It's #WorldMentalHealthDay: Technology’s Toxic. Agree or Disagree?

Technology. It has contributed to society in both a helpful and harmful way. Every day people are constantly engrossed in their mobile devices. It consumes us. We wake up; we check our phones-whether it's responding to a text message, replying to an email for work/personal reasons or checking your notifications on your social media apps. I wouldn’t even say it’s a habit anymore, it’s mandatory! We put down the phone; two minutes pass and we’re back online; phone in hand checking out what’s going on in the world, commenting on The Shade Room’s Instagram post/story, or ordering our fav pair of shoes. But why? Why can’t we free ourselves of the constant obligation to show people what we’re doing? I can’t put my finger on it? I am part of the cause because I play a role in technology. But I NEED to do better. Maybe social media breaks are a healthy alternative to taking some time to yourself then feeling the pressure to sell your soul to people online (people that we don’t even know). What’s the term? What do we call it? A person who can’t put their phone down for 10 minutes without checking it? Oh! Nomophobia. Question is, how do we change if social media is mentally and emotionally f***ing with our brains? I’ve tried multiple times to stay off social media, but one way or the other it finds itself entrapping me. It’s as if we’re playing a cat and mouse game like Tom & Jerry. I get it, we can’t rid ourselves of social media when it comes to working requirements, but there needs to be some sort of limitation/boundary as to how much time we check apps/media outlets for our own personal reasons. Like I said, I want to do better and be better. I can talk all I want, but action needs to be taken so here I go. I’m going to come up with some ways to rid myself of the urge to grab my phone.

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I hope these options can play a role in your life to help you control the amount of time you're on your phone.

• Stop going on your phone when you’re bored.

• When you feel as if you’re becoming idle, go do something productive. Ex: read a book, color, engage in a crossword puzzle or word search, study, go for a walk, listen to a motivational podcast- just put the phone down!

• Set a time limit.

• Whether you choose to only check your social media accounts for 30 minutes or 3 hours; set an alert or reminder. iPhone users- I’m sure all of you are already aware that the iOS 12 allows you to track how long you stay on a specific app (so there's no reason to have an attachment to your iPhone when your time is being calculated). Androids + all other smartphone users, I’m not too sure if you have something similar to this, but just in case you don’t, keep up with how many minutes to hours you check your online presence.

• Monitor yourself. Check for signs of Nomophobia, Anxiety or other harmful behaviors of disorders.

• If you feel as if you suffer from any sort of neediness for your phone, get some help. It should never be a priority to care about your social media than yourself. Talk to a friend, a mentor, a colleague or someone in your family. People are always willing to help, just remember to ask for it!!!

Technology can be described as an asset- to people, to businesses, to news, to life. That all may be true, but don't allow it to lure you in and take control, because it has no problem making you it's bitch.

I hope the topic of technology was of use to anyone really struggling with breaking free from their phone. :)

Until next time lovers!

XO- Brit

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