Lesson 1598: Techniques for Maintaining Healthy Network Relationships in the Long Run
Duration:70 minutes
Topic Introduction: This course focuses on an often overlooked issue: many people don't completely "wean" themselves off the internet, but rather need to establish a long-term, stable, and non-consuming relationship with it. Short-term digital detox can bring temporary relief, but without a long-term strategy, old screen-scrolling habits can easily return. This course will help you understand: what aspects of the internet are truly beneficial to you in your learning, work, socializing, and entertainment, and which usage patterns are quietly eroding sleep, focus, and connection with reality. Together, we will practice designing a "sustainable online rhythm," including time limits, usage scenarios, content selection, and offline alternatives, and explore how to avoid subconsciously filling empty moments with scrolling through your phone when experiencing stress, low mood, or loneliness. The course combines Western herbal healing teas, ancient Roman natural food therapy, medieval Gothic calligraphy, and mandala viewing, allowing you to gradually cultivate a long-term relationship with the internet that is both intimate and bounded, in a state of mental and physical calm.
[arttao_Healing_Course_tts_group1596_1600]○ Key aspects of maintaining healthy network relationships in the long term
- Function-oriented rather than habit-oriented:First ask yourself, "What do I want to accomplish with the internet?", instead of instinctively opening the app and browsing aimlessly.
- The dual boundaries of time and space:Set specific times and locations for internet use each day, and avoid using your phone in high-vulnerability environments such as in bed or at the dining table.
- Content filtering:Intentionally reduce the intake of highly stimulating and emotionally charged content, and increase the proportion of in-depth reading and learning content.
- Support for offline life:Real-world interpersonal relationships, shared interests, and physical activities form the "foundation" for maintaining healthy online relationships.
- Self-awareness and adjustment:Regularly review the impact of internet use on sleep, mood, and physical health, and flexibly adjust the pace, rather than taking a one-time extreme ban or letting it run rampant.
▲ AI Interaction: Design a "Sustainable Internet Usage Contract" for Yourself“
A healthy online relationship is more like an adjustable contract than a one-way self-blame. You can start by identifying "what the internet has truly helped me with," instead of simply denying it.
Please first list three positive uses of the internet for you, such as: learning new knowledge, connecting with distant relatives and friends, and obtaining information about your current job.
Then, write down three usage patterns that make you feel obviously tired, anxious, or empty, such as: aimlessly scrolling through short videos, scrolling through them in bed before sleep, and constantly switching between social media apps while working.
Next, design a specific and feasible alternative for each negative pattern, such as "spending 30 minutes browsing social media in the living room in the evening" or "replying to social media messages at noon."
Click the button below to submit this draft of the "Internet Usage Contract" to AI for revisions to better suit your daily routine and create a truly executable long-term strategy.
○ Stable rhythm · Music therapy
When the brain gets used to constant refreshing, switching pages, and instant reminders, its internal rhythm becomes fragmented. This section suggests choosing a well-structured, moderately tempoed instrumental piece as a daily ritual to "return from the online world to reality."
Here's how: Choose a piece of music that's about 10-15 minutes long and play it before you put your phone away. When the music starts, take a minute to reflect on the most satisfying thing you did using the internet today and the thing you'd most like to improve. Then use the remaining time to do a small offline task, such as tidying your desk, doing a simple stretch, or preparing for the next day's tasks.
If you persist in this practice, your brain will gradually remember that when music plays, it means you need to shift from passively receiving information to actively organizing and taking care of yourself.
○ Western Herbal Healing Tea
Recommended drinks:Chamomile & Peppermint Balance Tea
Recommended reasons:Chamomile helps relieve tension and improve mild insomnia, while peppermint brings a refreshing feeling and a slight boost, which helps to slowly recover from the "brain fog" and fatigue after a long time online, helping you to get back to your body and the present moment.
usage:Steep 1.5g of chamomile and 1g of peppermint leaves in 90℃ hot water for 5-7 minutes. You can drink a cup before your last screen time in the evening or after finishing work. Combine this with deep breathing and gentle stretching to let your body know that today's online journey has come to a temporary end.
○ Ancient Roman Natural Dietary Therapy: Chickpea Olive Rustic Stew
This stew, based on chickpeas, seasonal vegetables, and a touch of olive oil, aligns with the ancient Roman diet's emphasis on legumes, vegetables, and healthy fats. Its rich plant-based protein and fiber help stabilize blood sugar, preventing the urge to snack on sugary treats after prolonged screen time, thus contributing to stable mood and energy levels and providing physical support for extended internet use.
○ Free Mandala Healing
Image therapy: Experiencing connection through "distance and proximity" in viewing.
