Escaping Youtube
When I was a kid, I can definitely say that I grew up around Youtube. Ever since I got introduced to the internet, it has always been my go-to website. After playing video games, I would go to Youtube to watch YouTubers like DanTDM, Markiplier, or Stampylonghead. If I was bored, I would watch some funny cat videos. If we had a trip, I would have downloaded Youtube videos during the drive. And the list goes on.
As I grew up with Youtube, a sort of unhealthy habit grew up with it. And what was just a really interesting site I found became a really heavy toll in my life. My vision grew worse and eventually I got astigmatism. I would have more days procrastinating pending projects. I had isolated myself more from others without even realizing it. And this became more so in the pandemic.
It was only recently I soon discovered of the cause when I was on public transport when I saw the row of people in front of me all glued to their phone. That sight made me reflect on my life and the realization of my screen time taking up a significant percentage of my life, and most of that is spent on consuming things that I would forget immediately once another content appears. My heart ached because of the guilt and I went to a state of crisis within myself.
And now, I am trying my best to reduce the amount of time I spend on Youtube. I am trying to do self-studying now and focusing more on self-improvement, moving some muscles once in a while and stuff. I am also trying some alternatives such as actually finishing the series I had in the back of my mind, trying out podcasts for the first time, and finishing some of the many books in my shelf.
I believe I still have a long way to go. I think FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) has a role in what worsened this habit of mine. But now, I just have to realize that I don’t really need to know everything. And I should definitely focus more on completing the things on my bucket list. After all, you only get to live once in a lifetime.