As the world becomes more reliant on technology and phones, English teacher James Godwin steps off the beaten path by going without a phone to reduce stress in his life.
“Most people use it as a way to cope with their anxiety and get that serotonin hit because they’re isolated and in control,” Godwin said. “I think that COVID is causing more social anxiety because I know I had to work through social anxiety. But since I got rid of my phone, it’s been a lot easier to engage.”
According to Common Sense Media, teenagers spend an average of eight hours and 39 minutes on their phones daily. With social media more prevalent than ever, mindless scrolling and endless streams of dopamine and information plague not just teens but adults as well. We may not even realize how much it affects us.
“These social media companies and app companies for phones, they’ve been developing their apps to take advantage of our attention and take time away from us,” Godwin said.
Social media overtaking our lives and having no control over it increases our stress levels. However, the idea of letting go of social media is scary and not being in the know and feeling left out haunts us.
“There are sometimes where I’ll feel like I’m missing out on something, but I find value in the routines I’ve established,” Godwin said. “I find value in my writing. I find value in teaching and spending time with my family, and those are the things that are important.”
Good time management is a necessity for life that we must learn early. Taking back control of your time instead of doom-scrolling will allow you more time to engage with people around you, spend more time doing hobbies, complete tasks you procrastinate or learn new skills.
“I choose when I communicate, instead of the phone choosing when I engage with it,” Godwin said. “If I can swing it, I’ll never have another phone.”
While taking away phones completely may seem extreme, limiting screen time has been shown to have a positive effect on people’s lives. Taking a break from social media also could help our generation relax. Always knowing everything on social media clouds the mind with useless information, and we’re building to reliance on constant knowledge. Detoxing your mind of redundant information trains us to find peace in solitude.
“Just getting rid of my phone is the end goal, but if I find something else that’s a redundancy in my life, I think I should reevaluate it,” Godwin said. “As Henry David Thoreau said, ‘Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!’”
