Have you ever tested yourself? It could be reviewing how many flashcards you can memorize, or how fast you can run from point A to point B, even seeing how fast you could pick up the house before guests come over.
Now how about unplugging? By that I mean how long you can stay off the internet, your phone, or even the TV?
With a lot of us starting new projects or coming back to reality after that week in Cancun or cabin at the lake, work is back in full-force, school is picking up the pace and the dire need to check our emails every five seconds is not going away anytime soon.
So test yourself while you can still enjoy this weather in the beautiful state of West Virginia, unplug for a weekend, or a couple hours, even a day you have time to.
The first time I unplugged I realized how attached I was to the internet. It was hard to not check my screen for a notification, or to refresh my email every hour in case I missed something.
Not only that, I realized how hard it was to not be distracted for a second. It is so easy to fill this life with distractions. I’m sure we all know that one person who can sit on a toilet for over an hour watching TikToks.
But besides that, the internet is a great tool but can take us away from a lot of things, like quality time with your family, quality time with yourself, and even just enjoying those things you always say you don’t have time for anymore.
West Virginia is so beautiful and with fall right around the corner the sun is still out and heat is letting up. Taking a trip to Coopers Rock and having an unplugged hike could really be the decompress you’ve been looking for, or even a quick unplugged trip to your local farmer’s market.
A lot of the time we feel so overwhelmed from life but go to our devices for relief, this isn’t always as helpful as you might think however.
A Pew Research poll found that 84% of cellphone users couldn’t go a day without their phone. But as glorious as it seems to watch that funny video of a dog standing up everyday to see if it has bones or no bones, social media can evoke a lot of negative feelings such as jealousy, envy and loneliness.
We all know it is important to not believe everything we see on social media. But imagine just not even paying attention.
Being at college out of state has been very hard, oftentimes I have felt very isolated especially navigating being away from home in the midst of a pandemic. A lot of the time I would just aimlessly scroll through my feed and feel a lot more lonely than before.
It was hard to notice until I decided to start unplugging more often. The screen time on my phone started to get in the double digits and I knew I had to change something. So I started walking more outside, reading, finding new events around town to go to by myself.
But the crazy thing is, even though I was by myself, I felt a lot less alone, a lot less envious of the people on social media hanging out with all their friends and partying.
I started to appreciate the life I was living and the things I had around me. It’s sometimes hard to realize how bad you need an unplug until you try it.
So if you’re looking for a new challenge, test yourself and unplug. I promise you will know yourself a lot more.
CHRISTELLE TEMPLE is a WVU honors student. She contributes a weekly column on health, fitness and motivation. Follow her on Instagram @ellesbells2. Contact her at Newsroom@DominionPost.com.
