I don’t know about you, but my anxiety has shot through the roof during this pandemic. And while generally being scared for myself and my family when it comes to this virus, the country is also dealing with political, social, and economic stability. Sometimes my phone feels like this harbinger of evil. I don’t think I am alone in this feeling. So what do I do? These are my 10 ten things I do to avoid the internet.
1: Play with my kid. I guess this suggestion only works if you have a kid, but my kid loves it when I am just playing with him and not holding my phone. He loves dinosaurs, trains, and blocks. So we can have a good hour of playing before he just stops interacting with me. It’s easy to avoid the internet for hours with him.
2: Cross-stitch. I found a new hobby in April, and while I ebb and flow with how enthused I am with cross-stitch I will spend a couple of hours cross-stitching until my wrists or fingers start yelling at me. You can’t scroll Instagram and cross-stitch at the same time, a great way for me to avoid the internet.
3: Rewatch Bake Off. It’s Bake Off, the most relaxing nice show ever. It makes you feel good and engaged at the same time.
4: Read. Who else has a bunch of books they bought because as a well educated liberal you figure you should have books, but haven’t read the books you own? I’ve started reading those books.
5: Children’s TV. Not completely my choice, but I can sing all of the Daniel Tiger songs now, and they are helpful when you are trying to teach a two-year-old how to control his emotions.
6: Stare at the ceiling. I have a husband and a two year old. I have to force them out of the room to be alone, and I can still hear them and the cat won’t leave me alone either. Sometimes I need about 20 minutes of absolute silence, which I will never have until my kid is 18.
7: Playing the Sims 4. I have been an active Sims player since I was in University and playing the Sims 1, and I still love playing the Sims 4. Controlling other things lives when I can’t control my own feels cathartic.
8: Using blocking software to block social media and news sites for certain hours of the day so you can use the internet for other things, like watching FluffeeTalks for the 10 millionth time.
9: Call your mother. Honestly it’s a good way to feel connected with people.
10: Be gentle with yourself because it’s hard to avoid everything when the world seems to be boring around you. Remember it’s not. And that humans have lived through worse. Be gentle with yourself and your mind.
