in a school, a cop killed another unarmed black man, Covid cases are rising again, and it keeps getting worse. I read about it and it makes me feel so sad and hopeless which is negative for my mental health.
- How can you reduce any stress or anxiety you may be experiencing? Or, what goals can you establish, what boundaries could you set for yourself and others you engage with online?
I do not want to be so stressed and angry all the time. One goal that I am going to start is from the article “What’s all this fuss about “digital detox” — and does it really work?” which is the “30-day cleanse.” (Ghaffary, 2019). I need a break from all the news of horrible acts that are being done. I cannot keep hearing about all the tragic events because of the impotence of my mental health. I will go on a 30-day cleanse of no social media, no YouTube, no news, no Snapchat, and no texting friends because they tell me the news. I can only use my phone for emergencies and to watch Netflix or Hulu as TV time. Then I will “slowly reintroduce only the stuff you really need into your diet” (Ghaffary, 2019). I don’t really need to read the news every day so I will only allow myself to read the news twice a week. I do not need to be on social media all day so I will limit myself to 30 minutes of social media a day. It is going to be hard to cut cold turkey and just use technology for homework and class but I need to do it for my mental health. I hope I will come to a point in my life where I only read the news once a week just to be informed and not obsessed.
My goal is to turn off my phone from 6pm until 8am because I don’t trust myself to be off my phone if it is turned on (Ghaffary, 2019). Another goal is to make my bedroom a phone free zone so I do not have screen time before bed which will help me sleep earlier and better (Chen, 2020). I have struggled with sleep so this would be beneficial for me. Finally, placing a time limit on how long I read the news or watch YouTube videos like 15 minutes a day (Ghaffary, 2019). I tend to spend all day if I let myself, which is not productive.
