Lately, I have fallen prey to this awful obsession that was formed as a result of terrible procrastination and absurd laziness.

It is slowly evolving into an addiction that I find myself performing every morning, every time I get in the car, when friends are around or even before and during classes.

My newfound obsession, and it pains me to say it because of the sheer stupidity and humiliation from it, is Facebook.

Mind you, I do not post much, I do not take selfies and I try to avoid the “drama” that people thrive on and air out on their timelines.

But I do find myself scrolling through the bowels of Facebook, flipping through video after video of nonsense that people call comedy. Sure, some of it is funny or educational, even, but half the time I am not watching the videos. I just stare at the posts, a blank look on my face and most likely a trail of drool lingering down one side of my mouth.

I am sure the sight of me lounging around on my bed holding a phone so close to my eyes the sockets begin to bruise because the light is painfully bright is just ghastly.

I never thought I would have a problem like this, but I suppose because of stress I used it as a form of escape. Unfortunately, I turned to the absolute worse form of dealing with stress and instead starting wasting a tremendous amount of time on Facebook when I could have been doing something to help myself mentally and emotionally.

My point is, do not waste your time on social media, especially if you are looking for something to fill the void or use as a crutch to escape the stress.

Time is a beautiful gift to have, and to throw it away mindlessly scrolling through videos and posts that are irrelevant to your everyday life is unnecessary.

If you need something to do or something to use as a way to take a break from the trials that come with life, try going outside and getting a breath of fresh air.

Read a book or color or doodle. You can even take a nap or a bath while listening to your favorite music.

Especially with finals around the corner, it is hard to take a break from all the studying, and the easiest thing to do may be checking your newsfeed, but try to avoid that.

Do something that will help you unwind and get away from everything and everyone for a while.

There is more to life than just Facebook and other social media outlets. We just have to look up from our phones and find out.

Analicia Haynes can be reached at 581-2812 or achaynes@eiu.edu.