I realised recently that the very first thing I was doing in the morning, right after opening my eyes, was checking my phone.
Messages, Twitter, Instagram, amongst other things. That’s the first thing I do when I wake up.
During a day, I check my phone tens, hundreds of time. I don’t even think about it, it’s just a reflex. Before I know it, I’ve opened Twitter and I’m doomscrolling. Or I’m checking Instagram stories from people I don’t know, photos of people I don’t follow.
This is stressing me out. I need to stop but somehow I’m not ready to uninstall the apps! What if something happens in the world and I don’t know about it??? (I know, it’s silly). I came across this video from Casey Neistat again a few days ago, and I relate a lot. I thought it was worth sharing.
I’ve moved social media apps to a different screen, and put them in a folder. I named that folder “Stress” because that’s how they make me feel anyway (whether I check them or not). The apps are still there, they’re just a little bit harder to find. So far it’s working. I unlock my phone without thinking about it, and when my thumb reaches for one of these apps, I have a few seconds of confusion, followed by “ah, yeah, right, phew, let’s just lock the phone now and not check social media”.
I’m going to keep doing that for a few days and see how I feel.
How silly is this? Imagine explaining this to our ancestors!
I don’t think it’s a silly thing. On the contrary, it’s a real struggle that a lot of people can relate to in our generations. I’m also using social media apps constantly. I’m not really into Instagram but Twitter is my jam and I almost always check my TL when I wake up and in the evening before going to sleep. I managed to keep an healthy feed and I don’t think it’s “that” anxiety inducing for me that it can be for other people but I understand that it can create important stress. Real time information is a trap I fall into though. I like the idea of putting the apps on another screen with a label. Clever! Hope you find a way to deal with this on a long term. It’s important to take care of our mental health.