Lent, Mental Health, & Phones

We are officially in the Lenten Season! Lent began last week (March 5) with Ash Wednesday. Lent is a season whose intention is to give us space and time to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Easter. It is an opportunity for us to reflect on the reasons Jesus had to come and to be thankful for the gift of salvation. Lent is often marked by Christians choosing to fast from something for 40 days. Historically, this would be a fast from food or meat. More recently we have seen this expand to all sorts of things. People fast from sugar, television, social media, etc. The idea of the fast to use the time we get back for focusing on our relationship with God.

March is also Mental Health Awareness Month. The idea of this is to take some time during the year to recognize that we all need support and there is no shame in reaching out for help (if you are in need of mental health support you can always call 988 to speak with a trained volunteer). Mental Health Awareness Month has been an important piece of reducing mental health stigma in the United States.

So why am I talking about Lent & Mental Health Awareness Month? Last year a book was released titled The Anxious Generation (you can purchase it here). In it, the author laid out the shocking correlation between the acute rise of mental health challenges with kids and adolescents and the widespread adoption of social media and smartphones. The statistics in the book are shocking. The long and short of it is that the adoption of those technologies appears to be driving a severe mental health crisis among young people. It is very likely that they are driving a mental health crisis among adults as well but that hasn’t been specifically identified yet. The studies the book cites cannot prove that the mental health concerns are caused by smartphones and social media but the correlation they present is, at best, disturbing. The book has left many of us wondering, what do we do?

At Beacon, we would like to suggest that we use the Lenten season to step into this challenge. We want to encourage everyone (ourselves included) to take an honest look at our screentime. You can find the exact number in the settings of your phone (Apple & Android both offer this info). For some context, in the US the average phone screen time for a person with a smartphone is 7 hours per day. The demographic with the highest screen time is 16-24 year old at just shy of 8 hours per day. The lowest is 55-64 year olds at just over 5 hours per day. Any use over 2 hours per day starts to rapidly increase the likelihood of experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Take a look and see where you’re at when it comes to averages. The first time I checked my average screen time it was just shy of 7 hours a day. So you’re not alone if your number is higher than you’d like. Once you've taken a look at your screen time number, take some time to pray and evaluate your own use of your smartphone. Then, choose to fast.

Choose to set aside some time each day to fast from your phone and spend intentional time with your family. This can mean many things for many people. Maybe it is a complete fast from social media or maybe it is a period of hours each day that are phone free. Be creative and flexible with how you choose your fast! But we want to encourage you to use the time you get back to focus on your relationship with God and with your family. If you click here, you’ll find a list of 40 family activities that don't include any screens. Use your fasting time to try a few of them out! Let us know how it goes and how you see God working in the time you're spending with your families. We can't wait to see how He moves!