Rekindle the sparkle!

In my last post I talked about how social media is causing our emotions to lose their shine, so, I felt it incumbent upon me to come up with ways to rekindle the sparkle.
I ended the post with a question: can we not consciously try to strike a balance?

So, this is me trying…

Digital platforms are designed to keep us hooked by creating an addictive environment. They thrive on our brain’s dopamine system by constantly feeding us emotional spikes!

But what if I told you that we can break free from this vicious cycle of doomscrolling!

The idea is not to completely banish social media. Our brain is too accustomed to media usage, ceasing it entirely will only leave us begging and craving for our beloved screen time. The idea is to give our brain what it’s really craving:

So here are 8 doable ways, backed by science and personal experience, to limit media usage:

1.)Curate your content: if you must consume, consume smart content!

Informative podcasts or calming videos, anything that adds value to your intellect or emotions.

 

2.) Pause for 5: interrupt your scroll in between just for 5 minutes. You’re not quitting only pausing!

This pause will allow you the time to come back in touch with your emotional nuances.

 

3.) Try listening: podcasts, audiobooks, radio.

Give thy eyes some rest!

 

4.) Make it difficult: create friction by increasing the steps to use social media.

• Remove social platforms from your home screen.
• Log-out and keep a lengthy password.
• Keep your phone in a different room.
• Remove distractions-Turn off notifications, unsubscribe from tempting mails, profiles and pages.

 

5.) Move from your place:

• Move, juggle, dance!
• Moving resets your nervous system and releases happy hormones.

 

6.) Set a phone curfew: Pick a time for your phone to go to bed (earlier than yours ofc). This reduces psychological arousal and regulates melatonin production (our sleep hormone).

Good sleep = less anxiety & stress.

 

7.) Talk: To people or the mirror or a wall. Anything or anyone that lets you vent. Just a simple real talk can regulate your emotions.

 

I do not ask you to delete all media and live under a rock.

But you can and should take control over it, instead of the other way around.

If small changes, like such, can improve your sleep cycle, help you manage stress and anxiety, reduce chances of depression,

all in all bring you back in touch with and help regulate your precious emotions, then my DEAR READERS, you have REKINDLED THE SPARKLE!

 

Reference:

Psych2go (youtube)