A Digital Holiday – Sometimes a Necessary Reprieve

Finding Peace Amongst the Chaos of Online News Input, Gaming and Social Media

As a guidance counsellor, I see every day how in-the-moment news, gaming and social media have become a nearly inescapable part of our lives. It connects us, informs us, and entertains us, but it can also overwhelm us. The constant stream of updates, opinions, and news – some of it distressing or even misleading – can easily make us feel inadequate, anxious, or distrustful. We scroll through perfectly curated photos, heated debates, and sensational headlines, and sometimes it becomes difficult to separate fact from fiction, or to remember that what we see online is only a fraction of reality.

For some it isn’t the pull of instant news updates or heart marks on Insta that fuels the day. Gaming is another escape that creates a world completely separate from the reality outside the door.

I’ll share a personal experience: not long ago, I found myself spiraling after scrolling through my own newsfeed. Link after link highlighted wars, political strife, and tragedies from around the world. The comment sections beneath these posts were often filled with anger and arguments, sometimes between people who had once been close friends. The constant negativity left me feeling drained and hopeless. I realized I needed to step back, so I took a short “digital holiday”- a break from engaging on social media and instant news updates. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary for my own mental well-being and need for calm.

Social media can stir up a wide range of emotions, from joy and inspiration to envy, anger, and despair. It’s important to remember that, while we can’t always control what appears in our feeds, we can control how we interact with it. Here’s a simple checklist I put together if you’re feeling overwhelmed or negatively impacted by your social media use:

1. Set time limits: Use your phone’s settings to restrict your daily social media or gaming usage.
2. Curate your feed: Unfollow or mute accounts that consistently make you feel bad, and follow those that uplift or inspire you.
3. Pause before responding: If you feel triggered by a post or comment, take a few deep breaths before engaging and ask yourself if this is how you would interact face-to-face. If not, why? The deep breath may give you the exact time you need to disengage from the interaction completely.
4. Schedule regular breaks: Designate certain times of day or days of the week as “social media-free” to recharge. Grab a tea or coffee. Sit outside if possible. Tap into your senses and really hear, smell and feel what is around you.
5. Seek real-life connections: Make a conscious effort to spend time with people face-to-face, or reach out to friends and family by phone or video chat.

Despite its challenges, social media can be a powerful force for good, especially for those who have moved to a new country or are feeling isolated. It can help you stay connected with loved ones back home, discover local community groups or events, and find support networks of people who share your experiences and interests. For many, these connections are a vital lifeline.

After my own digital holiday, I noticed a few positive changes: I felt less anxious, went to sleep earlier, and woke up more refreshed in the morning. However, I also missed the joyful updates from friends and family, and the sense of belonging that comes from being part of an online community. My experiment taught me that, while taking breaks is helpful, social media can also be a source of connection and comfort – especially for those who are far from home or feeling alone.

Ultimately, we can’t always ignore social media or the events happening in the world, but we can learn to recognize when it’s affecting us negatively and take steps to protect our mental health. If you’re finding it hard to manage your emotions or feel that social media scrolling, too much time spent on gaming, or a constant influx of negative news is harming your well-being, I hope you will reach out, when possible, to friends and family in a more personal, face-to-face, one-on-one platform. Sometimes, the easiest solution for all of this comes from a short phrase from decades ago, before the digitization of our daily lives became all-consuming. For just a moment, maybe even this moment, set down the phone, dim the computer screen, put the game console aside, and, for as long as it takes… be, here, now.

You can connect with me through my site, The J’Expat Network, if you’d like to discuss the ideas above, or really anything else that’s on your mind.

Take care,

Sarah Mulvey, at The J’Expat Network, Nagoya, Japan

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