Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
I actually have a confession to make: I’m hooked on my phone. There, I’ve said it. I’m not happy with it, I’ve tried to fight it, but I do know I’m not alone.
I’m sure that lots of my fellow Catsters on the market are aware of that compulsion to examine your phone every 5 minutes (if we are able to even wait that long) for messages, likes, gossip, or funny clips. Losing hours down the TikTok rabbit hole, “doom-scrolling” into the wee hours, all too aware that we’re the victims of addictive algorithms designed to maintain us doing exactly that. At one stage, I even downloaded an app to try to interrupt my phone habits; the irony of using a phone program for my phone addiction just isn’t lost on me! However the allure of lovely animal videos, hilarious pranks, and emotional rescue stories keeps me coming back for more.
There may be one thing, nevertheless, that never fails to get me to place down my phone, even whether it is reluctantly, and that could be a big fluffy cat butt in my face!
Cyril is certainly the important perpetrator in my house, and can be unfortunately the heaviest of my cats to have sitting on my chest. Despite the fact that he’s initially met with frustration, his determination to position himself firmly between me and my screen, eventually forces me to place down the phone and luxuriate in his demanding feline attention. Clutch and Alex’s technique tends to be a mixture of plaintive meowing and forcefully rubbing their head against my phone until I give in and switch my attention away from the screen to present them the fuss they need, and deserve. And when you consider it, how ludicrous is it that I’m ignoring the actual, wonderful creatures that share my home to observe clips of another person’s cat, dog, or pet raccoon?
Side note, I don’t think that wild animals ought to be kept as pets, but I need a raccoon so badly!! 😆
Me vs Cyril’s Fluffy Butt
Why Do I Fight It?
I really like cats. I really like all animals, similar to I do know you all do. So why is irritation my first response to my cats getting between me and my phone? It’s crazy, right? In the event you’ve ever watched The Social Dilemma, it’s actually pretty terrifying to see just how cleverly the tech utilized by social media corporations and advertisers learns our habits and keeps us glued to our screens. Like many individuals, I deleted apps and suspended my Instagram account immediately after ending the documentary. And like most of them, I used to be back inside a number of weeks.
The difficulty is that without our phones, we miss out on a lot of what is happening on the earth. Not only that, but our knowledge and awareness may be greatly enhanced by what we watch and skim online, provided we’re looking in the correct places. So, I accept my constant companion as a crucial evil, and hope that by clicking on more educational links, my personalized algorithms will help keep me on course, although I still can’t resist a great racoon clip!
With the assistance of my cats, I’m also learning to take a break.
Me having fun with time with Cyril’s Fluffy Butt
How My Cats Help Me to Switch Off
With the possible exception of the late Grumpy Cat, our feline friends don’t care in regards to the web. They aren’t into following trends or likes, and the one tweets they care about are those originating from birds. What they do care about is that the person they love, the person they’ve deigned worthy of their attention and affection, is worshiping the small rectangle of their hand as an alternative of them.
Everyone knows that cats may be aloof. Their independent nature implies that they appear not to want our affection, making it all of the more special once they seek it out. So after I find my screen blocked by a fluffy Cyril butt, or my phone being jostled by affectionate head bumps, I take that as my signal to place the phone away and spend time with my cats. I give them my full attention, which they absolutely deserve. Consequently, I actually have found it easier to place down my phone more often, disconnecting from it to hook up with the world around me.
Even though it might not be their intention, my wonderful cats are helping me manage my phone addiction and improve my mental health and well-being; just another excuse why cats are awesome.
