Can Relaxing Videos Really Be Relaxing?

I’ve been spending a lot of time wasting time lately. I blame it on stress. Whenever I have a deadline, or I feel too much pressure, I just have to escape into something mindless and unproductive to let off steam. I always feel guilty about it, but I shouldn’t. After all, it’s a form of self-care, and self-care is not selfish.

Over the years, the things I do to “waste” time have changed. Coloring, doodling, crocheting, even finding solace in mundane household chores (have you ever scrubbed the grout on your shower or pulled weeds in your yard?) can be a soothing way to ignore (or procrastinate) less desirable or more stressful tasks. It’s a great way to let go of what’s going on in the outside world and be fully absorbed in something very simple. It can be a meditative process. 

In the age of the internet, those time-wasters have turned from more physical distractions into passive ones like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and other online entertainment. That’s what we’ve been talking about this week, and if you listened to the podcast yesterday, you heard us mention several different things that we watch or listen to. Obviously, we barely even touched on the many resources that are now available on the world wide web, but I can’t decide if the technology helps or makes things worse. Does our addiction to soothing videos make us need to self-soothe even more? 

I have been an avid reader my entire life. Before the internet, before cell phones with Google and Instagram, I had books. I kept a book handy and would read a page or two whenever I needed a break, and then maybe a few pages more before I turned in at night. Over the years, I’ve read less and less because Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have absorbed those brief moments, leaving only my bedtime ritual for my books. But lately, I haven’t even done much of that. Over the last several months, I have been far less engaged and, dare I say, downright DISINTERESTED in reading. When I settle in for my evening routine, it’s not my book I turn to, but my iPad or my phone. And then I spend an hour, two, or sometimes even more scrolling through my Instagram feed. Mindless. Pointless. Numb. And the more I scroll, the less I want to stop.

Last night was a great example. I was tired and had planned to turn in early, but a family situation kept me up very late, so when I finally went to bed, I was so tired I didn’t think I would comprehend much if I tried to read. So, I started scrolling through Instagram instead, knowing that soon I would be relaxed enough to fall asleep. Except I didn’t. An hour and a half later, when my husband, Mark, finally came to bed, I was still scrolling, and as he turned out the light on his side of the bed, I promised that I would shut everything down shortly. But I didn’t do that either. I just kept scrolling and scrolling until sometime quite a bit later, Mark tapped me on the shoulder to tell me I was asleep and snoring while I was still scrolling! Even then, I didn’t want to stop. I just had to get in a few more posts before I finally closed the app and rolled over to sleep.

So, what is it that makes social media so addictive? I can honestly say, I don’t know. I generally scroll right past 80% of the posts, even from the hashtags I follow, and I only very rarely stop and watch the whole video or read the entire post. And ever since Facebook took over Instagram, there are so many ads that they almost outnumber the real posts. Even so, there is something that makes me keep scrolling, anxious to see just one more post, one more reel. It really is an addiction, and I’m starting to believe it’s not all that relaxing, either. Maybe it’s time to go back to my books….

Tell us what you think. Are you addicted to social media? Do you find it relaxing or stressful? Do you have any favorites? Comment below, or join us on our Facebook group, MMC Chat.