In my day-to-day life, I will admit that I spend way too much time looking at a screen. Whether it’s my laptop, my phone, or my TV, I have noticed that I spend so much time in front of a screen. Sometimes this is unavoidable for work or school-related reasons, but most of the time it’s just because I feel like I have nothing better to do. When I feel tired or bored, I automatically resort to a screen of some kind. As all of our parents tell us: “This is not good for you!” To try and maintain good mental health, we should avoid mindlessly staring at a screen for hours on end, and instead try to do other things that keep our brains more active. I personally am trying to read and go on walks more, as well as hanging out with friends and doing things without screens (like playing board games together).
Now, I’m not saying to completely cut technology out of your life, because it’s super important for most of our day-to-day functioning. But I do recommend examining your own habits with screens (outside of school and work) and try to reduce the amount so that the majority of your time isn’t spent binging Netflix shows or playing video games. For example, I’ve noticed that I spend about 6-8 hours in front of a screen outside of school and work, which is WAY more than I should be. In fact, most of my time outside of school and work is spent in front of a screen, which is definitely not good for me. I’m aiming to try and only spend 3-5 hours per day on a screen by incorporating other habits and activities into my daily routine. I’ve noticed that when I spend about that much time on a screen, I feel a lot less groggy and more energized during the day, so I think that’s the perfect amount of screen-time for me.
Again, I’m going to sound like your mother, but cut back on your screen time! It can help with your sleep schedule, energy level, and maybe help you improve upon or learn a new skill such as drawing or piano. A Netflix binge every once in a while isn’t going to kill you, but if that’s your everyday life, it might be a good idea to try and incorporate different non-screen-related activities into your day. Aim for 3-5 hours a day in front of screen, or at least cut back a little bit if you spend a majority of your day in front of a screen (like I usually do).
Written by Shelby Rogers