Screens have become a normalized part of our daily lives. They are used to wake us up in the morning, to communicate with friends, to plan birthday parties and to keep track of meetings. Living in the modern world, it is hard to imagine life without a phone, and this was difficult to fathom before we were restricted from socializing in person.
The worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 is adding a whole new layer to what purpose screens serve in our lives. Before social distancing guidelines were set in place, technology was used on the daily in workplaces, at home and in educational settings. Now they are one of the only links to friends, peers, colleagues and even family.
Due to the new found reliance of screens in our lives, an issue that is being overlooked is setting boundaries when it comes to device usage. This issue is appearing in various forms.
Parents are dealing with the difficulties of redefining their own work schedules, as well as making sure their children are entertained and following school’s expectations of online learning.
Teenagers are struggling with the desire to connect with friends and stay up to date with social media. But instead are being hit with the dissatisfaction of constant virtual connection, as well as the overload of information and posts.
Educators work to make realistic and helpful online resources available for their students while also managing their own lives. They have to make choices about when they should be available for the confused and adjusting student’s questions and when to take a break.
Every person with a smartphone is greeted each day with hundreds of conflicting news stories and updates. The world is in a state of chaos and it feels as though we all have front row seats to the show.
It’s hard to see the statistics of deaths and then switch apps and see petty drama about Tik Tok users.
It’s hard to separate the necessary and reliable information from the assumptions and ever changing claims.
It’s hard to constantly be exposed to a cyber world where people are living this harsh reality but also trying to pretend it’s not happening.
At a certain point it all becomes too much.
There isn’t a guidebook or a YouTube video on how to handle the constant flow of emails, text messages and Zoom calls. Very few living people have experienced a pandemic let alone a pandemic in a world with abundant technology. So, as a species, we need to step back and assess our capacities and then move forward respecting them.
We are now fully immersed in a sub-culture of the internet that places what your friend had for breakfast on the same screen as pictures of body bags. It’s hard to decipher and determine the importance of events when it’s constantly being updated. And, it can all be held in the palm of our hands.
The world that is present on our phones and devices is confusing. It subconsciously desensitizes us to what is actually happening to real people all around us.
So it is okay to take a break.
It’s okay to not check your phone for an hour each day.
It’s okay to acknowledge and vocalize that technology is overwhelming.
It’s okay to turn off your news notifications and check it when you’re ready.
Overstimulation and constant pressure to be present in all areas of life is not a healthy way to deal with the stress and the unknown nature of these times. Everyone is having a hard time processing what exactly is going on, and sometimes clarity can come from stepping away from the devices that seemingly provide us with all the information we need.
Boundaries existed in our once normal schedules. We had time for work that was separate from self care and family time. In a period where time seems to be running together, take a moment to step away and breathe. We have a unique opportunity to slow down our lives, but that can’t happen with over reliance and usage of screens.
