Finding a balance between mind,
body, and social media
In the world of loads of information and crowds of voices on social media, it
often seems almost normal to lose ourselves, our peace of mind, and our voices.
Social media can be as calming as it can be distressing. Much depends on
knowing the difference between what our mind needs to experience to feel calmer
and joyful and what we feed our minds daily while randomly scrolling through
social media. It is very easy to get swayed by thousands of content that social
media offers us today. But being very particular about consuming heaps of daily
doses of information, images, videos, and ideas is crucial in ensuring our
inner peace. Being mindful of the amount and how to receive those doses is also
pivotal. We must be aware of the content we engage with and check with
ourselves often to observe if the content or people related to the content are
distressing for us. Sometimes, we know that something will bother or trigger
us, and we still allow ourselves to indulge in that sort of content or let that
content control our senses. We might do it out of curiosity or simply from not
being used to listening to what our mind and body want. We are so used to diving
into the waves of popularity and trends or indulging in random scrolling that
we cannot realize how much it affects our inner peace. There can be many
reasons why a particular content, person, page, or opinion might trigger us. It
varies from person to person, lifestyle to lifestyle, and point of view. So, we
need to be careful and mindful of what and whose content we are engaging with.
It is not possible to agree with every individual's perspective. There might be
some individuals who can be outright disrespectful (to specific communities or
ideologies), so their content might be triggering. We can be sensitive to particular
topics, noises, images, and visuals. Even after knowing that something or
someone might specifically trigger us, we sometimes continue to follow them or
watch their stories and posts and let our mind experience something
irrespective of the fact that it cannot and does not want to handle that
experience in the first place. Then, a rush of different emotions like anger,
discomfort, agony, and despair start boiling inside us, and that heat comes out
in many forms, in many places, and around many people or beings. Let’s ask
ourselves, what do we get from that? How is not understanding what or how much
our body and mind can take becoming normal for us in our daily lives?
Asking these questions is the first step toward realizing that our body and
mind are trying to tell us something we are overlooking. This endless scrolling
that keeps us from listening to our body and mind might seem relaxing, but it makes
us more tired. Alexander Den Heijer says, “You often feel tired, not because
you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light
in you.” The mind and body both feel tired, not only because they have a lot of
information to process from all that scrolling but also because they are not
receiving anything that can make them feel invigorated, calm, and connected to
something meaningful.
While it’s easier said than done, it is possible to filter our social media
in a way that provides us content that our body and mind will not only be able
to take or handle but also feel rejoiced, at peace, and calm. Things we can do
to ensure social media does not become another battle we must fight or another
medium that pulls us down in life can be as simple as listening to what our
body, mind, soul, and heart want. Sometimes, it might not be so simple, even
though it sounds simple. Our inner world is somehow so numbed and toned down by
the outer noises that it takes a lot of energy, persistence, and patience to
pierce through those noises to reach what resides inside of us, which is
perhaps silently sobbing in a corner and asking us to release it. It’s all
right to take some time to understand what makes us happy and what positively
stimulates our body and mind. Staying or remaining positive always might not be
possible, and that should not be the aim. Instead, we could allow our feelings
and emotions to take shape and space. It is equally important to make sure that
we take steps and count each step, no matter how small, toward understanding
how to create an environment that caters to the betterment of our body and
mind.
So maybe after we’ve spent enough time with ourselves or at least to an
amount where we know what and whom our mind wants to connect to, we can peek at
our social media again and start filtering. How about unfriending that person
who never had any good intentions toward us? What about unfriending that bully
who wouldn’t let us breathe in our school? That relative, that friend, someone
we came across in life, but do not want to associate with ever, how about
letting them go from our social life? Not letting them have any access to our
social life (which is a huge part of some of our lives right now) and allowing
our mind and body to know that these people do not have to know what’s going on
in our lives and we also don’t have to see what’s going on in their life
(enter- a big sigh of relief). How about unfollowing certain pages or people
because their content is no longer to our taste? It’s totally fine to choose
what’s best for us, unapologetically and remorselessly. These might seem like tiny
acts, but these small acts will create a butterfly effect in our lives.
We can disagree on specific topics and still respect others’ opinions. But
when a topic crosses a line or if its point is too sensitive for us, we can
unfollow, unfriend, or remove it and find peace of mind in creating a boundary
that protects our well-being.
We can follow pages, people, ideas, and content that motivate us, help us to
visualize the life that we want for us, foster our mental and physical health,
align with our taste and vision, and soothe our mind by allowing it to
experience things that are not forced upon it randomly. These slow and small
changes can ultimately create a space where we feel connected to the world and
find peace and a sense of belonging in some part of this world.
So we can follow that page that has aesthetic images of books along with
book recommendations and reviews, that cozy coffee shop page, that person who
visits interesting places in a country or city that we really want to see, that
singer or writer who inspires us to become a better artist and a better human,
that professional who has plenty of resources on healing from grief, trauma or
anxiety, pages which have beautiful, tranquil and breathtaking pictures and
videos of cottages, nature, mountains, and animals, that artist who paints the
world with imagination and that gives us relief from the chaos of the world,
that page that posts quotes from books, series or movies! We can connect with
those whose content, philosophy, and vision align with ours or constantly
inspire us to grow and broaden our thoughts about life and people. This is our
social media. This is our life. We can choose what we want to experience on
social media. We can choose something we find value in or that adds value to
our life. Let’s engage with words like disengage, disconnect, sever, or tether
to find our genuine connection in this world. Having these terms in mind can help
build a firm boundary that does not keep us detached from social or real life
but allows us to understand our needs, connect with ourselves, and make both
real and social life meaningful and mindful.