Istanbul Travel Guide
Visit Istanbul for an unforgettable adventure. Discover the best hotels, restaurants and things to do with this highly curated Istanbul travel guide. Time Zone Turkey's time zone is GMT+3 year-round, and is also called TRT (Turkey Time). Turkey does not do daylight savings. Best Time to Go Spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October) are the perfect times to visit Istanbul, when the weather is bright and mild. During the month of April is the city-wide Tulip Festival, when the parks and green spaces in the city are bedazzled with the colorful bulbs.
From 12 to 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 4, the world essentially stopped. Okay, okay, that's a bit dramatic. But for avid Facebook and Instagram users, it sort of felt that way. This monolith family of social networks experienced a "blackout" for several hours during the day, forcing people to look up from their phones and, essentially, smell the roses. Or at least pop over onto Twitter and joke about it for a few hours.
© Provided by Eat This, Not That! red x in front of someone scrolling on a phone What surprised me about the entire ordeal was the public's reaction after the blackout was over. Instead of the moaning and groaning that you usually expect online, when Instagram came back to life, many people took to their feeds to talk about how nice it was to not have the pressure of social media for a few hours. Some even claimed that maybe this was a sign to start taking mental health breaks from their social media every once in a while. Others even admitted they wished the social networks just didn't come back at all.
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So…what if you just didn't let it?
Their reactions, I admit, left me with the kind of smirk you expect to see on your mom right before she says "I told you so." Because after 14 months of not having social media on my phone, I know what life is like without that constant pressure in my pocket. And it is the most freeing experience to live a life without it.
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I deleted the apps because I admitted to an addiction.
As you can see, I work in media. I've always had a love for the intermingling of social media and the news, even back when I created my Twitter account in 2009. I was fascinated that I could get a New York Times update online every 15 minutes without a newspaper subscription.
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My concentration throughout journalism school has always been social media, so I knew that having professional, public social accounts was a necessity for my line of work. I kept telling myself that posting all the time was a part of landing a job, and eventually, keeping my skills sharp once I landed said dream job. Being a social media editor meant constantly refreshing your feed, staying on top of the news as well as readers' comments, and almost always falling asleep in bed with your phone in your hand.
And yet, when I decided to make a slight job change and step out of social media, my tendencies to always be on my phone never changed. I was still constantly scrolling on Instagram or Facebook, not really gaining any kind of knowledge or doing anything productive. I would tell myself it was all for work, but after my phone had the audacity to let me know I was averaging 6 hours on social apps alone each day, I knew it was becoming an issue.
Dublin Travel Guide
Visit Dublin for an unforgettable adventure. Discover the best hotels, restaurants, and things to do with this highly curated Dublin travel guide. Spirits lovers will find themselves right at home amongst favorite spots like the Guinness Storehouse, the Jameson Distillery, and the Teeling Distillery. And Irish cuisine, once considered a bit of an oxymoron, is on full display in Dublin. The city is now home to five Michelin-starred restaurants, plus an array of international restaurants that highlight the diversity of the city.
Not to mention the fact that it was taking a serious toll on my personal life. I let myself worry about the shape of my body compared to Instagram influencers, compare the trajectory of my career to other editors at my level, or even got angry at my husband for not "doing what other couples do" in their marriage—or at least the version I would see online.
When I went on a social media hiatus during a camping trip last year, I realized that the constant pressure I felt in my chest was completely gone. I didn't reach for my phone once to take a picture or document what I was doing. I was simply enjoying myself outdoors, and I loved that feeling. And it made me think…what would life be like if I just didn't bring it back at all? Would I always feel this free?
So at the end of my trip, 14 months ago, I deleted all the social media apps from my phone for good.
"Addiction" looks different for everyone.
It's easy to joke about having a social media addiction, especially when there are so many others making fun of it with you. This is why labeling social media as an "addiction" may seem strange when compared to other addictions that are normally associated with the word.
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"No one is making jokes about drugs or alcohol addictions or even eating disorders," says Sydney Greene, MS, RD, registered dietitian and member of our medical expert board. "But when we talk about being addicted to our screens, it's funny—but it's not. It's more socially acceptable."
After suffering from alcoholism herself, Greene now works with clients through different kinds of addictions and mentions that you don't always have to reach a "low bottom" in order to admit you have a problem with a substance.
