April 29th, 2020
Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are.
– José Ortega y Gasset
How are you holding up? I know life is throwing all of us a curveball of challenges right now. Amidst all of the changes, have you found yourself spending more time than usual on social media? I know I have. While, perhaps at some level, social media has been providing a sense of connection, how often are you peeling your eyes away from the screen feeling worse than before you dove deep into the world of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever platform you may use? Does spending time on social media bring you joy? Or does it do just the opposite? For some of us, it can increase anxiety and depression, foster procrastination, magnify attention difficulties and make us feel "jealous, ugly and lonely."
Originally, my planned health challenge for May for you was to encourage a month long social media break. However, our world has changed in ways that many of us were not expecting, and cutting out a digital form of human interaction may feel more harmful than helpful for some people. So, instead, I am going to encourage a modification: re-focusing on how you are engaging with social media. And if the best way for you to do that, is by taking a short break, perhaps that’s what you decide to do.
Last month I read Jenny Odell’s book “How to do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy” and it was eye opening in so many ways. Among many things, Odell examines the ways in which our attention is manipulated by social media. She does not argue that we cut social media out of our lives all together but that “we absolutely require distance and time to be able to see the mechanisms we thoughtlessly submit to.” She explains that “one of the most troubling ways social media has been used in recent years is to foment waves of hysteria and fear, both by news media and by users themselves. Whipped into a permanent state of frenzy, people create and subject themselves to news cycles, complaining of anxiety at the same time that they check back ever more diligently.”
How much time do you think you spend in the virtual world of social media? You may be surprised to learn that on average, people spend 2 hours on social media platforms a day! 63% of American Facebook users log onto the site every day and 40% log on multiple times a day. Inevitably our virtual lives affect our "real" lives in significant ways. Even in the midst of a pandemic do you want to fill extra time in your day with social media? Or would it feel better to spend that time exploring new hiking trails, getting lost in a novel, learning a new hobby, growing a garden or dusting off your guitar and making music. Are you heading to social media to connect with loved ones? Would it feel the same, better or worse to instead pick up the phone and call them? Or maybe schedule a virtual video chat happy hour with a close friend? Or send letters. Just some food for thought: on social media, there are likely hundreds, if not thousands, of voices/opinions/emotions vying for your attention. Is that the space you want to occupy, or would you rather choose to listen to a more select group of voices?
Research on the impact of social media usage on health is relatively new, but there is increasing data that it can have numerous negative effects on both mental and physical health. For example, it can interfere with sleep, negatively affect mood, and increase feelings of loneliness. The greater the number of social media platforms that one uses seems to correlate with higher levels of depression and anxiety. Of course, it cannot be ignored that the quality of the interactions that occur on social media impacts whether or not it tends to result in positive or negative effects on mood. And it can be argued that there are also benefits of social media, such as maintaining contact with far-away friends/family, reminiscing about past experiences, sharing good news, congratulating others' on their achievements and actively engaging with one another. But at what point are we spending too much of our lives on social media? What do we give up when we choose to spend so much time on social media each day? Julia Plevin, in her recent book The Healing Magic of Forest Bathing says “the apps that we download might be “free,” but when we spend hours scrolling on social media, what we’re paying with is our attention and health—the most valuable things we have. What we pay attention to determines the quality of our lives.”
Perhaps this May you decide to take a break from social media entirely and then re-evaluate how much time and attention you want to allow back to it in June. Or perhaps you decide to examine your screen time and set limits. You may want to make a list of things you could do with that time and decide which you prefer to prioritize. You may realize that social media brings very important benefits to your life and you have a healthy, intentional relationship with it. If it brings you benefits, but you also find yourself absentmindedly logging on frequently, or for long stretches of time, perhaps you find strategies to maintain those benefits, while not letting social media take up so much time or hinder you from being fully present in your day to day life. Maybe you decide to turn off notifications and decide to log on more intentionally, on your terms. Perhaps you go through who you “follow” and unfollow accounts that show content that constantly makes you feel bad, angry or anxious. Or maybe you do none of this - there is no right or right answer and only you know what is best for you.
But if you do decide to either take a break from social media, be it a week or the whole month, or intentionally set some limits, you may find that your mood improves, you sleep better, have more time, are more focused, feel more deeply connected with friends, family and the natural world around you, and experience increased well-being overall.
Sending you love and light,
Dr. Khaira, ND