Your serotonin can drop

How will you feel if your internet is suddenly stopped by the government and you don’t know when it will start working again? How will you feel if your office work suddenly stopped and your many tasks are left to be completed and you have to meet the deadline?

I recently encountered 3 days without internet due to political chaos in Pakistan. Everywhere the internet was not working. It was one of the strategies by the government to control the country’s situation. When Imran Khan got arrested (the leader of the most famous political party in Pakistan), the people of Pakistan were burning with anger and worry. They were worried and they assumed that he would be silently killed.

In today’s world, the internet is considered not only one of the basic needs of life but it is a source of time pass. We are almost addicted to this invention due to the release of serotonin and dopamine(hormones of joy). One can’t imagine his life without a mobile or laptop. We became so much dependent on it that almost all of our serotonin and dopamine are released due to it. Whenever we see a reel or a funny show or something sexual some of these chemicals got released and make us happy. As a result, our time passes easily. But wait a minute, is it good?

The answer is simply a no! The Internet is Only good for professional use. Replacing it (the internet) with natural ways of happiness such as interacting with family members, and friends, doing something creative, reading books, playing games, etc is not sounding good and is practically unhealthy. It is harmful to our eyes and a major hurdle in establishing a strong love bond between siblings and parents. It is damaging our creative abilities. Some of the hidden side effects which you might see in today’s kids are impatience and lack of tolerance, kids, as well as elders, got Impressed with an artificially beautified world and belongings, and they start comparing their life with videos. Furthermore, with its excessive addiction, we start living a sedentary lifestyle.

So, we come to the point that the internet is not very good for us and our relationships, and it is eating away at our health as well. So how to minimize its usage? Here are a few methods that I came to know during the political chaos in Pakistan. Initially, I felt very sad because my lifestyle was changed by almost 180 degrees and my serotonin and dopamine level dropped in my blood. Unknowingly, I was addicted too much subconsciously to the internet. I was depressed and was thinking what’s the meaning of life without the internet? Time was passing very slowly and days were prolonged. I was watching the news to know when the will government start this service again and I will start my normal life back. But I was wrong, life was not normal before.

After two days, my body got adapted to my low hormone level and I started looking at my surroundings and try finding out ways to pass my time. Me and my siblings were sitting idly but then we started sitting together, discussing different topics and the political situation of the state, eating and laughing together, and cooking and cleaning with Mom. These few days were wonderful days of my life. I started reading novels and other books. We played games both indoors and outdoors. We went out to buy groceries together. We played with puppies. I also wrote articles offline to publish when the service is established. In short, we started living a normal life and our bond strengthened. A relationship of love and affection is established. We all decided not to change this by limiting our screen time and enjoying the small gestures of love.

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This story was originally post on medium