Illumination Writes

Originally Published August 9, 2023

“Go touch grass” is currently my favorite insult used on the internet. It is a phrase that suggests that someone has been online entirely too much and needs to go get back in touch with reality—usually through the means of going outside.

I have been equally guilty of saying this phrase to other people and needing to hear it myself. Given all of my grand ambitions for this year (outlined in a previous post here: https://illuminationwrites.com/blog/f/2023—the-blank-canvas-year) I have found unplugging enough to accomplish those goals to be a daunting challenge.

While I am complicit in scrolling for entirely too long on social media, I have become aware of the driving force of this behavior—my avoidance of anxious and painful thoughts. Perhaps that confession may be too vulnerable to share on a public platform, but I think it’s something that a lot of my generation may be struggling with and may not realize it. So, I wanted to speak to others coming to a similar revelation of this issue and I would encourage you to “go touch grass.”

One of the most helpful things I have found to do when I feel like I’m drowning in my thoughts is to get out of my apartment, go for a walk, get some sunshine and sit in the grass and write—or do nothing at all. Am I perfect at doing this every time I feel horrible and need to reset? No. Do I lose the battle of the mind sometimes and succumb to mindless scrolling? Yes. But am I doing it less on a daily or weekly basis? That’s a work in progress.

I’ve also learned that distracting myself from my thoughts doesn’t make them go away—it only delays their impact. When left unchecked, those thoughts can create more difficult patterns to deal with later on.

Over the course of this year, I have found myself being somewhat forced to completely stop whatever task I am doing and take a moment to pay attention to what I am feeling and why. If I take the time to process what I am thinking and feeling through writing or talking with trusted friends, those thoughts tend to take up less space in my brain and I no longer seem to need the numbing escape that the doom scroll supplies.

If you are also struggling with this, let this be a reminder and encouragement to you to take a break from social media and the internet in general. Turn off your phone, leave the earbuds at home, go take a walk and listen to what the wind sounds like rustling in the trees. I would also encourage you to assess your motives of why you are approaching social media, watching things on YouTube, or even video games in the first place. If you are avoiding emotions or a hard situation, go deal with those things first, and then scroll to your heart’s content. Find trusted people to talk to, and if you don’t have people close, I highly recommend keeping a journal handy to spill all those extra thoughts into.

You have the power to change these habits. It’s okay to start small—even if you are only spending five minutes less a day scrolling. Any progress is a good thing, and I hope I can celebrate your victory alongside you as we get better at how we approach our lives on the internet. Now, unironically, “Go touch grass.”