I know that a lot of people knock being in front of screens too much and whatnot for causing depression and anxiety (and for sure, there is a lot of that), but you’ll forgive me for taking a different viewpoint here. I believe that using technology has actually helped my mental health, and particularly in a time during COVID when we were all locked down, I was able to utilize technology to make myself better.
1) Technology is there to connect people – The very core purpose of technology (and let’s forget about all the dodads and gizmos that do incredible things, that’s just surface stuff) is to bring people together. Perhaps that’s how people have all ended up using technology, but It’s made us grow closer together. Even the earliest forms of technology have helped with this. When we invented the wheel and domesticated horses, we were able to travel further distances. Now we have Facetime and Zoom so that we can communicate with the people we love no matter where in the world they are
2) Zoom was a blessing during lockdown – I know that Zoom can be a bit of a pain to work with regularly, but in reality, it was a blessing. I say this for a couple of different reasons. First of all, It allowed me to stay in touch with my co-workers in a comprehensive way. I prefer face-to-face communication wherever possible, but Zoom worked just as well when having meetings with people. The other reason that I say this is because I had a friend with whom I was casually acquainted, and we started having a weekly zoom call at the end of the week. We’d sit and chat (and occasionally have a drink) over Zoom. It was a great way to connect with him, and now that we’re both back in our respective offices, we have decided to make it an in-person lunch instead of being over Zoom. So it has helped me actually get better acquainted with a friend of mine.
3) Technology Had helped me balance my mind – So funnily enough, one of the things that I decided to do during lockdown (as we all needed new skills) is to get my mind right. One of the things that I did was to go to therapy. Because we were all locked down, what happened was I saw my Therapist online. Something else that I was doing in order to keep my mind balanced was making a practice of Journaling every day and Meditating every day. Not missing any opportunity to use technology to the best of my abilities, I used my reMarkable for my Journal. I was using the Calm app to do my daily meditations.
I really like Bell’s let’s talk day because (certainly in my experience) It’s really important to use every tool in your tool bag to help you get well. If you are dealing with something difficult in your life do something to seek help. What’s great about the advances in technology that we have in our society is that you are no longer constrained by geography. If you need to meet with someone, there are programs like Zoom in which you can meet with someone virtually. If you need to talk to someone, you can. So If you need to speak with someone, make sure you do.
Who are you going to talk to?
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