I still don't know if I am technically a millennial or a gen-Z. I was born in 1999 which means I was technically alive in the 90s but have no memory before the 2000s. I never lived without the internet but I did live without smart phones, Apple TV and social media. I always had a computer in my home but all of my baby pictures are in a scrapbook, not on an iPhone. It seems like those born within the years of 1996-2001 were at an awkward, forgotten stage where the technology age was right on the cusp of what it is today.

It amazes me how quickly we have all become addicted to our phones. And since I grew up as cell phones evolved, I have been able to watch this progression unfold. I remember when we had flip phones, to blackberry-style phones, to iPod touches to iPhones. I remember going from having my phone in my backpack when I slept, to my bedside table, to in my actual bed with me. We look at our phones first thing in the morning, and right before we fall asleep at night.

We use our phones to communicate with others, and we feel lost without it God forbid we have to actually ask someone else for directions instead of using Siri. We use our phones for information, and feel anxious when we do not have access to unlimited information every minute of every day. And, we use it for fun. YouTube and Instagram have become the main entertainment sources for people my age, it seems.

And yet, the mental health crisis among people my age is becoming a crisis. I would be surprised to meet anyone my age who hasn't battled anxiety or depression at least a little bit during their life time. People can argue what the cause of this epidemic is, but most people agree that spending all of our time on our phones certainly isn't helping at all.

So, people try to unplug. They try to go a day, a week or even a month without using social media at all. They try not to look at their screens before they go to bed, and just read instead. They try to limit the amount of time they spend checking their emails or text messages. And for most, it is almost impossible.

We have so quickly become entirely dependent on these machines to live our day-to-day lives that it has become an addiction. However, being aware of the problem is the first step to actually fixing it. For all the flaws in our generation, we do seem to be critically self-aware of these flaws, and we actively try to fix it.

Of course it is not easy, and the use of social media is only growing. But I do believe that by unplugging as much as we can, we are trying to take care of ourselves in this digital world. So, next time you think about seeing what your friends are up to on Facebook, or next time you're getting ready to post that perfect picture to Instagram, take a pause, put your phone away, and take a breath. You'll probably feel better.