time spent offline

Self-medicating is the use of alcohol or drugs, or any external influence, to manage our physical and psychological afflictions. Almost anything used in excess to deal with or escape negative emotions can be considered self-medicating. Self-medicating is often harmful because we tend to go for negative things: We have a drink or three, light a cigarette, eat in excess, and most commonly, endlessly scroll through our social media feeds But, what if we instead self-medicated with art to banish our boredom and anxiety? Art provides a diverse range of activities that can help us express our imaginations and deepest selves. There is a reason art therapy, a creative method of expression used as a therapeutic technique, is gaining momentum. Changing the way we view our negative habits and replacing them with artistic endeavours can be a powerful way to maintain our psychological well-being.

Busyness is a badge of honour in a capitalist society that constantly nudges us to be productivity machines.

The result is “the burdensome, expectation-freighted nature of free time.” Every moment in the day is expected to be filled with endless tasks, no matter how meaningless, just so we can justify our value to the economy. Busyness, with never-ending responsibilities and tasks to be accomplished, has been turned into a badge of honour to signals to others how important we are. For most of us, however, our busyness is a facade. Not much of the time we spend frantically moving from one task to another is actually spent on productive and/or fulfilling activities. Most of our busyness is busyness for busyness sake. To compete in the Busyness Olympics, sporting events include, who got the least sleep last night, who have had the most amount of coffee today (and it’s only 11:05 AM *gasp*), and who had a busier weekend filled with activities one couldn’t possibly fit within a 48-hour period. If we take a step back, however, it becomes painfully obvious to see how devoid of genuine usefulness or meaning most of the activities we engage in are. How do I feel so busy, so anxious and stressed all the time yet do not have anything truly meaningful to show for it?

Once upon a time, when a fan accused Rihanna of being insensitive for a meme she shared on her Instagram, Rihanna responded with, “laugh or log off.” Discovering this gem reminded me another tweet from Tyler, The Creator. Without minimizing the issue of cyber-bullying, Tyler, The Creator had a point that completely changed the way I viewed my relationship with social media and the internet in general: Nobody is forcing me to engage in online activities that create negative emotions and experiences, so why do I do it? This question led me to quit social media for three years and the news since 2016; a choice that has worked out really well for me.

Laugh or log off.

It can be very empowering to engage with the digital space in a lighthearted manner. There is no denying the negativity that exists online. There’s also so much positivity. It is up to us to choose carefully the content we consume online. You don’t have to engage with every information available online. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean it deserves your attention. Inspired by Taylor, The Creator and Rihanna’s tweets, I have significantly minimized consuming content that evokes negative emotions or reactions. When I come across such content, I simply scroll past or close the tab. If it’s not bringing me positive feels, I log off. I also have been actively searching for positive content online. That’s how I discovered the subreddit /r/wholesomememes, a community for those searching for a way to capture virtue on the Internet: Yes, good things happen on Reddit too. We can either demonize the internet, or we can use it to add positivity to our lives.

Your choice; choose wisely.