Technology has been a godsend over the years, but it can also be very tricky. We have all of the information in the world at our fingertips right now, but life online is tricky because it's arguably the most incredible thing that's ever happened to us, but it's also very overwhelming. We witness over and over the impact being online all the time and being present all the time can have on us, and yet here we sit with our phones in our hands constantly and endlessly scrolling.
We scroll social media to see other peoples lives and we scroll on the Internet to learn about everything. We go to work and we scroll some more. We like to go online to see what our favorite influences are doing or learn how to see what Google knows about you. And yet here we are complaining about being glued to our phones while holding them in the palms of our hands. One of the biggest reasons that we are so addicted to our phones is because it can trigger a dopamine response in the brain. We want more of that dopamine trigger so we keep turning back to our phones every time we are bored. It's like opening up the door of the fridge to see what's in there to eat, closing the door, walking away and doing the same thing again in the hopes that it might look different in 10 minutes. If you are wondering if you fall into this category, let's take a look at all of the signs that you need to know to put your phone down.
- You can feel that blood pressure rising. This one is the first one because it can actually apply to everybody. Whether you are reading the news or a post catches your eye on Facebook about babies in car seats, as soon as you feel that blood pressure rising and your stress levels start to go up it's time to put your phone down. You have to ask yourself whether scrolling on your phone is doing anything good for you or whether or not it's not making your world better. If all you are doing is getting worked up and you have nowhere to put their energy, then you need to take a deep breath and put your phone down. You could even leave it upstairs and walk away.
- You are losing time. We all get caught up in doom scrolling. We head to bed nice and early will curl up under the blankets and we start to scroll on TikTok or Facebook or any number of the other social media apps or websites. All of a sudden it's midnight and you've got to be up at work in five hours time. When you are losing time like this, you are doing exactly what it was designed for. Being caught up in the infinite scroll? That's what phones are for. The mindless dims column that you are doing is a sign that maybe there's something that you need to address because you are avoiding something else in your life. You need to figure out some good hobbies to enjoy and do something other than scrolling on your phone.
- You are spoiling for a fight. Everywhere you look online people are saying stupid things and it's just a fact of life. You can't control what other people say, but just like in real life you can control your reactions. When you come across something that's particularly shocking, you need to ignore that surge of rage that is getting to push you to respond. Cursing out somebody might make you feel better in the short term, but it's just toxic and poisonous in the long term.
- You've fallen down the rabbit hole. If ever you've gone to YouTube to look up a fact or watch a video that's informative, there is every chance you've continued clicking down the videos that have led you down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. Yes, they can be very entertaining to watch, but when you get stuck in that rabbit hole it's very difficult to avoid being radicalized. If you find yourself in a deep hole of videos, you need to pull back and start using those key critical thinking skills that you are equipped with. Remember what happened to Alice when she went down the rabbit hole? You don't need that happening to you.
Putting down your phone can be a welcome break from things you are most worried about. It’s time to let go of the internet and do better!