Is It Time to “Refresh” Your Relationship With Technology?
If you’re noticing symptoms of burnout - apathy, fatigue, feelings of self-doubt - ask yourself how much it has to do with the device you’re holding right now. We rely on our technological devices on an alarming level. They keep us connected, they give us nonstop access to work, and they are our source of entertainment. We rely on our devices to keep us on schedule, to remind us of tasks we have to complete, and to give us directions to wherever we’re going. Although technology can be a useful tool, it is important to remain mindful of your relationship with your devices. What has the ability to aid us can also be a powerful distractor from our offline lives.
Mental health professionals are becoming increasingly aware of the negative effects that excessive technology use can have on clients’ mental health. I commonly hear clients express longing to decrease their usage or set boundaries around their devices. Many people, especially teenagers, may experience feelings of disappointment, longing, self-criticism, and negativity when they engage with social media. Recent research has indicated higher rates of depression and anxiety for “frequent” users of social media.* This makes sense given that many social media platforms showcase images. If a user’s identity is reduced to a series of images, they can become comparative and hopeless if their image doesn’t meet the standards they see in front of them.
*Haidt, J. (2020). Digital technology under scrutiny. Nature, 578.
It would be difficult to eliminate technology altogether from our lives. However, we can utilize the practice of mindfulness to change our relationship with technology. Mindfulness is the process of engaging in reflection of your thoughts and feelings. Those who engage consistently in mindfulness, whether it is through therapy or self-guided, can feel more at peace. Through analyzing our mental landscape, we can obtain more control over the decisions we make and actions we take. The same principle can be used with technology.
A “Refreshing” Mindfulness Exercise
If you want to change your relationship with technology, try out this brief exercise that incorporates elements of mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy:
First, look at your phone’s home screen. Notice what applications are on your screen. What are the applications? Are there any you don’t recognize immediately? What are they used for?
Now think about how each application may be serving you. Does it help you? How often?
Next, engage in some emotional mindfulness. When you open each application, how do you feel after you’ve used it? Does it make you feel refreshed? Energized? Intellectual? Or does it make you feel worse about yourself? Drained? Does it make you feel connected or isolated?
Now it’s time to think about how to optimize your device for your needs. How can you “refresh” your device to give you what you truly want? Can you hide applications that you rarely use? Can you use folders to declutter your screen? Can you delete applications that prompt feelings of despair, hopelessness, and fatigue and highlight applications that bring you joy, fulfillment, and enrichment? You are in charge of this whole digital space on your device, so it’s up to you to curate it in ways that help you.
Hopefully this mindfulness exercise can be a starting point for “refreshing” your relationship with technology. Reflect on where else you can apply these concepts: your computer? Your online workspace? Your television? It’s time to stop being a bystander while your devices control you. Take control over your devices, and use them as tools to help you work towards your goals.