"Low bottom is what you see in the movies—like someone is kicked out of the house and living under the bridge," says Greene. "And then there is a high bottom like my story. I was getting A's in grad school. I was in a relationship. I was working a job. But then I couldn't live a life without alcohol…and no one could see that my life was crumbling. I couldn't point to one [moment], it was like this constant doom and gloom cloud."
Alcoholism has always been an addiction to take seriously due to the effects it has on the individual as well as their surrounding community, and for many, this type of addiction does not even compare. And yet, a recent article in The Atlantic finds the symptoms of social media addiction and alcoholism eerily similar in nature.
© Provided by Eat This, Not That! sitting scrolling on a phone Research even links social media use and addiction.
"Indeed social media can be like any other addiction," says Alex Dimitriu, MD, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry&Sleep Medicine. "At base, there is a foraging or searching behavior, which is often rewarded with 'a find,' and the ensuing surge in dopamine. Many social media experiences follow this pattern and that is how people can stay up way too late in the night endlessly scrolling."
Dubai Travel Guide
Visit Dubai for an unforgettable adventure. Discover the best hotels, restaurants and things to do with this highly curated Dubai travel guide. Then there's the desert with its rolling hills of sand stamped with the footprints of Arabian oryx and gazelles; the souks with their labyrinth of stalls, bins overflowing with a rainbow of spices, the scent filling the air; and the traditional abra boats ferrying riders across the Dubai Creek.
A 2018 study published by the Journal of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Economics and Administrative Sciences Faculty focused on the dopamine response for social media users and did find "similar biological and psychological symptoms of alcohol, cigarette, and drug addicts." Symptoms of "depression, death, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem, loneliness, and social isolation" were also felt in study participants, which were all linked to dopamine—the brain's neuro-chemical response that gives you feelings of pleasure. Users can easily be swept into a "social media dopamine loop" which is very similar to a drug-addicted one.
I admit, when I hear the term "social media dopamine loop," I instantly think of that feeling I used to get by opening an app or scrolling down to refresh my feed.
Another study from the Indian Journal of Community Medicine stated that a third of their 1,870 study subjects were found to be addicted to social media, while the majority of subjects had a "mild addiction." Even Instagram released a study stating that 32% of teen girls said Instagram made them feel worse about their bodies, but they couldn't seem to quit it because they felt addicted to the app. This type of internal investigation is one of many that is at the height of the Facebook whistleblower's complaints to federal lawmakers.
The Addiction Center even offers resources for social media addiction and states that 5% to 10% of Americans meet the criteria for a behavioral social media addiction today.
"It can be difficult to turn inward and examine our own behaviors, especially if we are being told that we may be forming addictions with social media," says Ernesto Lira de la Rosa, psychologist, and Hope for Depression Research Foundation media advisor. "Addictions come with a lot of shame and guilt and we tend to push away things that cause us to feel ashamed and guilty. I also think that some people may not take it seriously because they may not know what to do once they realize they may have an unhealthy relationship with social media or internet use. If we normalize and demystify social media addiction, we may be better able to reach people at earlier stages of addiction."
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Social media can be beautiful—but also cruel.
There's no denying that social media has its perks. It's a wonderful tool for keeping community, furthering education, cultivating creativity, and even for lifting up small businesses. Greene even points out that using social media, like Instagram, is a major tool for her business and connecting with clients.
And yet, given that most people voiced "loving" the fact that they didn't have to worry about social media during Monday's blackout, there seems to be a deep desire for letting it all go. Or at least taking a mental health break every once in a while.
"Screentime during the pandemic was at a record high, and people are burnt out from social media as well," says Israa Nasir, MHC, therapist. and founder of the Well Guide. "Research has already shown the negative impact social media has on mood, lowered self-perception of competency and 'success,' as well as increasing social comparisons. All these things combined can create a very negative or high-pressure experience on social media for people. So naturally, when it was taken away from us, it felt like a relief."
"Being on our phones and on social media can take a lot of energy and brain space that takes away from other activities," says Dr. Margaret Sala, a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. "We end up scrolling on our phones instead of focusing on our work, working on our relationships, exercising, meditating, developing new hobbies, reading books."
