How much screen time is too much screen time? That’s a message that is preached to a lot of us, especially us in the Gen Z era. That our lives revolve too much around our screens and we no longer devote time into making real memories because we’re too stuck on our screens.
But as much as I want to sympathise with this school of thought, I wonder what we could have done instead. As our world revolved around us, should we have simply turned a blind eye and pretended that we weren’t a part of the mind-boggling changes that are currently upon us?
Especially in this age of working remotely. Where our government can’t do any better and the average youth has his entire means of living on his phone. Where we’re expected to give back to ourselves, our parents, our society, and still save ourselves from becoming destitute by working hard. Why then wouldn’t we be stuck on our screens?
One of the things my Dad consistently stressed when my sister and I were first leaving for college was to protect our phones judiciously. “Especially you, Tessa,” he’d say. “Whose entire life practically exists on her phone. I cannot begin to imagine how demoralized you’ll be. So please, never let your phone out of your bag unless you truly have to.” I couldn’t stop laughing because of how true the statement was.
My entire life does exist on my phone. My entire happiness as well. Apart from the weather and the beauty of nature that I can’t help but indulge myself in anytime and every time I can, every other form of happiness is drawn from my phone. One of my greatest joys which is reading would come from me being on my screen, same as watching movies, talking to the people I love, my work life and even down to my workout routine.(This last bit will change soon enough though, lol.) All of that is on my phone and of course with my screen.
How much screen time is too much screen time when your entire life revolves around screens?
I’ve dissected my screen time, however, into school, work and leisure and I try to maintain productivity in these three spheres. The truth is that no matter how hard I work, I wouldn’t remotely be the richest person if I didn’t take out time away from my screens to recharge before coming back. Especially since I have my eyes to think of. I’m beginning to think that no matter how accurately your glasses are tailored to suit your eyes, if you don’t take time away, you’re bound to suffer from eye pains.
I’ve cultivated this habit in the past weeks of taking long naps that help in relaxing my eyes, and my mind as well. It happens just before I start another dose of screen time which begins with writing and would most likely end with reading a book. I’m not sure how safe my school is for long walks in the evenings. So for now, when it comes to balancing my screen time when it comes to work, school and leisure, and maintaining productivity while at it, long naps have become my go-to.
We live in a digital world that’s constantly evolving. In the craze of the moment, we may lose our minds if we don’t find a way to effectively adapt to these changes. From Pocket Book to WhatsApp, Netflix to PeakD/Inleo....these are all things that I currently cannot do without, but with the right amount of non-screen time in between my screen time, I can just about get the hang of this digital world I’m a participant in.
Jhymi🖤
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