Do you ever find yourself scrolling through Tik Tok and thinking, “Wow, I’m so jealous of her figure… Ooh, I should read this book… God, I wish I could cook… That looks like fun… I need to visit this place… If only I were that organized”? How do you feel after doing this for 30 minutes? After an hour? After two? Maybe you do this with Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter. These platforms are appealing because they offer an inexhaustible array of entertainment, but spending a lot of time on them can leave you mentally exhausted.
Excessive social media use can have an interesting effect on our ability to take charge of our lives. We peer through the digital window into the lives of a thousand others, observing their hobbies and vacations, successes, and breakups. We watch other people do their makeup. Watch other people work out. Watch other people explore. Watch other people live. When this cycle of watching and scrolling becomes a habit, you might find yourself increasingly aware of (and overwhelmed by) the infinite possibilities of life. Influencers, travel vloggers, clothing brands, celebrities, and pretty much anyone else you follow are all trying to sell you something—an idea or an image, a lifestyle, a political view, a product, or a sense of identity. So we consume and consume and buy into the virtual fantasy, where the opportunities are endless. The problem with this is a phenomenon known as the paradox of choice: having endless choices makes it harder to choose. When you lie in bed or sit around scrolling through social media, you are being bombarded with other people’s choices, so you neglect to make any choices for yourself.
If you feel lost or unmotivated, or even if you just want to cut down the amount of time you spend on social media, these suggestions are for you.
Here are 5 fun and mindful activities to do instead of sinking into social media:
1. Go for a meditative walk (or bike ride) in nice weather.
The coming of spring means one thing: sunshine and regrowth are in store. These are perfect conditions for casual exercise and positive reflection. Before your walk, take a few deep, cleansing breaths and allow your thoughts to slip away so that you can connect with your surroundings. As you walk, concentrate your thoughts on sight and sensation. Take note of the way the buildings glow in the late afternoon sunlight and the feeling of the ground beneath your feet. Notice the shades of the sky and the texture of trees. Appreciate the warmth on your skin. If you do this mindfully, you can gain a lot from it. Being present and engaged with your environment allows you to recognize its beauty. Condition your body, soak up the benefits of vitamin D, and enjoy the view.
You can also take this mindset into a bike ride or add music to set the mood.
2. Make something: a painting, a poem, a handwritten letter for a friend…
Artistic expression is an excellent way to process your emotions, and it can allow you to connect with meaningful ideas or unlock inspiration. If you avoid making things because you fear you “aren’t creative” or “aren’t talented,” banish those thoughts. There is great value in the act of creating itself. You can paint a landscape or a self-portrait or a blob. It does not matter. Just let the paintbrush become an extension of your mind and see what slips out of it. The same goes for poetry. You do not have to write anything profound. You do not even have to write something that makes sense. Just conjure up a concept that intrigues you and let your words run wild. You can draw, sculpt, make jewelry or a collage, or write a letter to uplift a friend. Use your hands. Get colorful. Creative practices can bring peace, help you sort out inner conflicts or difficult emotions, and distract you from anxious thinking.
3. Get in the kitchen.
Cooking is another fun way to get creative. It offers a healthier, cheaper, and more rewarding alternative to eating out—and it is a skill that will serve you for life. If you only know how to make toast, find a fancy avocado toast recipe. If you bake regularly, make muffins for your friends. Regardless of your skill level, you can always improve by setting time aside for experimentation in the kitchen. If you love salmon, find a salmon recipe and learn how to make it. Put together a cheese board or a salad with your favorite ingredients. Graduate from a cake mix to making a cake from scratch. The more you practice, the more satisfying it can become.
4. Learn a new game or test your knowledge.
If you like puzzles and strategic games, chess and geography quizzes can be a lot of fun. You might be reluctant to attempt a game that seems so complex, but there are free, user-friendly resources that should help you get started pretty easily. Chess.com allows you to play against computer bots that adapt to your skill level or challenge random players from all over the world. Seterra Geography is a site that offers a wide variety of quizzes: 50 states, European countries, oceans and seas. You can select your continent and difficulty level and see how much you know about the world beyond your immediate surroundings. These are only two examples of many beneficial brain games, but they both have valuable effects. Chess helps you recognize significant patterns in information and allows you to practice quickly assessing options and choosing the best course of action. Geography quizzes improve your understanding of the world and exercise your memory muscles.
5. Read the book that has been sitting on your shelf for months.
If you have fallen out of love with reading or find it hard to focus on a book, you are not alone. It can be difficult to find the motivation for mentally demanding tasks, to avoid the temptation to just read funny Tweets instead. But if you can just force yourself to open the book and start reading, it will get easier. The longer you sit around thinking about doing something, the less likely you are to actually get up and do it. Your new favorite book might be collecting dust on your shelf. Start reading. Allow yourself to delve into another world or a new perspective. Whatever you find interesting, a book about it exists.
Bonus item: Make a bucket list! Perhaps the best way to combat the burden of infinite choices is to make a list of choices you want to make. What do you consider your most important goals and dreams? Contemplate and write them down. Write down the places you need to visit and the fears you are determined to conquer. Figure out the steps you need to take to make your goals a reality. Take those steps. Watching other people experience it on social media is not going to get you there. Use it as fuel to inspire you, then put down the phone. Your life is your own, and only you can infuse it with meaning.