The Disadvantages of Being Constantly Connected

With the internet and social media, a plethora of advantages have come along such as the era of work from home. You can work for a company in a different country to where you are situated without the hassle of having to up and move. Additionally, we can keep in touch with friends and family regardless of where we are in the world and maintain these strong bonds whilst pursuing our own individual paths.

However, there is a downside to constantly being connected which is not being able to switch off.

I know we get told by countless individuals how spending time in front of screens impacts our overall wellbeing in a multitude of ways. However, I was naïve thinking my screen time habits were necessary as I’ve started my own business and still working as a freelance writer thus, I am constantly trying to do as much as I can, when in fact I probably was not as productive as I could be.

This revelation came to me on holiday. My family and I were out in the gorgeous Italian countryside where every morning curtains would be opened to Lake and mountain views. I had established a whole new routine; I would get out of bed excited to have a long day ahead absorbing these picturesque views and instead of having my morning coffee scrolling through socials or watching a short episode of something I would just breathe in the fresh air and then get straight to work. I would work for a few hours with my breaks being getting up and going for a little walk all whilst keeping my eyes focused on a view that I can only describe as fairy-tale like. I noticed this small difference to my morning routine had so many positive impacts throughout the whole day.

Firstly, I woke up more energetic and found myself stepping out of bed with a more positive mindset. Usually, if I have spent time scrolling through social media three things happened: 1) I spent longer scrolling and got out of bed, now slightly irritated, later than planned 2) I still felt tired and sluggish throughout the morning and 3) I stressed myself out before the day had even really begun.

I’m sure the last point many might be able to relate to. Personally, at times I would wake up, browse through Instagram, and couldn’t help but compare what my life looks like to the online life of others. Especially, as a small business owner, comparing other posts to my own, other companies' following to my own, their engagement with followers and the list goes on and now I have worked myself up thinking I’m falling behind and need to do more to stay on track. Instead, the reality was I started my day on the wrong foot not setting good intentions for the day ahead. The constant questions of why doesn’t my life look like that? Why am I not doing that? Should I be doing more? were my morning soundtrack.

Instead, on holiday because my morning routine looked different, my soundtrack was either my current favourite songs or the serene symphony of birds chirping. I was surprised how these small changes made such an impact, but it made sense. BetterUp has an article outlining the benefits of sunshine in the morning which range from giving us a serotonin boost, regulating cortisol levels and aiding sleep when night-time rolls around.

It is also important to remind ourselves that social media is snippets of a person’s life, it’s not documenting every second. Additionally, I took this time away from screens to lean into the importance of seeking comfort in being ourselves, and being patient with ourselves. Life is going to look different for everyone as it goes at a different pace for all of us and that’s the beauty of it, all our paths are unique to us. Being able to spend time away from the world of social media helped this message sink in.

Now, I’m not saying it’s necessary to rush off to the Italian countryside (unless you are my parents reading this then that is what I’m saying!) Instead, simply find ways to break the pattern of always having to reach for your phone, the result is going to be more peace for yourself overall.

When the summer break was over and I had to return to the online world, I had a better attitude but also a healthier relationship with it, supported by firmer boundaries. Each morning, I try to step outside or get up and have my coffee staring out the window for a bit before diving into emails and messages to respond to. And it’s in these little moments I remind myself to embrace the journey I’m on, not to constantly compare as all that matters is what you’re doing and how you are responding to what life is throwing at you.

That’s kind of how my wellness platform began as well. I wanted to carve out a space online where one can go to when your hands are itching to scroll. Instead, you can scroll through uplifting articles, nutritious recipes and maybe there’ll be something that resonates with you helping you work on improving your relationship with yourself!

// Sahira Dharamshi, Founder of A Blog for Days, a holistic wellness platform