Do you ever feel like you just can’t catch your breath? Like everything is moving too quickly, and it’s like your brain can’t even keep up?
On top of this, it’s like everything is ultra-scary right now. Whenever I open my phone, I’m basically blasted with all the negative things that happened in the world today. If not that, then it’s various ads telling me I can do better, be better, look better — you get the gist.
It’s like whatever we do, we’re never good enough. And no matter what, the world is to be feared.
As we enter a new post-pandemic age, I hear a lot of people talking about how scary the world is and how this isn’t the time to take risks or step out of line. I used to think so too. But traveling full-time has flipped my perspective a lot.
Just recently, I lived in Mexico for six months. If you live in the United States or Canada, I guarantee you’ve probably heard a lot about violence or shootings in Mexico. This is what is repeatedly fed to us in the news.
But being there is a whole different story. People are happy and laughing. It’s not scary. In fact, I felt perfectly safe walking around Mexico City by myself. Inevitably, always keep your wits about you, but I think we need a little reminder that this modern time poses tons of confusion, particularly in the online realm.
Recently, I watched a Netflix documentary called Social Dilemma. And whoa, it was eye-opening. If you haven’t, find some time and watch it.
Basically, it talks about how addicted we are to our phones and social media and how smartphone usage and mental health conditions have an undeniable correlation.
And we can’t ignore that we are coming out of a super unprecedented time. COVID swept across the globe. Fake news took us on different rides. And people were dying; it was scary!
In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) claims that COVID triggered a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide. That’s huge!
But here’s a flip in perspective: We’ve had life-altering world events before. We’ve had pandemics before. What’s different this time?
Well, there’s one major difference: Technology and social media.
The social apps all compete for our attention. They want us to spend as much time on their apps as possible. In fact, if you’ve watched Social Dilemma, you’ll know we’re more of a commodity than anything. (Yes, you read that right.)
As Daniel Hoverman says in Social Dilemma, “If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.”
These apps are made for us to feel fear or inadequate. Why? So, we buy what advertisers are selling.
And the truth is that it’s easy to live in a fear-based world. It’s much harder to drown out the noise.
Related Article: Insecure & Afraid of Being Alone? Signs to Know When It's Codependency
It’s easy to consume endless information online without actually registering how we feel.
So, here are a few ways you can end this cycle of fear and feel better (and without social media running rampant on your health and happiness!).
If the news makes you feel terrible, maybe it’s time to take a break.
If Instagram lowers your confidence, maybe it’s time to set some limits or even question why you use it.
Not all information is true.
Don’t take headlines for what they say. Many times, they are just wanting to get a click. In fact, question almost everything. Sometimes, there is actually no sure-fire way to know if something online is true or not.
Many phones offer this option, and all it takes is a quick Google search to figure out how to set a time cap on yours.
I did this with Instagram and Facebook, and it felt so good!
At first, I kept looking at my phone for them, but quickly I settled into a realization that my phone didn’t really have anything much of what I needed. Instead, I was just reaching for it out of habit.
Many of us will go out to dinner with our friends and absentmindedly place our phones on the table.
In turn, this makes it easy to reach for. Maybe our friend is in the midst of telling a story, and there we are, scrolling away! Instead, foster these connections by putting technology away and having meaningful discussions and quality time with others. Be present without your phone.
In fact, it can be straight-up overwhelming. It also forces us to compare ourselves to way more people than our brain can handle, creating identity crises and low self-esteem. If this sounds familiar, maybe it’s time to engage in real-life a bit more. Go do some yoga. Go catch up with a friend. Or read an actual book.
And remember, social media isn’t real life. Usually, it’s just someone’s highlight reel. Constantly reminding ourselves that this is often the case can help us take a step back and put things in perspective.
Related Article: Feeling Stuck in the Worry Loop? 4 Really Simple Practices to Break Free
I used to scroll and then realize I’d blink, and an hour would go by.
I’d berate myself for wasting such a huge chunk of time. And even worse, I never felt better for it. So, I started doing chunks of time where I would delete my social media apps.
The result? The huge realization was that I felt better, less anxious, more in control, and less drained. I can only access Instagram through the browser or on my computer, which makes it this big hurdle to get to.
So, if there’s one thing you can take away from this article, it’s that you’re in control. You can determine what you pay attention to. You can even set yourself up for success by creating limits on your phone (You don’t necessarily need to delete apps).
So, I challenge you to take back control and shed the fear.
Sure, awareness of what’s happening in the world is a good thing. But our brains definitely aren’t equipped to absorb it all. Give yourself some grace and create space for you to exist without the anchor of social media or billions of other people’s lives in your forefront.
Read Next: Overcome Fear: 5 Powerful Techniques to Convince Your Brain You're Safe
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