I finally felt human again
Unplug and slow down! That’s exactly what I did today.
I’ve been in a rut, not having a schedule or routine because school is over and I’m #unemployed LOL, doing my own little side hustle and focusing on self discover. The down side of this ‘freedom’ is the lack of structure which is caused by my lack of discipline.
My days are filled with endless doom scrolling and it was truly ruining my mental health. Even with screen times, I find myself extending it or completely ignoring it and my social media usage would average around 5-8 hours daily. I had a conversation with my cousin about all that time summed up, I could have learnt a new language or a skill. But that time was spent scrolling content I can’t even remember.
I’m convinced that social media, doom scrolling specifically wants us to be losers. It raises our anxiety and self doubt, shove information in our faces so fast that we can’t even process which makes our ability to retain information absolutely atrocious.
So after just 1 month of being a doom scrolling victim, I noticed my self esteem levels dropping, my memory degrading, my anxiety levels raising, my ability to converse or have independent thought diminish, and the worst part, I didn’t feel human at all. I felt like I lost all control of my life, all because of doom scrolling.
‘How you spend your day is how you spend your life’
I realised that I cannot continue living like this and I decided to do something about it. Small baby steps.
Scheduled to meet up with an old friend to catch up on life. On my commute there, I told myself, no scrolling. Instinctively I wanted to open Tt or IG but I knew it was going to ruin my attempt at breaking this cycle. So I downloaded a book to read instead! Yay! Small progress. I found my mind feeling bored 2 minutes into reading and I found it extremely hard to focus. I pushed through and managed to read for 30 minutes before arriving at my destination.
The conversations I had with my friend finally felt real. No distractions or shallow topics, I opened up about my struggles with her and her human empathy made me remember what we are all born to experience, human connections. I truly cherished every moment mindfully and I just love a good yapping session with my girl friends.
I ended the day with the most scariest activity. I decided to move my body and go for a run. Not your average regular run where you plug your AirPods in and blast music. A raw run. No music, no phone. Just me and the sounds of nature while my brain is the only cheerleader pushing my every step.
This was the most refreshing moment I’ve had in a long time. I think a big part of it has to do with the fact that I didn’t bring my phone. I noticed things I didn’t noticed before and I had actual thoughts running through my head and for once I could form thoughts, drift away and wander about life again. I truly felt like a human again, it felt like I was ascending into a deeper consciousness. Or maybe all I needed to do was to put my damn phone away.
You probably think I’m dramatic for experiencing all of this, but everything I’ve experienced is real. I think our generation is cooked with how easy it is to be distractions and lose control over our lives. I hope that through sharing my story, I can help at least one person feel less alone and hopeful that we can break this cycle one small step at a time.
If you have read until this far, thanks for journeying with me and I hope you can reflect on this topic and question:
Are you truly present and in control of your life?
In today's digital age, it's incredibly easy to fall into the trap of endless doomscrolling—a habit where we scroll through negative or overwhelming content on social media, often without conscious intent. From personal experience, I’ve found that this behavior doesn’t just steal my time; it drains my energy and clouds my mind, making it hard to feel truly present or engaged. One powerful step I took was to consciously unplug. Instead of reaching for my phone automatically, I challenged myself to find alternative activities that nurtured my mind and spirit. For example, choosing to read a book during my commute was initially uncomfortable because my focus felt scattered, but pushing through that discomfort helped rebuild my attention span and created space for deeper reflection. Meeting up with an old friend and engaging in undistracted, authentic conversation reminded me of the profound joy and support human connection brings—something a screen simply can’t replicate. These exchanges helped me re-anchor myself emotionally and regain perspective beyond the digital noise. Another transformative experience was going for a run without any digital distractions. Running without music or phone forced me to tune into the natural world and my own internal dialogue. This kind of raw, uninterrupted time allowed my thoughts to flow freely and helped me reconnect with my body and mind. Many people overlook how pervasive and subtle the influence of technology can be on mental health and cognition. But the more I distanced myself from my phone, the clearer my thinking became, and the more human and alive I felt. This journey also taught me the importance of small steps—gradually replacing compulsive scrolling with meaningful activities can lead to powerful shifts. If you find yourself trapped in a cycle of doomscrolling or distraction, try setting small boundaries for your social media use. Replace some screen time with reading, socializing face-to-face, or simply spending time in nature. These seemingly simple changes can restore your sense of control and presence in everyday life, helping you feel truly human again.
❤️🤩🥰✨👍