What do I mean?
Recently I hosted some Facebook Live sessions discussing exactly this concept (also, it is not lost on me that the very thing promoting this message is a social media platform – however my call to you is to view the platform as a tool to connect and stay informed and not a rabbit hole into which you get lost).
This blog together with other resources unpacks the salient points for you to consider especially during this time in our lives.
1. Informed vs. Inundated
Avoid having the news on all day filling up the silence. During these times it is important to stay informed, but there is a point where we become inundated.
Recommendation: set aside specific times of the day when you allow yourself space to check in on the news.
2. Be Conscious of Mindset Imaging
The mind through over-consumption of fear-based information creates stories in the form of images that are then imprinted in our mind. When too much negative information is unconsciously consumed, a collection is created and patterning occurs – in this case, negative patterning.
Recommendation: be mindful of who you follow on social media. The great thing is that we can curate our feeds to ensure that it leans toward positivity. This is a good safeguard that can be put in place for when mindless scrolling occurs.
3. Be Conscious of a Physiology of Negativity
The mind lives in the body. Any negative patterning that does occur in the mind manifests itself in the body.
Recommendation: get up and get moving to shake off the negative effects that social media and excessive news consumption may have on your physiology.
4. Keep the Negativity Bias in Check (Social Media, Media, Reading, Conversations, Company)
Because what we allow into our lives eventually ends up translating into events and life experiences – in essence, any media/information source can – if left unchecked – negatively influence our life experience.
Recommendation: Put in place digital pledges.
Ariana Huffington on her platform THRIVE has also shared social media consumption management apps which we highly recommend viewing:
– Nanny
– Anti-Social
– Controlled Multi-Tab Browsing
– Siesta Text & BRB
– Self Control
– Rescue Time
– Freedom
– Time Out
– Concentrate
– Digital Detox App
– Isolator
– Highby
Managing social media consumption is a key practice in my proprietary 7-StepFormula To Transform Stress, especially as it pertains to keeping our negativity bias in check and resetting the nervous system. More in-depth detail is covered in my customised mentorship packages. To find out which package is right for you, click on the below to schedule a call where we can discuss what’s going on for you and how I can help – https://calendly.com/fayelawand/complimentary-consultation
Importantly, now more than ever it is not about social distancing, but rather about physical distancing. We do need to connect, we are social beings and how we connect and what the content of that connection is will determine our internal state and ultimately how we experience our outside world. In short, it can determine whether we find ourselves in a state of internal conflict or whether we set ourselves up for balance and calm.
We always have a choice!