Kaya 959 Lifestyle Reporter
Does the constant distraction of screen time lead to increased feelings of depression?
Why is screen time awesome?
Think of it as your favourite sad song.
You love listening to it in your car.
When you’re happy, it’s a song with a good beat. When you’re sad, it speaks to your emotion like a warm blanket.
What does any of this have to do with screen time being awesome and resultant feelings of depression?
It’s the perfect analogy.
We crave screen time to fuel us with dopamine but once it is used up, it leaves us with the feeling of ‘what now?’
One reel after the next, one mindless video followed by another, and an endless list of unknown friends in the palm of your hands.
It is a wonderful distraction that leads to a very real ‘coming down’.
Screen time is usually associated with children.
Adults emphasise that children should have limited screen time and that they should enjoy the outdoors and engage with other children to develop social skills.
But what about adults and screen time? We spend most of our time in front of a screen at the office, then we go home and continue.
What effect does this have on us?
- It is sedentary behaviour, which means we expend very low amounts of energy because we remain in a seated or reclined position. Two of the listed side effects of this behaviour is depression and anxiety.
- We also develop poor habits of hiding behind an avatar, being part of the problem, or being victimised by ignorant users who receive satisfaction from participating in cyberbullying.
- We develop narcissism, without having the disorder, by posting endless accounts of our day through pictures and thoughts in exchange for engagement.
It all creates a false sense of connection, the perfect setting for isolation, and eventually increased feelings of loneliness.
The solution to it all is not always easy. We are told to return to the basics.
Spend time outside, read books, gym, and eat healthily.
But what if you’re not the type of person who enjoys any of these activities?
Simply put, you have to retrain your mind:
- Become more active.
- Connect with family.
- Love your body and eat healthier
- Be a friend and you will have friends
- Form real connections with others
Discipline is the answer.
“It takes courage to endure the sharp pains of self-discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives,” Marianne Williamson.
Simply put, empower yourself through self-connection. It will open pathways and lasting feelings of belonging that no amount of instant gratification can offer.
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