Shut off your phones!
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Your phone is most likely causing you a lot of stress. There are other activities that do not include your device. Reduce your screen time and try something new!
For the last couple of weeks, I made a huge change to my nightly schedule and decided it was time to switch it up for the betterment of my own well-being. Instead of doom-scrolling endlessly on TikTok or Instagram for two hours before I went to bed, I decided to spend the rest of my night reading a book of my choosing. Now that the Milne Library has finally opened, we can finally have access to its amenities. Like other students, I wasted no time taking advantage of these services as I checked out around seven neatly stacked books on my nightstand.
Before I made this switch, I spent hours on my phone at night, ignoring the clock as it continued to climb past midnight. As I woke up the next morning, I always regretted not getting more sleep, wishing I had shut off my phone after scrolling for hours. Suddenly, the day ahead becomes my next biggest obstacle as I struggle to stay awake in my classes. Reducing my screen time has emptied my mind of the academic weight that rests on my shoulders all day— including the mental stress that comes with it. Shutting off your TV and computer, and putting your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ can boost your mood like it has never been before.
Social media platforms are designed to be addictive and encapture the audience with videos, posts, and profiles that fit our interests. Spending hours at a time on these platforms can lead to an increase in anxiety and depression. The outcome of using social media daily is always the same, yet millions of users come back for more with the same outcome. Instead of prioritizing social media platforms and the parasocial relationships that may be built in the process, we need to shut our phones off and prioritize our mental, emotional, and physical health. The amount of time spent on our phones could be and should be, spent doing something beneficial for ourselves.
The fear of missing out (FOMO) should not run how you navigate your daily life. These emotions that riddle themselves from your phone can be seriously stress-inducing and cause fatigue or burnout. As we enter the end of the semester, you can slowly find yourself entering the danger zone if you are experiencing any feelings of anxiety and fatigue relating to stress about grades, registration, or personal issues.
If you are ready to make a change, I highly suggest switching up your schedule to something that aims to make your days brighter and uplift you emotionally. For me, reading before going to bed has changed my mood for the day and increased my focus and abilities in my classes. As Thanksgiving break creeps in, I feel more relieved about the semester coming to a close instead of feeling an incredible amount of angst and stress.
Shutting off my phone caused me to focus on things that are within my control instead of on things outside my physical reach. With the current state of the political climate surrounding our campus, it is difficult to keep your mind off of anything else, as it is splattered all over the internet.
Take a break from your phone. Do not allow the things on a screen to fill your mind with negative and overbearing thoughts that will overshadow you during the day. Take the time to really understand yourself and your interests, and to better understand who you are as a person.
Pick up a book, go on a walk, talk to your friends and family, revisit a show you really enjoy— do anything that will distract you from checking the notifications on your screen.