Once you’ve curated your following list to focus only on things that contribute positively towards your growth – friends you want to keep up with, for instance, or content creators that directly and productively feed your active interests – you might find that instead of being an endless vortex of mindless scrolling, your smartphone becomes an expansive portal to access ideas and information that expand your mind, rather than shrink or stagnate it.
A balanced and varied diet isn’t just good for the body, but the mind, too. Instead of automatically diving into Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, try diversifying the social media content you consume.
For instance, YouTube has great instructional and informational videos, and there’s a Spotify or Apple podcast for pretty much any topic under the sun. Not everything on social media is “brain rot”.
DEVELOPING HEALTHY HABITS OUTSIDE SOCIAL MEDIA
At the end of the day, it never hurts to spend more time completely off social media.
Instead of tracking friends via the snippets they post online, why not drop them a line or arrange an actual meet-up? Keep this up and, over time, you’ll find yourself more inclined to spend time conversing and interacting with those you care about, rather than just looking out for their latest Instagram Story.
Aside from your actual social media use, focus on developing a healthy relationship with the physical medium you use to access these digital platforms. Go for a walk or a run without your phone. Leave it in your bag for the duration of a meal. Turn it off an hour before bedtime. Buy a disposable camera, and make your next weekend vacay phone-free!
To ensure your hands don’t reach for your phone on autopilot, make the effort to pursue non-digital interests. Spend time in nature, read a book (a physical book, not an e-book on your phone), create something (cook, paint, or finally put up that Ikea shelf you’ve been meaning to get to for weeks), or engage in physical entertainment such as a board game, jigsaw puzzle or crossword puzzle.
All these require you to slow down, use your hands, and exercise patience and deliberate intention – the complete antithesis of brain rot.
Try these out for a few weeks, and the next time you’re on social media, you might realise that a few minutes of meaningless, mindless entertainment doesn’t quite compare to the personal satisfaction you get from being more engaged with your own life.
Tracy Lee is a freelance lifestyle writer based in Singapore.
