Have you ever looked up from your phone and realized that the time has passed? Some people on the internet recommend that you go touch grass if this sounds like you.
To be told to touch grass is an insult to people who spend a lot of time online.
People in the U.S. spend more time on their phones than consumers in the UK. Younger consumers pay higher rates. Many people are leaving the social media platform in protest of Musk's acquisition of the company. I am a person who uses the internet and I am begging you to stop. Nobody cares.
Is it time for us to stop touching the grass? Is it possible to take more from the advice? Is it possible to truly 'touch grass'?
As a teenager, Paulie started going on the internet because his friends were on it, connecting with them on old-school networks like Bebo. As he got older, he became obsessed with consuming content. He says that where things started to go wrong was with the social networking site. I was trying to keep up with the news, but I couldn't stop it from happening. I would feel like I was going to die. He stopped using social media for two months so he could experiment with grass.
"In any spare moment, like smoking a cigarette, I noticed I’d take my phone out and just passively stuff would flash past me… It was a way to fill spare time."
She felt she had to stop using social media for other reasons. She has been de- and re-activating her account on the photo-sharing site for almost two years. She had a problem with her use of social media. It was a way to fill spare time, and I realized I didn't need to and that it might be better to have a real rest She realized that being online left her in a constant state of unhappiness, and that these platforms made her more miserable by making her aware of the things she doesn't have. You're in a state of consumption because you're close to seeing something and want it.
Tom felt that the scrolling problem spiraled out of control with his own internet use. "I get hyper focused so it would happen that I would go on to watch one video and then four or five hours would go by without me realizing and I'd sort of come out of this daze." He felt like he had wasted a lot of time and his brain was overwhelmed by all the information. Tom decided to stop using the internet for a month and a half because he was sick of it.
Juulia Karlstedt is a counsellorSpecialising in anxiety. There is a growing body of research linking social media use to mental health problems. Because social media is designed to grab our attention and hold it, there are a lot of mechanisms in platforms that increase our consumption and increase the risks to our mental health. She sees this problem in people in their teens and twenties.
Karlstedt thinks that people should take a break if they are feeling bad about their addiction. If there are areas that are meaningful to you that you could engage with offline, then take a look at your life outside the platforms. When we don't have a strong anchor in our life, social media's pull on us will be greater.
They all tried to do that. They were away from social media. They took different approaches, with Tom taking the most radical approach of avoiding anything he felt gave him a "release of dopamine" and Paulie taking time away from social media to win back some of her time.
The effect was immediate. I felt very present and centered. I was very productive because I had a lot of free time, and I found myself being more present with people. As she wasn't constantly comparing herself to others on social media, her self-esteem improved.
"I had this idea that I’d put the phone down and then I’d be running out the door skipping like it’s spring and I would play the flute and sit under trees reading all day. It wasn’t like that really."
Initially, Paulie was somewhat underwhelmed. I had an idea that if I put the phone down, I would run out the door and play the flute and read all day long. It wasn't that way. I was still on edge for a while. He began to see the benefits over the next couple of weeks. I became more present and didn't always take in content. I was more present because I was more interested in people in real life and what they said. My relationship with people I care about improved.
The three of them felt less connected to the real world when they were logging off from the internet. They were able to connect with people on a deeper level. Offline, there was a lack of connection from real world events. Paulie used to discuss serious issues a lot. After my cleanse, I was much less serious, but I wouldn't want to hear bad news. He is looking for a solution to this. I'm trying to find a balance where I don't feel bad about the world but still want to talk about real issues.
"Social media is very good at pulling us into mental tangents, so working with a timer can be helpful to check in with yourself if you've gone down a rabbit hole."
Those who want to stay engaged, or those who have to use social media for work, will benefit from this approach of balance. If you've gone down a rabbit hole, working with a timer can be helpful to make sure you're okay. When the timer goes off, ask yourself what you're consuming and how you're feeling. It's a good idea to take a break from social media and use your device less. Set a focus for yourself and check in again later when you're ready.
Each of the detoxingers ended up going back to social media after they spoke about the benefits of using technology. They went into a relapsed state in the case of Tom and Mimi. Both of them were unwell at their time of thelapse, so they each re-engaged with their apps. Tom found himself in a downward spiral. I was out of balance and had a hard time reining in my excessive use of the internet. His screen time has gone down by two hours a day.
They all said that they had to go back on it in the modern age, but they all said that they felt bad when they fell back into their old patterns. I think it has a negative effect on my life. Similar thoughts were shared by Paulie and Tom.
All of them have found balance after taking a cleanse. Tom and Mimi would love to go back to their old ways. He argued that cold turkey wasn't the way to go. I needed to find balance even though I was addicted to social media. I would never want to completely stop using social media because of the many good things it has done for me.
While everyone I spoke to did return to their online life, it was obvious that their attempt to touch grass successfully showed them that digital detoxing had beneficial effects on their mental health. It is possible that it is time to touch the grass after you finish this article.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
