Holly Innis
It’s nearly midnight. You’ve been doomscrolling on TikTok for the past hour and learnt nothing except that people think Brooke Monke’s feet are abnormally large. You go onto Instagram reels for a moment’s relief, and you’re greeted by a morbidly obese Al cat crashing into a washing machine. Yes, you think, this has really helped me unwind.
Does this scenario resonate with you? If it does, then I assure you there will be no judgment here. Many students use some version of short-form media content to relax, whether it’s TikTok, Instagram reels, YouTube shorts…- heck, I’m sure there is even someone out there making use of Snapchat’s forgotten reel function. Those juicy dopamine hits are impossible to resist. Especially after a long day when you crave nothing more than some brain-rotting content to numb the fact you have a five-page essay due tomorrow-(though watching the morbidly obese Al cat will undoubtedly be more useful in the long run.)
However, sometimes it can feel like we are trapped in a vicious cycle of being on a screen.
WHEN YOUR WORK TME IS SPENT ON A SCREEN, AND YOUR DOWNTIME IS SPENT ON A SCREEN, YOU ARE SEMI-PERMANENTLY ON A SCREEN.
As a university student, all seminar and lecture prep work is digitised, meaning prereading and assignments must all be completed on your laptop or iPad. Could you go and buy a physical copy of a textbook? Unlikely with the current student finance situation. Could you go find said reading in Hallward or George Green Library? If you have the energy to go on an endless hunt, only to find someone has already taken out the one copy of Lorenzo’s commentary on Brechtian Theatre (not a real book, please do not go searching for it.) The reality is, having our university work accessible online is convenient. But it does mean that when your work time is spent on a screen, and your downtime is spent on a screen, you are semi-permanently on a screen. This article aims to offer a few tips and tricks to allow you to touch grass- figuratively and literally. Your mental health will thank me.
1. The Good Ol’ App Blocker
Classic and effective. Phones have an app limit function in the Screentime setting on Apple phones and in Digital Wellbeing on Android, meaning if you find yourself going on TikTok for 5 hours a day, you can set a helpful timer that blocks the app after 4 hours and 59 minutes. Jokes aside, this function is a great way to encourage self-awareness and allow a pause in screen usage. It’s most useful for doomscrolling apps and games, as once you have used up your allocated time for the day, you will no longer receive notifications from the app. So avoid it on important messaging apps.
2. 30 Minutes On, 30 Minutes Off
This approach will put you back in control of your downtime. Set a timer on your phone for 30 minutes and once the time is up PUT THE PHONE DOWN. (Very important to do this step, otherwise this whole tip is rendered useless.) Now, for the next 30 minutes do something offline: showering, reading, doodling, walking, puzzling, pestering; all great verbs to occupy your time with. You can repeat this pattern as many times as required.
YOU’LL BE LESS ITCHING TO GO ON REELS IF YOU DON’T IMMEDIATELY SEE THE INSTAGRAM ICON WHEN YOU OPEN YOUR PHONE.
3. Remind Yourself of the Outside World
You know that thing outside of your window? That glowing orb that causes glare on your screen when you’re trying to watch The Traitors? Yes, that’s the sun. And if you’ve forgotten that, I beg of you, go outside! Even a short walk a day will boost your mood. You can make it an occasion! Create a playlist specifically for the walk. You could fill it with gangster rap and pretend you’re a morbidly obese Al cat on the prowl. Anything that makes the event more appealing. The possibilities are limitless.
4. Reorganise your Home Screen
A clear home screen will allow a clear mind. All important and useful apps keep on the first page. (No, TikTok is not important, and Subway Surfers is not useful.) Everything else you can demote to the next page. You’ll be less itching to go on reels if you don’t immediately see the Instagram icon when you open your phone. Perhaps you’ll even be drawn to your calculator app instead and devote some time to practising simultaneous equations.
5. Turn off Notifications for Everything but Messages, Emails and Calls
I permanently have notifications off for TikTok and I do think that I forget about the app much more than if I had them on. Whichever social media, shopping and entertainment apps you find drain away your time and life force most, try turning off the notifications! Your lock screen will feel much calmer. For the ultimate calm hack try the title of this tip.
6. Deploy the Airplane Mode
When your eyes start to strain, your brain starts doing funny shivers, and you can’t remember what you had for breakfast this morning, I would say it’s time to put your devices in airplane mode, or do not disturb, and be reabsorbed into the real world. Even for short periods during the day, using this function allows a complete break from the barrage of notifications and media your phone subjects you to. I strongly advise putting your phone on airplane mode when you go to bed- uninterrupted sleep is greatly needed for us busy students.
7. Your phone isn’t your girlfriend/boyfriend. It shouldn’t be the last thing you see when you go to sleep and/or the first thing you see when you wake up.
The title is self-explanatory. Even a 15 to 30 minute buffer before bed and before you go on your phone in the morning will do your brain the power of good. Whether you take one of these tips on board, or all of them, be proud of yourself for taking back some control of your screen time! It’s okay to spend some downtime on your phone. Just make sure you’re controlling what you’re doing on your phone rather than the other way around.
Good luck.
Signed, a morbidly obese Al cat. With a sore head. Covered in washing powder.
Holly Innis
Feature image courtesy of Marjan Blan on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of Maxim Ilyahov on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of Marco Palumbo via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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