After coming back from Alaska, I’ve come to an unfortunate realization: maybe it really is that damn phone.
Working outside full-time left little opportunity to be on my phone, and having no wifi most of that time helped keep my screen time levels down. Besides, why sit on my phone all the time when I could go out and look at mountains, go on drives with friends or do random side quests?
I have never been happier than when I was in Alaska.
The problem is now I’m back in Big Rapids. No mountains to be seen: only classes, work and occasional (okay, maybe weekly) trips to the bar with friends. When I’m not doing work or homework, I find myself curling up with my phone more often than not.
Coincidentally, I’ve also noticed a significant decline in the way I feel. Hanging out with friends helps, the walks at the Huron-Manistee National Park help, but at the end of the day, that increase in screen time doesn’t.
It’s not just the screen, but the content we consume on it. I’ll admit, I love sad music, sad movies, sad edits of my favorite characters. I love it! I find a strange comfort in the familiarity of sadness. That being said, the content we consume has an impact on our mental and physical health.
How am I supposed to be happy when the media I consume isn’t? I know most of us have become victims of doomscrolling, and with the news coming out every day, it’s difficult not to. It’s hard to retain a positive mindset when X notifies me of horrible news headlines every hour.
When I think about my happiest moments from the summer, I’m not thinking about the time I spent on my phone. When I think of my saddest moments from the summer, I’m also not thinking about the time I spent on my phone. The most intense, real emotions I felt were in the moment, not through my screen.
In an unsurprising research study, MIT found that those with mental health struggles are more likely to consume negative content on social media, which, shockingly, only makes the mental health struggles more intense. With the way most social media algorithms work, once they see you seeking out this content or liking it, they’ll be sending more your way.
Getting off my phone isn’t as easy as I’d like it to be. After a long day of classes and homework, it feels almost necessary to unwind. It’s my connection to my friends around the world. The video chats act like a pick-me-up, but the social media scrolling that inevitably happens afterwards undoes it.
I could blame it on Big Rapids being a slightly boring town, not much to do without spending money, but it’s not the full truth. It is ultimately up to me to get out of my room, to go on walks, hang out with friends and to take breaks from social media.
I don’t always want to go for a walk outside when I’m tired, but it helps to acknowledge what my brain needs.
I’ve tried setting time limits for myself on apps, but it’s fairly easy to simply override them. Social media hasn’t aided my sleep schedule, which again, doesn’t do my mental or physical health any favors.
At the end of the day, social media is meant to be addictive. It’s difficult not to get stuck in the loop of negativity. Small things matter- reducing our screen time little by little, spending a little bit more time in nature, turning your phone off an hour before you sleep.
It’s easier said than done, but we cannot grow as people, cannot heal, unless we do hard things first.