Since the Netflix documentary called ‘The Social Dilemma’ released a few weeks ago, the eyes of the netizens got opened to the harmful manipulations and effects of social media on our daily lives and furthermore, our health and wellness as well. It is not like we did not know all these things before this popular documentary came into our lives and on our computers, but in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we tend to forget these simple cardinal truths of our life. We need to be reminded of them once in a while. These cardinal truths include that while it is great to share our lives and look at others lives through social media, we should know when to draw the line. It doesn’t take a long time to shift from sharing your doings to oversharing or to look at what others are doing to snooping unnecessarily. The negative effects of social media are not just moral, they are as detrimental to our health in general.
Research has proven that not only looking at the best aspects of people’s lives online makes us jealous of their belongings but also can cause long term harm to our mental health by constantly comparing ourselves to other people who may own more things than we do or have more fun lives as compared to us. This can create a sense of hopelessness and lead to mental tension and unnecessary worrying. We have also heard numerous times that keeping our eyes trained on our phones, laptops and tablets most often than not, causes irreparable damage to our eyes. Instead of being couch potatoes, we have now become phone potatoes. Millennials are increasingly complaining about strain in their necks and backs which shouldn’t be a concern for younger people but is known to have been caused by continuously looking down into their phones leading to an almost permanent countenance of drooping figures and bent spines.
Some would argue that they only look at their social media when they get notifications, but the algorithm of these social media apps is designed in such a way as to reel you in with some not so important notifications and have you mindlessly scrolling through your Instagram, Facebook, YouTube feed for hours on end, without focusing on the productive time that can be utilised in doing work which helps you grow instead. The concept of the Social Media Detox is also becoming popular these days, so much so that people are finding it extremely hard to stay away from their social media accounts and start to have withdrawal symptoms related to these. Many people have found themselves to be even more productive when they don’t look at their phones apart from indulging in work emails or calls, instead of just sitting and scrolling through their phones and apps being very unproductive instead.
But all is not lost in this maze of our electronic devices, rather there are certain things that we can consciously undertake in order for us to stay away from our phones for the maximum amount of time. In this article, we are listing down some ways that you can distract your mind in order to spend more time in your own reality of life:
· Engage in an interesting hobby: Hobbies were not just things that used to entertain us when we were kids, but they can do a good job of distracting us from the unnecessary use of social media over time. Due to the lockdown, a lot of us picked up various hobbies and multiple ways to keep ourselves entertained while we were stuck in our houses. Some people took up cooking, some took up reading and some people even starting creating art among other things. The key is to find a hobby which is interesting as well as engaging enough for you to keep going back to it in your free time.
· Limit your screen time: Most phones and apps these days come equipped with a feature which tells you how much time you are spending on your phone. And moreover, you can also set a limit on how much time you want to spend on average on your phone and social media. This has proved to be a very effective way of getting people away from their phones on a day to day basis.
· Unfollow or mute people: One of the most useful techniques that I have learnt in recent years is to unfollow or mute people who can make you envious of their lifestyle, advertently or inadvertently. It is always a better idea to live in your own present than keep coveting other people’s unattainable lives. This will lead to more productivity on your part and will also help you in utilising your time in a much more effective way. This method can also do wonders in improving your mental health and wellness.
· Switch off notifications: Switching off notifications of the various social media apps that you are on, can go a long way in you not being tempted enough to keep checking your phone time and again. Also, it is a given that the lesser you pick up your phone to check such notifications, the less likely will you be to spend unnecessary hours scrolling through these app interfaces and your feeds.
· Engaging in outdoor activities: Believe it or not, but incorporating even a non-strenuous activity in your daily regimen can dissipate the urge to spend increasing time on your phones. This will also keep your body moving and eliminate body aches and cramps which may arise from your scrolling your social media feeds all day. Another effective way to keep your bodily functions in check is to invest in devices which help you to monitor your fitness levels, heart rate, blood sugar among other parameters. This will also motivate you to continue with your physical activities once you see the positive results that this can yield for your body over time.
Hence, it is high time that we leave our phones and look up at the actual world that is otherwise passing us by.
