Top 5 Ways to Create a Healthy Relationship With Screens

Since the pandemic, between work and personal life, the average adult now spends nearly 11 hours per day looking at a screen. Many mental health professionals, I included, are concerned about the various mental health issues that can arise from our digital habits or how they might contribute to already existing mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, body image disorders, and substance abuse issues. Furthermore, suicide rates are at an all-time high, and too often, users experience negative feelings from social media interactions that linger and spill over into their offline lives.

Screen time narrows our experiences

Many studies suggest that our increasing screen time affects our mental, physical, and emotional health. The definition of “mental health” is complex. Our mental health is based on many factors. For example, a person’s constitution, genetics, past experiences, attachment styles, past traumas, and environment significantly contributes to our emotional health. And the amount of time we spend in front of screens will also play a significant role in our mental health. Just like any activity or behavior we chose to participate and engage in.

Spending hours in front of a screen negatively affects our mental health in part because it narrows down our experiences by stealing our precious time away from pursuits that nurture and nourish our bodies and minds. These include physical activity, connecting with nature, pursuing creative outlets, and nurturing the relationships with the people we care most about.

The importance of social media literacy

One meaningful way we can create a healthier relationship with social media is by developing social media literacy skills. At the forefront of social media literacy is the concept of critical thinking skills. Critical thinking means having the ability to skillfully evaluate all kinds of digital media, including social media, by determining what information is pertinent and what information or content is not relevant. It also entails the ability to accurately interpret the overall message and purpose communicated by someone’s text, picture, or post.

Another aspect of social media literacy is being aware of our emotions before logging on while logged on and after we’ve logged off. Getting into the habit of asking ourselves, “How am I feeling?” before logging on is vital. Again, if you’re not in a particularly good emotional space, it’s probably best to step away from social media for a little while. Instead, spend time figuring out meaningful and productive ways that will help you feel better!

Five ways to improve your relationship with screens

Below are five suggestions for how to develop a healthy relationship with screens and technology.

1. Give yourself permission to step away from technology. Stepping away from screens is not a personal failure. Instead, it’s an act of self-love and self-protection.
2. Commit to non-digital self-care practices. Find enjoyable activities that don’t involve technology-like painting, drawing, reading, volunteering, and exercise. These types of activities create the feeling of what’s known as “flow” — what we feel when we’re fully immersed in an enjoyable activity.
3. Connect with nature. In the digital age, being outside and spending time in natural settings is becoming more and more of a luxury. Studies show that time spent in nature reduces stress, anxiety, and depression.
4. Prioritize real-life relationships over screen time. While living through a pandemic, seeing friends and family, apart from those in our households, isn’t always an option. However, scheduling virtual “social time” is key to maintaining our friendships and our other meaningful relationships. As much as possible, use virtual platforms such FaceTime, Zoom, and Skype to connect with friends and family you can’t have in-person encounters with. Make sure you’re also setting aside enough time to connect rather than just “checking in: or doing a quick catch-up. The fact is, relationships require our time and our energy to blossom and deepen.
5. Set boundaries around digital use. Cultivating a balance in one’s life is vital for good mental health. As with all things in life, we all need to work on maintaining our emotional well-being both offline and online by setting boundaries for ourselves. One way to do this is by scheduling your social media check-ins as you would any other activity or task in your day-today-life like returning emails, preparing dinner, and exercising. Another option would also be to put your phone in another room or somewhere where you can’t quickly get to it. For most, not having our phones physically with us creates a great deal of anxiety. Learning how to “live” without our phones by increasing our frustration tolerance, for example, by learning how to take deep breathes to calm one’s self down when feeling anxious, is crucial for gaining balance.