Ever wondered how you ended up with 13 hours of screen time? Well, that’s a story in itself. However, with the pandemic hitting in, increased screen time has been a matter of concern, especially among young college students. With the majority of tasks revolving around being glued to the screen, heavy screen time can be overwhelming.
It can add up from various sources right from your online classes, online courses, society and club meetings to recreational time on the internet — playing online games or unconsciously scrolling through Instagram! The latter is mechanized in such a manner that one ends up getting stuck in the vicious loop.
After a long day of classes and meetings, such social media platforms act as an escape or rather stress busters to disengage oneself from college work. However, long hours of engagement not only add to screen time but also turn out to be detrimental from a health perspective.
A sedentary lifestyle can often lead to various health concerns, like back pain, joint pain, digestive issues, etc. Also, having a monotonous routine of just waking up and staring at the screen for the rest of the day might take a toll on one’s mental health through stress, anxiety, and lack of concentration. This directs towards the need for digital wellbeing. We are well versed in what does taking care of our general health looks like. But keeping in mind the status quo, digital wellbeing should be equally prioritized. Knowingly or unknowingly (for the most part), it’s a crucial part of our life. Hence, a conscious effort is called for.
The pandemic-induced screen time has been detrimental for many of us in diverse ways. This started the conversation on the healthy usage of digital goods. We, as individuals, sought different ways to tackle this takeover. In my case, during the initial months of lockdown, I struggled a lot with effectively using my time. It’s still an ongoing process. I started spending a major chunk of my day surfing the internet and not caring about screen time. But when things got unorganized and laid off, I decided to make an effort and work on it. The first step was the conscious call. A lot of it depends on it. The second step was prioritizing and consistency. This won’t come in a day but is rewarding in the long run. Hence, don’t lose out on it.
Below are a few things that worked for me. Please note that these may or may not work for you which is okay since there is no one size that fits everyone. Finding out your own combination of solutions will work the best for you!
- Setting screen timers: Yes, they work if you are committed!
- Deleting or having a set time for social media platforms: My graph for this has been quite uneven, but when I abide by it, I end up with a sufficient amount of time that can be used for other activities. It helps cut done on unnecessary recreational time.
- Taking a walk or exercising: Since a major portion of our day revolves around sitting, doing some sort of physical exercise keeps one pumped and healthy.
- Prioritizing and dividing your work: This is very much essential for a college student. We often procrastinate and keep things until the very end. This also adds to excessive screen time. Hence, try spreading out your tasks rather than piling them up.
In conclusion, we can’t avoid screens in today’s day and age as they have essentially become a part of us. However, we mustn’t let them take over our lives. Being conscious of our screentime is an integral step towards our all-rounded well being.