© Provided by Eat This, Not That! scrolling on the phone outside in the dark Out of all the ways social media takes up energy and brain space, mental health professionals agree that comparison is the ugly underbelly of social media that causes all kinds of mental and even physical repercussions.
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"This is one of the [strongest] ways to feel depressed—especially when all you're seeing is everyone else's best moments," says Raffi Bilek, LCSW-C, therapist and director of the Baltimore Therapy Center. "Everyone looks happy in their Facebook photos. People rarely post images of the fights they have with their spouse, the children misbehaving, the dessert they totally messed up, or any of the normal missteps of daily life. Instead, it's all smiling families, perfect soufflés, and fail-free lives. And then you look at your own life, which is definitely not perfect, and you feel crummy about yourself."
"We, maybe even unconsciously, feel the pull to get online and check and see what others are doing," says Michelle Chalfant, licensed therapist, holistic life coach, and developer and host of the podcast The Adult Chair®. "Even just scrolling taps into our instincts for seeking and hunting, and our brains love getting new input. The blackout gave our brains a break from the constant input, and, for those who struggle with comparison, it also offered a break from the constant self-scrutiny or search for validation."
Constant social media use can also play a serious role in the immediate relationships around you. Do you want to know how many times I've been in a room full of people scrolling on their phones, sitting by myself with a glass of wine? Actually, you may not want to want to know the answer to that.
"Social media can make it hard to make real-life connections and build relationships," says Dr. Sala. "Instead of calling or seeing our friends, we now often rely on social media to see what they are up to. Furthermore, often when spending time with others [like] our kids or our partners, we end up being distracted by our phones."
Setting healthy boundaries completely changed my life.
A simple Google search will tell anyone that yes, I still have social media and, yes, I still post frequently. I use my accounts for professional purposes—but only interact with them on my computer desktop during proper working hours. It sets a healthier boundary for my life where I'm not constantly scrolling or posting with my phone, which is a device that goes everywhere with me (unlike my computer).
In my free time, I find myself actually living the life I want to live—one that I guess you could say is "Instagram worthy" already. My stress levels significantly decreased. I read all the time. I crochet blankets. I'm reteaching myself how to play the piano. And I even wrote my first novel. Will I publish it? Who knows. But I can finally tell people that I actually did it, instead of wishing I did while scrolling through Instagram on my couch.
This is the boundary that has worked for me, but just like nutrition, you have to find out what works best for you.
Another boundary to consider is one Greene recommends to her clients: don't open any social media apps during the "bookends" of your day.
"I try for [my clients] to not look at their phones until they walk out the door for work, or at least until they've had some water, eat some breakfast, and get ready for the day," she says. "No screen time before bed in the evening and in the morning."
She also highly recommends unfollowing any accounts that cause mental strain or anxiety, and instead, focus on following accounts that are related to hobbies that give you joy—like the National Park Service for some outdoor inspiration.
And who knows, maybe with these new boundaries you set, you'll find yourself finally living the life you've always wanted to live—like the kind of person who writes a whole book. Because apparently, I'm that type of person now.
If you or someone you love is struggling with any type of addiction and you are in need of help, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Hotline at 1-800-662-4357.
For more mental health stories, read these next:
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Read the original article on Eat This, Not That!
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19 Of The Weirdest Foods From Your Childhood You Totally Forgot About
The '80s and '90s were weird times, with trends like frosted tips on your hair, denim everything, and purple ketchup for hotdogs. Even though some of the strange foods from a time not-so-long-ago aren't on shelves at the grocery store anymore, we couldn't help but take a trip down memory lane. We've rounded up 19 of the weirdest foods from your childhood you totally forgot about, so take a trip into the past and reminisce about some of these strange food offerings of yesteryear.And for even more nostalgia, don't miss these 33 Super Popular Snacks From Your Childhood That Are Discontinued.
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1. SweeTARTS Squeez
This weird '90s candy was supposed to be inspired by the candy tablets but in gel form. It was presented in a tube that looked similar to toothpaste and was super sour. The only thing that rivaled these in the sour candy category was War Heads. Most kids just squeezed the candy goo right into their mouths all at once, but more civilized kids in the '90s knew the best way to eat this was to squeeze a little at a time to make the candy last longer.RELATED: Sign up for our newsletter to get daily recipes and food news in your inbox!
