Almost a month has passed since school has started for me. I have to say that it’s been a crazy time. With so many things being thrown at us–college applications, extracurricular activities, school work, virtual meetings–we’re left with little to no time during the day where we’re not staring at a screen or sitting at our desk. Some days, I’ve found myself constantly sitting in front of my computer. I’ll be typing away until the sun sets. And after I finally finish, the feeling of missing what the day had to offer leaves me a little empty.
If this were any other year, I would’ve gone to school, spent time in our school’s courtyard, interacted with friends, and played sports, but these days, my in-person social interaction has had to be at an all-time low because, well, there is a pandemic happening. Needless to say, staring at a screen for 8 hours a day is not desirable, but it is our reality right now, so let’s make the best of it!
My Virtual Time:
There are some things I do to alleviate the eye strain of screen time. One is I work outside when the weather’s nice. Another is to stare into a distance for 20 seconds after 20 minutes of work (recommended from my mom’s friends). I also take stretch breaks every now and then, and walk into the living room just to have a change of scenery. A couple of my friends have blue-light glasses. I’ve heard wonderful things about them, so I would also recommend checking those out!
Every weekday, I stop any work I have at 6pm. That way I can go out to the tennis courts to play with my dad and sister. On the weekend, I go on walks with my entire family around our neighborhood, and the breath of fresh air is the most relaxing part of my day. I have to suggest that, no matter what, always, and I mean always, make an effort to go outside; feeling trapped inside four walls is definitely not something anyone’s a fan of.
And, as I’ve mentioned, I’m not actively going out to meet up with my friend group, so one thing that’s really helped me there is facetime! I’ve enjoyed being able to catch up with everyone even if I can’t see them in person. And, yes, facetime does indeed require a screen. However, I found that it’s a good balance of interaction and technology. So, limiting the use to find this balance would be more beneficial.
Just because we’ve had to shift into a virtual setting doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy all that the great outdoors have to offer!
