One of the things that I have tried to adjust this year is my media consumption. The irony is not lost on me that I am using social media as a marketing platform. The truth is, things have evolved and social media is here to stay. The way we interact and consume information is different from 20 years ago. This is a great thing - think about all of the information that we have access to at our fingertips. Not so long ago (20 years), when I was in University, I had to do my research in a huge library and I also didn't have a computer, so used a typewriter and kept a bottle of white out handy to fix my mistakes. If I wanted to "fact check" something, it was a lot more involved than it is today.
When I was in high school, we would fight over who got to use the phone and when we finally got "call waiting", it was a big day. Today, we have so many ways that we can be and stay in touch.
So, what's the problem? Sometimes, I find that it can be overwhelming. Wondering what is going on in the world as well as in my "social" world. I found that it started to cause me stress. I also found myself getting addicted to it. Whenever there was a moment where I was waiting, I couldn't just sit, I would automatically reach for my phone. I wasn't even really looking for anything, but just something to occupy my brain.
This month, I consciously put my phone away. I set a timer where I could catch up on news and my social media and then it has to go away. I can check for 5 minutes, that's it. Then, I make sure that I have a book on hand and I got used to just being - sitting in a car, waiting without distraction, sitting with my own thoughts. This was a game changer! I feel less stress and more "zen". I don't constantly hear negative news reports about the latest murder or political strife. I didn't realize how this constant information feed was negatively affecting my mental state. "When we tune out the opinions, expectations, and obligations of the world around us, we begin to hear ourselves".