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2. Jell-O Jigglers
Jell-O was all the rage in the '90s, especially as molds or jigglers. The Jell-O Jigglers each had a separate recipe on how to make them on the back of the boxes. If you were a really cool '90s kid, your parents had the fun molds that were sold in grocery stores around holidays, like snowflakes and Santa for Christmas and beans for Easter to look like jellybeans. Honestly, these are still good and deserve a spot at any summer cookout.RELATED: Your ultimate restaurant and supermarket survival guide is here!
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3. EZ Squirt Colored Ketchup
The late '90s and early 2000s were a weird time for food. Everything was brightly colored or had some sort of animal mascot. And one item really fits the bill on this: EZ Squirt colored ketchup. The condiment came in a Barney-like purple or Hulk-like green.Most of the time, this weird food made its appearance at Scout meetings or swim parties, and kids would squeeze this all over boiled hot dogs and oven-cooked fries for lunch. Having the green or purple ketchup made most '90s kids feel like they were living in the lap of luxury.And to keep the nostalgia going, here are 11 Childhood Ice Cream Treats You Totally Forgot About.
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4. Wonder Balls
The candy aisle at the grocery store checkout was a treasure trove just waiting to be explored. One candy concoction that kids begged for was a Wonder Ball. The packaging had a theme, whether it was princesses, animals, or superheroes. Once inside the box, a chocolate ball was wrapped in foil, and inside that chocolate ball were hard, chalky candies shaped like the theme of the Wonder Ball. There was also some sort of prize, like a sticker or temporary tattoo that your parents usually ended up throwing away.
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5. Kid Cuisine TV Dinners
TV dinners were all the rage in the '90s, and coming home late after soccer practice sometimes meant your parents didn't want to cook. That's where these Kid Cuisine frozen dinners stepped in to save the day. Every kid knew the best one was the chicken nugget one with corn, macaroni and cheese, and that brownie with sprinkles. Somehow, your parents always watched you as you ate the TV dinner to be sure you ate all of the chicken and corn before diving into that sweet (but overcooked) chocolatey brownie.And for more fond memories, don't miss these 35 Snacks From Your Childhood You Forgot You Loved.
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6. Melody Pops
Melody Pops were the bane of parents, teachers, and pretty much anyone who had to be around kids. These weird lollipops looked kind of like a recorder but had a stick inside that was able to move up and down to create a different tone instead of using your fingers to cover holes. The sounds that came out of the so-called Melody Pops were anything but delightful. They were usually high-pitched squeals and ear-piercing scratches that '90s kids usually thought sounded great but never did.The pops lost most kids' interest after the sugar began to disintegrate where you blew in to make the noise or the stick popped out of the pop completely.
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7. Bubble Jug Bubble Gum
It's already weird that gum somehow got into a tiny jug, but the fact that it came out as a powder was even weirder. Then, as you finally got the powder in your mouth and started chewing, it magically transformed into real chewing gum, which was always an odd sensation to experience. Usually, your parents didn't buy this for you because it was messy, and the thought of swallowing a whole jug of gum without chewing it seemed dangerous. But if you had a cool aunt or uncle or could somehow convince a grandparent to buy it for you, it was a great day!RELATED: This 7-day smoothie diet will help you shed those last few pounds.
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8. Jell-O Pudding Bites
These strange chewy Jell-O snacks were never a hit but somehow still have groups of people wanting them back on shelves in the grocery store. The Jell-O gummies came in three flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. The pudding bites had almost no flavor and were so chewy that it was a challenge to even get through one, let alone finish a whole package. These are one snack we're glad stayed in the '90s with no hope of coming back.
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9. Potato Smileys
Kids who loved tater tots loved Potato Smileys even more. The strange little disks of potato were baked in the oven and placed on lunch and diner plates across the country. The best part about these was that there were cutout eyes and a smile right in the disk! Kids would try to take the ketchup from each other to draw out more unique features like eyebrows, a nose, or a mustache on these before devouring. Even though these are long gone, we not-so-secretly wish they would make a comeback.
