Mental Health Counseling, Unplugged.
“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.” – Abraham Maslow
Nothing like stalking your ex and his new fiancé to put you in a good mood, right? Especially after getting off of a two-hour Netflix binge, and immediately before spending an exact 27 minutes on the Instagram of a girl you barely knew in high school who is now graduating with her doctorate in something-really-smart-sounding. Then top off the night by consuming so much Tik Tok that your phone finally kicks it.
I’m not sure about you, but to me, this does not sound like the ideal evening. But I’ll be the first to say that I’ve done it before. Several times.
We know it makes us miserable. The mindless scrolling, the social comparison, and the eye strain due to the insanely high screen time numbers. But we willingly, GLADLY even, still just freakin’ do it. And sometimes we might not even WANT to, but we still do.
We try to scroll, scroll, scroll our anxiety away. Scroll away our depression, and even our trauma. Which, to be honest, kinda works sometimes? Temporarily that is. After all, the distraction can take away our ability to stew over the fact that Rachel Smith called you ugly in the 2nd grade. Or obsess over the Hinge date you’re supposed to go on in 34 minutes even though it’s 45 degrees out and you have not yet put pants on.
But then when we put the phone down, we usually find that we are not much better off than we were before. Sometimes even worse.
Now we’re left lamenting the fact that four more people just got engaged today. Left tossing and turning unable to go straight from screens to sleep. Left wondering if Rachel Smith DID get it right. And left…. empty.
We’re in the 21st century, and life feels insane. But it doesn’t have to. No matter how unhappy you are, you have every right to live a happy and fulfilled life. Realizing that you are not living your best life is scary. But admitting that you WANT to start living your best life and you are willing to pursue it… That’s called brave.
Dare to start your healing process. Dare to address your trauma. Dare to learn REAL, lasting coping skills. And most of all, Dare to Unplug.
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.“
Carl Rogers
“Life is not what it’s supposed to be. It’s what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.“
Virginia Satir
Under the Supervision of Nancy Golden, LPC MO001889
Meg Johnson Therapy 