My social media use has changed drastically during quarantine. As I’ve spent more time indoors, on my couch, doing nothing, I’ve also found myself mindlessly scrolling on various social media feeds now more than ever, even if everyone else is just at home, on their couches, doing nothing as well!
I’ve made lots of changes to the way that I use my phone and social media, both before and during quarantine, in order to reduce the amount of stress that they trigger. Many of them are very small changes, but all together, they’ve saved me a lot of anguish – and I hope they can be helpful to you too!
A few weeks ago, I played Among Us with friends until 12:30AM – and wasn’t able to sleep until 4 hours later.
Fun and also bad for your sleep hygiene (image from play.google.com)
This is a really great example of how fragile my sleep schedule is! I was on my computer a lot longer than usual, playing a game that raised my heart rate quite a lot, and paid the price for it in lost sleep.
Though Among Us has gotten popular fairly recently, my sleeping problems have persisted for many, many years. In high school and college, I pulled many, many all nighters, and probably had a lifetime and a half’s worth of caffeine. I even worked night shifts that lasted until 2:30 AM at one of my work-study jobs. Once I left school, however, my schedule became a lot more predictable, and I struggled with new temptations, like staying out at a bar with friends until last call, or watching YouTube videos until the wee hours of the morning.
Over time, I’ve had to adjust my own habits in order to make sure that I get a full night’s sleep, which in turn allows me to function like a normal person upon waking up. It’s taken a lot of trial and error, but I think I’ve landed on the rights habits that work for me – read about them below!
Trisha Serquina 