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10. Dinosaur Nuggets
Dinosaurs have always been cool, but after the debut of Jurassic Park in 1993, dinosaurs became even cooler with the kids of America. When dinner time rolled around, the only thing worth getting was dinosaur nuggets so you could act out the scenes from the movie, with Jeff Goldblum and the massive T-Rex right at the dinner table. The dino nuggets have even made a resurgence in recent years at big-box stores.
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11. Chicken Fries
Chicken fries were one of the more interesting selections from the freezer aisle (and the Burger King menu) back in the day. The thin strips of chicken were coated, fried, and frozen to look just like French fries. Then when you got them home they were baked in the oven to reheat them before dunking into ketchup and eating. The shape might have fooled some kids into eating them, but after that first bite, everything usually went downhill. These are still on sale at some stores, but they should have stayed in the past.
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12. Alphabet Soup
There was nothing like coming home on a cold day after playing outside with the other neighborhood kids to find out that your mom had heated up a can of alphabet soup for you. The tomato-based soup was filled with all 26 letters from the alphabet. The best part about this soup wasn't the taste, but spelling out words, names, or places.Alphabet soup gave a whole new meaning to the term playing with your food. And usually, because you were spelling, your mom didn't yell at you for not eating your lunch.
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13. Shark Bites
If the name "Shark Bites" didn't freak you out as a kid, getting a whole pack of white gummy sharks sure did. These gummy snacks that made their way into a lot of school lunches were all shaped like different types of sharks, which automatically made them cool. Outside of the shape, the flavor of each shark wasn't great, and these were usually passed over for a better gummy snack like Gushers if you could persuade a parent to buy them at the grocery store.
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14. Ouch Gum
As if a jug of gum wasn't weird enough, putting the sticks of gum in a tin can that looked like a bandaid box was even weirder. The wrappers on each of the sticks of gum even looked like bandaids. This gum wasn't going to heal any scrapes you got out on the playground, though.The gum came in three flavors—watermelon, grape, and strawberry—but the flavor only lasted for a few minutes before it was completely gone. This gum is still sold in specialty candy stores, but the tin can is no longer in production, so it's not the nostalgic gum we remember from our childhood.
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15. Doritos 3D
Chips have always been a favorite crunchy snack, but this was one of the weirder chip varieties to come out of the '90s. The chip was almost as if Dorito flavor dust had been sprayed on a Bugle. The chips came in a plastic tube that the lid popped off of and could be used as a serving vessel. That lid was the only real win of the chip, as most people's hands could not fit into the opening of the container to even get any of the chips out. Alas, these chips were discontinued in the early 2000s, only to remain a distant food memory.RELATED: Learn how to harness the power of tea to lose weight.
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16. Mickey's Parade Ice Pops
These looked so cool on the outside of the box, with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy all having a popsicle made in their likeness. Once the pops were out of the box, though, they never looked like the Disney pals we all know.Each of the popsicles had a different flavor, and fighting over the best one (hello, orange) with your friends was always the worst part of eating these.
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17. Hi-C Ecto Cooler Juice Boxes
Call the ghostbusters, because Hi-C Ecto Cooler Juice Boxes need to make a comeback from our childhood food dreams. The juice drink was made to help promote Ghostbusters, which premiered in 1984. The actual flavor was orange and tangerine, but thanks to some food coloring, the drink was bright green to match the color of Slimer from the movie. Drinking the Hi-C juice boxes made us feel like we could join Egon, Ray, Peter, and Winston on their next adventure.
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18. Fruit String Thing
This was a rope-like fruit gummy that was twirled around like a fruit roll-up onto a plastic tray. These usually made it into lunch boxes but were never that great in the end. The gummy rope was hard to get through if you wanted to eat it a bite at a time. Even eating the whole thing at once was hard because of how chewy the snack was. Fruit Strings came in all sorts of flavors imaginable, but we still tried to trade them away at lunch.
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19. WWE Ice Cream Bars
The ultra-cool WWE Ice Cream Bars, which were more like an ice cream sandwich on a stick, made their debut on grocery store freezer shelves in 1987. Each of the bars was imprinted with a wrestling star from back in the day, like Macho Man, Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, and John Cena. Even though the ice cream bars were targeted to boys, little girls who used to watch wrestling with their parents would get these from the freezer whenever the fights came on, too.And when you're cooking at home, don't miss these 52 Life-Changing Kitchen Hacks That'll Make You Enjoy Cooking Again.
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