The growing outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) these past few months, and subsequent nationwide call for self-quarantine, has led to a significant upset in everyday routines. As we've seen through the rise of MANY new social media trends and challenges, several people have turned toward technology to cope with these new lifestyle changes.
It's a well-known fact that essentially everyone is addicted to their phone. Technology, especially social media, can be a great distraction during unfortunate times like the coronavirus outbreak. However, it's very easy for a distracting activity to turn into a mindless one.
In my first few days of quarantine, I noticed a dramatic increase in the amount of time I was spending on my phone.
This is something everyone my age and generations above mine can relate to. What do you do when you're bored or alone? Go on your phone.
Although it offered time-consuming entertainment, my increased screen-time was ridiculously mind-numbing and caused even more sleep difficulty than I previously experienced.
In the past week, I have gotten into the habit of not immediately looking at my phone when I wake up and not letting a screen be the last thing I look at before I go to bed. I have also started leaving my phone at home when I go outside to take a walk, work out, or go to the store.
Quarantine has not been fun — we all know this to be true. Most of us had to leave our college campuses or had big events canceled. But this is what life has become for the time being, so we might as well take advantage of it. Pursue a new hobby, learn a new language, exercise, play a game, watch movies, etc. Life gets busy, so we might as well take this time we have to put our phones down and accomplish something we did not initially have the time for.
It's easy to have technology fill the void of boredom during these weeks of self-quarantine, but I encourage you to set goals for yourself regarding your own screen time and pay attention to how much you pick up your phone when you feel as though there's nothing else to do.
