How I staved off brain rot: I took care of my newborn son

Imagine a rotten tomato– all reddish and swollen. That is how I imagine a brain rot to be, if ever the snake-like innards underneath my hard skull had to rot.

I would have been a rotten tomato had I not given birth to an amusing, time consuming, energy draining baby earlier this rainy June. My little boy has wiped social media engagement from my phone and I plan to use him – by “use” read “play with” – whenever I feel like tapping on the X or Facebook icon.

In a bustling city of Mumbai where travel consumes a large chunk of people’s lives, one finds solace in the mindless wandering on social media. Scroll, and there is a funny animal video, scroll further and there are handy beauty tips, scroll some more and you will find Bollywood gossip. Nothing important, nothing you would even recollect by the end of the day. And yet, the next day as you sit in another crowded local train, you would inevitably reach for your pocket, squeeze out your gadget and begin scrolling.

I spent the last 10 years doing that.

With my baby around this year, for the first two months I had no time to even check my phone – or even charge it. By the third month I did manage to find time. I succumbed to that tickling urge to go back to X. But I found my baby’s curious eyes on the mobile screen.

There is only one resolve I plan to stick to – prevent him getting screen addiction for as long as possible.

That resolve has motivated me against social media and mindless scrolling of e-commerce websites. That month I began to consciously keep the phone away. When I had the urge, I would look at my son, watch him play or show him flash cards to help with brain development.

Now, whenever I feel that tickle in my fingers, I start playing with my baby, read him book, or start exercising. It is surprising how many hours I’ve saved each week by steering clear of social media.

I also feel that my brain is engaged in more productive activities. I get creative while shooting pictures of him, I spend time cooking up new stories to tell him every night and I try to devise new games to keep him engaged. I am not good at cooking. I am now looking at recipes for my little one and putting in extra effort to get that right taste of puree (which is what infants eat).

I do reach out for my phone, only to read baby stuff or make calls. Perhaps the phone will become a bigger part of my schedule once I resume work. For now, I have stayed clean for six months.