In My Hand

 By: Lauren Thomas 

I’ve noticed a correlation between my weekly average screen time and my mental health. And while some might want to argue which comes first: the chicken or the egg? I don’t think many can deny it’s a vicious cycle. And one lots of people relate to. You feel bored or sad or anxious or lonely or (you fill in the blank), so you get on your phone. Somewhere, somehow, we think this will help ease these uncomfortable emotions. But it doesn’t. In fact, we usually end up feeling more bored, sad, anxious, lonely, etc.

 

What do we call it when we turn to something for comfort that cannot comfort us?

 

Idolatry.

Idolatry is anything we worship that is not God. Do we worship our phones? I think sometimes we do, as evidenced by the time we give them. They provide us a “sense” of comfort, of security, of (you fill in the blank). We turn to them when we’re feeling down. We give them a place of priority in our lives. And they go everywhere with us.

 

Isaiah was a prophet who addressed the idolatry of his country. In one passage of Scripture specifically, Isaiah wrote about the folly of serving an idol and the “handheld” nature of these deceiving devices.

 

He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Isaiah 44:20 ESV

 

Smart phones are part of our lives. Smart phones can be used for good. We’ve just got to make sure we aren’t worshiping them, nor being enslaved by them, as Peter described:

 

They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.

2 Peter 2:19 ESV

 

The thing is, we often are enslaved to our smart phones.

 

Here are some practical steps to dethrone and overcome the idol in your hand:

• Set limits. You can set screen time limits on your phone. There are also apps you can download to set screen limits. Other ways of limit setting involve giving yourself a cut off time every night, where you put your phone away until morning. Or you could set limits around what times of day you will or won’t use certain apps.

• Substitute your habits. Picking up your phone and opening certain apps is more habitual than you might think. What habit might you be able to substitute for this? Create a list for yourself, such as 1) say a prayer, 2) take a deep breath, 3) take a drink of water, 4) do a mindfulness exercise, 5) reach for a craft project, 6) put on lotion. (The sky is the limit.) Next time you notice yourself reaching for your phone, do something from your list instead, something that will engage your hands and/or sooth your brain.

• Change your phone. Set a quiet time or down time on your phone where notifications won’t come through. Turn off all notifications but calls and texts. Change your screen color to black and white. On iPhone, this can be done by going to settings -> accessibility -> display and text size -> color filters -> grayscale. On my phone I have this set up as a short cut so I can easily toggle it on and off. The bright light/colors of a smart phone can literally cause a dependency in our brain, but the grayscale is more soothing and less stimulating. An extreme measure could be switching to a flip phone.

• Get accountability. Find someone who would be willing to provide some kind of accountability.

• Invite others to join you. If you live with others in your household, create boundaries that everyone could keep together, such as no phones at the table, or no phones after 9pm.

 

Reflection:

Have you noticed a correlation between your mental health and your screen time averages?

How easy or difficult would it be to fast from your phone for a period of time?

Do you sometimes turn to your smartphone when you should turn to the Lord?

How do you plan to change that?