I once watched a Q & A video an actor filmed on YouTube and something he talked about really caught my attention. He talked about how social media has trained our brain to absorb an enormous amount of data in a short period of time, which leads to a shorter attention span to the point where one couldn’t stay focused long enough to read a few pages of a book. It was then that I realised I was facing the same issue, not being able to concentrate on something for more than a few minutes. After watching the video, I decided to evaluate the effects of social media on my mental health. I found that apps, such as Instagram, left me feelings anxious and restless. I’d refresh the same page five or more times in less than twenty minutes even though nothing had changed since the previous time I had checked. There was this constant pressure to be online and to keep up with everything that was going on in the world. It shocked me how hesitant I was to even think about deleting the app from my phone. I kept thinking about being left out of the loop and missing out on what was happening in the virtual world.
I have spoken to some of my friends and all of them have claimed that social media also gives them anxiety and puts a certain pressure on them to be present on it. In today’s age, most of us are addicted to our phones and have a need to be online in one form or another. It need not just be social media; we are extremely reliant on the internet to get through our everyday lives. During lockdown, the internet was our only way of staying connected to the outside world and so we were reliant on technology more than ever before. Having a screen time on my phone of nearly 10 hours, it was quite a shock to my system when I spent a weekend in the Scottish countryside offline.
In a time of so much uncertainty and anxiety, to get away from the chaos of city life and breathe in different air for a change, my family and I decided to take a trip to the Scottish countryside. I love everything about Scotland and so could barely wait to leave. We stayed at a beautiful hotel near a small town called Tarbert. The hotel overlooked Lock Fyne and was surrounded by nothing but trees and water. We were all speechless at the first sight of the castle hotel; I had never stayed somewhere so scenic and so far away from the city. However, we soon learnt that being so far into the countryside meant that we had little to no phone signals and the Wi-Fi didn’t work. The first night we all lay in our rooms not knowing what to do with ourselves without the distraction of Instagram, Snapchat or Netflix. I couldn’t wait to leave this place that felt so cut off from the rest of the world and like its own little planet. Little did I know I was about to have the most refreshing and enjoyable weekend I had had in a while.
The serene ambiance of the hotel allowed me to rid my mind to relax and just take pleasure in the beautiful sights that surrounded us. We had no phones to entertain us so we decided to venture down to the lounge for some tea. As I sat and drank my tea, I looked to my left and saw a family of four cuddled up on a large sofa playing scrabble. Infront of me, a couple sat together reading their books and discussing what interested them. We clearly weren’t the only ones living offline for the weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in a setting so alien to the city life I had experienced; one where people spoke to each other, to complete strangers, and were extremely friendly and approachable. I sat alone to have my tea and expected no one to speak to me, as in London everyone in a public setting usually keeps their head down and occupies themselves with their phones, myself included. Here, I found myself looking up and observing my surroundings, watching people interact with each other, willingly!
The waiter who brought my tea was incredibly kind and didn’t even charge me for the drink. I found myself wanting to speak to someone, anyone who was there. A little girl ran up to me and began to show me the seashells she had collected and we had a conversation about seashell necklaces. Then an old couple walked past and we chatted about their gorgeous dog (Toffee) and I wished the man happy birthday (I’d heard him speaking on the phone earlier). Over the weekend, every resident in that hotel fell into an unusual comfortable familiarity with each other, one that we usually reserve for our friends. We all coexisted in the same space harmoniously and enjoyed each other’s presence.
The time usually spent on social media was swapped for puzzles in the library, walks down to the sea shore, collecting sea shells, reading, speaking to other residents, petting multiple dogs etc. It was inspiring, to be surrounded by so much positive energy, so much amiability. Among such welcoming people, I was able to be present in the moment and allow my mind to take a break from the constant worrying that usually comes with social interaction. There was no room for social anxiety here, not when there were dogs constantly coming up to you for a pet or a complete stranger engaging you in conversation when you entered a room. It struck me how the smallest signs of humanity, of kindness, had such a positive impact on my mental health.
The smallest actions stayed with me, like the conversation I had with an old man while I waited for my food outside a café. We as a society are so dependent on each other, even if we have moved to online interactions. It was nice seeing how it used to be done, without phones to facilitate communications. I stopped trying to think of things to do, I stopped looking for ways to pass the time; I’d just sit there, on the sea shore or in the garden, and allowed my body and my mind to take a break. To shut down for just one weekend and have a very much needed recharge.
Social media isn’t completely an awful thing, I do enjoy being on Instagram and Snapchat, it helps us to stay connected with friends and family and allows us to see what is happening in the world. But my trip to Scotland and being offline for a while showed me that it is necessary sometimes to take a break from the online world; it allows us to be more present in our actual lives.
I think we should all enjoy the pleasures of technology but moderation is key! So an occastional Snapchat or Instagram is perfectly fine, as long as we remember to take some time out for ourselves; to look up from our phones and enjoy the pleasures of the world around us.