Building Healthy Phone Habits in Times of Crisis
Our phones have become the extension of our hands. They have become necessary with our work, communication, and getting through our daily lives. They are a great source of convenience with shopping and getting our news. However, our attachment to our phones can also be the cause of great stress, heightened anxiety, and unhealthy habits.
In recent times, especially, this has happened.
Here are three ways to reduce that stress and anxiety around phone usage and help promote healthy habits:
Set Boundaries
It’s so easy to push that refresh button multiple times when anxiously waiting for updates. So easy to stay fixated to our phone screens after a traumatic event happens in our world. But how does that serve us? Does that help with the anxiety or make it worse?
If you feel stuck to your phone, clicking that refresh button, take a step back and ask yourself how frequently the article is going to be updated. If the traumatic event is new, it’s unlikely that details will stream in every second, so consider setting boundaries. Bookmark the article or news source and set a number of times to check in. Maybe try two or three, before work and after work.
Stay informed, but don’t let yourself get overwhelmed.
Unfollow Unnecessary Sources/Apps
Journalism and the media want to keep our attention. It’s how they make their money and headlines. Their reporting is designed to hype up our emotions and keep us engaged. But not every news source is accurate. Not every news source knows what it’s talking about, or is just reciting what someone else has already reported on.
If you have multiple sources where you get your news, consider how many you really need and who you feel reports the most accurate information. Unfollow the others. Delete the bookmarks. Delete the apps from your phone. Invest in a single, unbiased news source, like GroundNews.
Practice Self Care
When you’re feeling anxious, what keeps you calm? What recenters or grounds you? Is it spending time in nature? Listening to music? Taking a bubble bath?
Practicing self-care helps reduce our anxiety and stress levels and helps keep us in the present moment. When the world around us seems to be falling apart, the most important thing we can do is take care of ourselves and remember what’s in our control.
Take things one day at a time, or one hour at a time, if need be. Talk to your counselor or a close friend to process what you’re feeling — your fears, worries, concerns. Surround yourself with supportive friends and family.
We may not know what direction things in our world and universe are heading, but everything is going to be okay no matter what!