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A spirit that is not afraid

EDITORIAL | Give yourself a break

Give yourself permission to take a break from your phone or laptop for a couple of hours a week
Give yourself permission to take a break from your phone or laptop for a couple of hours a week

Spring break is almost here.

One last week of midterms and clubs, of deadlines and trying to cram productivity into every last second of our day, and then a week of hopefully, absolutely nothing. 

If you’re used to spending most of your time “always on," then a week of doing nothing may seem daunting, especially with how much college students are expected to do on a daily basis. So even before spring break starts, give yourself a break.

Even if it’s only from your phone. 

According to a study done in January, on average, Americans checked their phone 262 times per day in 2021. If you have a smartphone, take a second to check your screen time and see how many times you picked up your phone or looked at your messages last week — the number might surprise you. 

According to a research study from The Myers-Briggs Company, “‘always on’ culture” is defined as the consistent need to be available online, but you don’t need to be available 24/7 and you shouldn’t expect others to be, either. 

Growing up with the rise of social media and with the internet culture, it has ingrained in us the need to always be on our phone — whether that's to constantly check in with friends or constantly be aware of national or world events that are happening. 

While both are important in different ways, it is also important to do everything in moderation. Don’t overwhelm yourself with constantly checking on what others are doing or what's happening in other countries. Staying informed is important but it doesn't need to be at the expense of experiencing what’s happening around you. 

Although the pandemic is not over yet, things are reopening again and we are coming off the heels of multiple quarantines, for some. It’s easy to remain attached to your devices after, for a while, that was the only thing you had to keep you connected. 

Even still, give yourself permission to take a step back from your phone or laptop for a couple of hours a week or any amount of time you can allot. 

Starting today, there are officially five more days until Spring Break. The mid-semester pit stop is nearly here, so there’s no harm in starting to wind down a bit before it gets here.

We encourage you to pick a day, maybe today and get off your phone for a couple of hours. The world will still be there if you don’t pick it up. 


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