…digital devices… Did you?

I scrolled past a post on Instagram that said thousands of people worldwide would ditch their phones and social media on October 10th. I had two thoughts:

1. The irony of seeing this on one of my platforms doesn’t escape me.
2. Thousands of people worldwide aren’t even a drop in the bucket.

But, why not give it a go–drop in the bucket or not.

October 10th is World Mental Health Day, established in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health. I can see the connection. It’s blatantly obvious. Anxiety and depression have increased since the majority of people have a smartphone in their hands. And now I have two more thoughts:

1. Why did it take so long to establish a day for mental health—when it seems like this is needed on the daily?
2. The irony is, again, not lost on me that I am participating in this at a time when I am doing pretty well mentally. Thank God!

My Commitment

Regardless of my perception that my mental health is good, I committed to the day, leaving my digital social life ‘over there.’ I did use my phone, but only for photos, phone calls, or texts. Because no one cold-calls anymore, I didn’t get any phone calls. I did, however, have several texts.

What Did I Learn?

I love collecting data. It’s a tangible pile of information that points to something, making circumstances somehow more concrete. Taking part in this day confirmed that:

1. I can live without my phone.
2. Habits are sneaky.

Now, deciding not to use my phone wasn’t that hard. I don’t use it while I teach, so I’m sort of in practice daily. I’m also a Gen Xer and didn’t get my first phone until my 30s, and that was only because I had moved out of town and felt it might be helpful for winter commutes. I wonder how long it would have taken me to get a cell phone if I’d never moved out of town. I’ll never know.

So, step one was easy—deciding. What shocked me was that whenever I got a text, took a photo, or had that phone in my hand, I automatically went to a social platform to scroll—FOR WHAT? Nothing. It’s habitual.

I would finish up a text, click on a social platform, and stop myself immediately. Easy. The first time. But the shocking part was that I did it every time. Every. Single. Time. Without even thinking.

I guess that’s the epitome of mindless scrolling.

It was really interesting to see how the physical action of thumbing my screen was quite automatic. It bothered me.

What Am I Doing Moving Forward?

I’ve decided I will take a digital cleanse once a week. It’s not that big a deal, but it’s a start. How about you? Think you’ll give it a go?

I just don’t like the idea of my stuff owning me.

As always, thank you for reading, Lovelies.