Combating Digital Depression
We live in the digital age and in many ways, we can't (and shouldn't) completely escape that. Technology has a great deal of benefits for society- from communication to reduction of paper to reducing store footprints to medical advances- technology has changed our lives for the better in many ways.
But there are negatives as well.
The realities of digital depression:
* The constant accessibility we experience in a world of smart phones can lead to stress. This same constant accessibility forces us to live in a continual state of partial attention. People watch movies and check their phones at the same time, we have conversations that are interrupted by texts and emails, we check social media at stoplights and retake photos to ensure their "post-ability" is correct, take walks outside but have heads buried in phones, etc. The inability to finish a task or focus fully on the present is stressful for the mind and limits our ability to fully engage in life, work and relationships.
* Social media can be wonderful for sharing events, photos and topics- it also forces us to subconsciously make comparisons with what we see. We are looking at people's "highlight reel" and often can get a "grass is greener...." feeling. This can lead to a desire to share more seeking the likes, shares, and thumbs up. This dependence on validation via social media is unhealthy.
* People have lost their filter and tend to overshare online. What once was sharing of special photos or events has turned to chronicles of our lives and includes a play by play sharing our waking ours of workout routines, our daily traffic. meals, clothes, activities and often {too} personal of information for the general public. Some find themselves having conversations only through social media outlets. The social media outlet also allows for bullying behavior (think of the recent political scenes- people say things online to one another they wouldn't dream of saying to one another in person!)
We find that those suffering from depression tend to be online more, and those who are online more tend to have higher levels of depression. It's not yet determined which came first, but we do know there is a direct correlation between the two.
Many parents can see this negative connection in their children's attitudes and the amount of screen time children have and therefore the parents limit screen. The America Pediatric Association has recommendations for the amount of time children are online and in front of a screen. It's for their health - mental and physical. But adults don't always give themselves the same boundaries. We are constantly connected, readily accessible and therefore risking a digital depression and engaging in a limited lifestyle.
Recommendations to combat digital depression:
* Set boundaries for yourself. Consider removing social media apps [you can keep the account but only access them via computers. This forces you to be limited to their access throughout the day.]
* Use the Do Not Disturb Feature on your phone after certain hours. Also consider leaving your phone in a different room during certain times such as dinner, family events, TV shows, games, meetings, etc.
* Think before posting "Why am I posting? What is the benefit to me? To others? If no one like this, sees it, comments, etc. is it still something I want to post?"
* Unplug. Literally. Forcing yourself to unplug and spend time away from technology fully engaged in other areas of interest is critical for our mental health.
* Consider a timing tracker for your use. If you're ready for an eye opener on the amount of time you spend on your phone and checking apps, consider downloading an app that helps monitor your use. Knowledge is powerful. {The app "moments" is free and easy to use for such tracking.} The awareness will help you to create boundaries.
http://nbc4i.com/2017/01/24/how-to-avoid-digital-depression/