When you look at a mandala, you can think of the center as the core of real life, and the layers of patterns on the outer ring as various online platforms, social circles, and information flows.
Mandala drawing isn't about creating something; it's about observation. While observing, pay attention to which lines are close to the center, seemingly ready to pull your attention away from the present moment; and which lines maintain a suitable distance, visible yet not overwhelming the center. You don't need to change anything immediately; simply mark in your mind which links you'd like closer and which could recede further. Each time you quietly observe a mandala, you're practicing a posture: acknowledging that the internet is a part of life, yet willing to guard your own inner center.
○ Suggestions for practicing medieval Gothic script
In this lesson, medieval Gothic script symbolizes a lifestyle of "clear boundaries and well-defined structures." While practicing, you can experience how "angular lines" can help you maintain boundaries in online relationships.
- Writing words:
Latin:Moderatio(Moderation, moderation)
Meaning in Chinese: Use the internet within a controllable range, without excess or extremes. - Psychological Intention:
Many people try to "either not use it at all or keep using it," oscillating between extremes. When writing "Moderatio," please focus on the intersection of each vertical and horizontal stroke, feeling the middle state of "neither expanding excessively nor shrinking to the point of disappearing," symbolizing learning to stop at a position that is friendly to oneself in internet use. - Writing method:
Practice on gridded paper using a flat or square-tipped pen. First, lightly sketch the lines with a pencil to determine the height and width of each letter, then fill in the lines with the flat-tipped pen, keeping the letters compact and weighty. Start slowly and gradually develop a steady rhythm. - Emotional transformation:
When you find yourself glued to your phone again, unable to stop, don't blame yourself. Take a three-minute break from the screen, write "Moderatio" a few times, and add a gentle reminder next to it, such as "I can use it in moderation, instead of letting myself be dragged along." Let the structure of the words serve as a reminder to reclaim your control over your choices.
○ Techniques for maintaining healthy online relationships in the long term; guidance and suggestions for art therapy.
This page uses drawings to visualize your relationship with the internet: which connections help you grow, and which entanglements are draining you. The purpose of the drawings is not to criticize yourself, but to help you see "where you need to loosen up and where you can stabilize," so as to develop a more sustainable usage strategy.
1. Draw a "Network Usage Map"“
- Draw a circle in the center of the paper and write "I" on it.
- Draw 5 to 7 radial lines, and at the end of each line draw a small circle. Write the different online uses for each line, such as "work", "study", "entertainment", "social networking", "wandering aimlessly", etc.
- Use the thickness or color of the wire to distinguish which uses currently take up the most time, and which you hope to add or retain in the future.
- Next to each small circle, write a sentence: "What kind of relationship do I hope to maintain with this type of network use?" For example, "Only for 20 minutes in the evening" or "Once a week".
II. Draw a "balance scale between reality and the internet".“
- Draw a scale, with "Internet" written on one side and "Reality" on the other. On the Internet side, draw the three most common ways you currently use it; on the Reality side, draw three activities you want to gradually restore or strengthen, such as walking, reading, and face-to-face conversation.
- Observe which side is noticeably sunken, use color to darken the outline of that side, and then write on the other side, "What small thing can we start with to make this side slightly darker?"
- Finally, write a sentence above the scales that you are willing to try to remember, such as "Balance is a process, not a result that is finalized at once."
Note: If you find yourself experiencing intense anxiety, a sense of loss of control, or self-harm when trying to adjust your online behavior, or even have suicidal thoughts or severe insomnia, please seek professional psychological help and crisis support promptly. Building healthy online relationships is a long-term process that can be supported by others, not a battle you must fight alone.
Please log in before submitting your drawings and feelings.
○ 1598. Techniques for Maintaining Healthy Online Relationships in the Long Term: Journaling-Based Suggestions
① List the three network uses you most want to retain or enhance, and the two usage patterns you most want to reduce, and describe the reasons for each in one or two sentences.
② Write a simple and feasible "internet usage contract" for the coming week, including the approximate total online time each day and the latest time to log off.
③ Record a small change you made today to adjust your network usage (such as turning off your phone 15 minutes later or not looking at your phone while eating), and any subtle feelings that this change brings.
④ Write down your understanding of the phrase "long-term relationship": What kind of distance and trust do you hope to maintain with the internet five years from now?
Please log in to use.
Maintaining a healthy and lasting relationship with the internet doesn't require perfect self-discipline; it simply requires making slightly different choices each time with awareness. May you gradually regain control over your life and time through these small adjustments.
EN 
ZH 
ES 
FR 
JA