A Month Without Media

On my return from recent holidays, and indeed while still on them, I noticed how the urge to constantly check Facebook or the news completely vanishes when I'm relaxed and happy. From once or twice a day updated without fail, I can happily go two weeks without knowing what's going on in the world. This prompted me to wonder whether it could be something of a chicken and egg situation. i.e. does the happiness eliminate the need to know, or could it also be that the exposure to world affairs itself causes unhappiness which in turn prompts me to seek out more bad news and so the spiral of misery continues. Certainly I would not be the first to put forward a theory of this nature.

Or is it in fact work which makes me unhappy and that unhappiness causes me to devour current affairs in search of affirmation that the world really is a piece of shit.

Either way, I am going to try an experiment: a Month Without Media. I've chosen to start while my boyfriend is away for two weeks so that I won't be exposed to his daily fix of current affairs programs. The objective is to see whether staying away from the doom-ridden press and often ridiculous bullshit otherwise sensible people post on Facebook leads to an improvement in my mental health. And indeed whether I am capable of such a 'digital detox'. It's tricky; I want to be informed but I don't seem to be able to be informed without being angry and I don't think that anger is always useful, especially if it's related to events I can do little about, and it certainly doesn't help my personal relationships. Less time in front of a screen has got to be good whatever.

It doesn't start all that auspiciously I have to admit: on day 1, at work and in need of a break, I find my mouse moving unconsciously towards the Guardian tab. I catch myself but then notice it moving towards Facebook. I am at a loss now: what do I look at on a break? I don't smoke so that's out. The irony of my considering spending more time in front of a screen as a 'break' is not lost on me. In the end I get up and walk around a bit, make another coffee and check my phone as a substitute (damn!). This is going to be harder than it looks...