A habit that leads to greatness

The past two days without social media have been the best two days after the pandemic. I am happy because I was able to return to my normal routine. My writing and creative routine.

I think deleting the apps adds up because if you wish to enter social media you have to do it through the internet browser and it looks ugly and non-aesthetic, so I guarantee you will leave immediately. This is one of the greatest tricks. While on social media, our brains receive a limited amount of dopamine it obtains through scrolling down and seeing or watching content that pleases us. This is because social media channels are designed to show us what we like, and even if we don’t like one post, we can keep scrolling until we reach that funny video, or that pleasant clean, and organized home. This isn’t bad, but it is not in the best interest of mental health either. Its effect is detrimental to our minds.

While I’m not saying social media is wonderful for numerous reasons, we must learn to balance the time we spend on it. At the end of the day, the content can be wonderful, yet futile at the same time. I know some people say they are not affected by what they see on social media, if this is the case congratulations. But I don’t want to live my life in a fake reality, creating a stimulus for my brain, and when I close the app feel bad about myself for spending over five hours of my day scrolling down. That is not healthy.

“Oh, you can set timers”. Yes, it’s true you can set the app for using it within a range of time. But we are talking about phone usage here. The time spent on screen, living in a virtual reality that at the end of the day is pointless. Although some people agree timers are useful to tell you you have passed the limit you imposed to use certain apps and you should stop, isn’t it shameful that YOUR phone telling you to stop because you don’t have the willpower to say enough? Well, I think indeed, it is shameful. That shouldn’t happen. And of course, timers are useless, because you can always deactivate them and keep spending hours escaping your reality.

The thing is there are many healthy ways to escape reality in a productive way that instead of giving a sense of shame, will bring a feeling of self-improvement. You can read a book, or a blog post, listen to a podcast, or learn something new; how to paint, do a DIY project, or how quantum physics work. The list is endless. And what is better than finishing the day with a sense of accomplishment rather than guilt? Yeah, nothing compares.

So next time you think you are spending too much time on your phone, ask yourself: How will this improve my mental well-being? How would it affect my mental health? Is it necessary? Could I do something else?

Life is what happens beyond the screen. If you don’t like your reality, cube the sphere and wipe the dust from your eyes. Getting hit by the realness of life is better than living a lie.

What truly matters is right in front of our eyes, and is not our phones, or that aesthetic video you last watched. It is the present. Something we cannot afford to lose. I know it takes time, but try to change your mind step by step, and remember to ask yourself if you're about to scroll, is this how I want to spend my day?