When I use technology in terms of my well being, It is usually a coping mechanism for stress. Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed or need to unwind, I turn on my phone and scroll through some art posts, listen to some calming music, or watch some funny videos on my laptop. This helps me unwind for a short period of time. However, when I use my devices for longer amounts of time it causes me some anxiety. After using my phone or laptop for more than half an hour at a time, I usually end up feeling like I wasted that time or I could have been more productive.
Over the course of the Pandemic that overtook most of this past year, I have been using technology a lot more frequently than usual. Unfortunately, this has increased my stress levels a little bit. Problems such as the Wi-Fi cutting out unexpectedly during online class, or my laptop dying during a zoom meeting caused a lot of anxiety in those moments. I also watched the news almost every day, which made me a bit anxious as there wasn’t a lot of uplifting news circulating around at that time!
However, technology has also helped me over the past year. I have been able to keep in touch with friends over Facetime, listen to music when I’m stressed, and keep up with online school through Teams. I think that when used in moderation, technology is something that I can use to support myself through staying connected to my friends, family, and making time to listen to music I enjoy.