The danger of social media is that, essentially, it is all about YOU. It can easily fuel the ego. When, in fact, the way to a simpler life is all about dropping the ego. We have all really gotta watch out for the ego trap!
Social media platforms can sculpt our brains into always thinking and posting about ourselves. Which is frankly kinda boring. I often experience this myself, the urge to endlessly post things on social media about myself, and it can totally suck my energy if I’m not careful.
The trick is to be able to catch yourself and to look at ‘where’ you’re posting from. Is it from your ego (head), in order to gain something, be it love, attention, approval, ‘likes’ or suchlike, or from your heart – as an unconditional share with no intention to gain anything, simply as an act of love for the people in your community.
I enjoy posting things from a selfless place because it’s not about me. It’s about inspiring other people – what I call a ‘bigger picture’ post. The smaller picture is, well, all about you. And the urge to convey an image of yourself to the world that isn’t your whole authentic self is huge. When we are in this space of inauthenticity, of putting our ‘best face’ on, this is actually when we are in our ego.
When we post, can we try to do so consciously, from a place of authenticity. Here’s what to do:
1. Notice and catch your urge to post.
2. Observe the urge – be curious.
3. Where is it coming from? Is it a ‘bigger picture’ post that will genuinely help people who read it? Or is it a ‘me, me, me’ post? Yawn. Boring.
4. Curb the urge to post any kind of ‘me, me, me’ ego post – and post from the HEART instead… Post something that is of benefit to OTHERS.
Conscious posting, baby! Let’s do it…
Just imagine ALL of us, day by day, minute by minute, making our decisions from an evolved place of community and asking ourselves ‘How can I help the world?’, instead of focusing on just ‘How does this affect me?’ Imagine what the world would be like if each one of us questioned our actions in this way.
It’s an exciting time to be alive. We are on the cusp of huge change. Let’s be aware of that. Let’s be vigilant and question everything that’s being presented to us. Let us question social media. Why is it here? Is it serving us? Is it serving me? And how can I use it consciously for the greater good?
9 TIPS FOR CONSCIOUS INTERNET USE
1. Don’t go online first thing in the morning – it’s not good for you or your brain. It’s like putting your mind straight into stress and scatter mode. Ground yourself, meditate, shower and eat first, then go online.
2. Do at least one or two things each day that have nothing whatsoever to do with the internet or technology.
3. Focus on making your life more REAL than virtual. If you feel the virtual taking over then recognize this and do something about it. Visit a friend, go for a walk, paint a picture.
4. Allow yourself some ‘breathing space’. Our brains need to breathe, and our minds need to rest. If we are constantly ‘on’ we just don’t function well, do we? Make time in your day to be AWAY from your screen. If you are online for much of the day, take a break from your screen for at least a few minutes every hour. Give your mind and brain the space it needs.
5. Start making healthy boundaries with technology in your life and in your home. Give yourself a time limit. Give your family time limits. Make it fun.
6. Experiment with turning your phone off for a day. How do you feel? Try it for a whole weekend and experiment with giving yourself space from distractions and addictions.
7. Turn your Wi-Fi off at night. You WILL sleep better. Trust me.
8. Learn how to become the master of your own brain state. Observe how you feel during and after you’ve been online. Observe how you feel when you are out in nature. Which state do you prefer?
9. Try not to use the internet as a distraction from uncomfortable feelings within yourself. If you feel the need to escape, then seek out some healing.
A year with no phone
I used to be addicted to my phone and being online. Utterly. I would wake up every morning and my first instinct would be to check my phone to see how many messages I had. I wouldn’t think to myself, ‘What shall I have for breakfast?’ or ‘What will I do with my day?’ No, I’d check my phone and get straight online. I would then spend most of my day online. Sound familiar?
Anyway, one morning I woke up with the usual urge to go straight online and I had a sudden realization: ‘WHAT AM I DOING?! Why is my first urge of the day to check my phone? I need to STOP this pattern!’ Somewhat synchronistically, the next day when I was out for a walk, I lost my phone. I was living in a remote spot, devoid of phone shops, so I spent the next five days phoneless. Within just a couple of days, I started to notice I was feeling quite different. I was less stressed, feeling healthier, happier, clearer, more present and more, well, here.
Over that phoneless week, I began to see the connection between my phone and my poor mental health and high stress levels. I saw how much it was affecting me, so I made a pact with myself to do something about it. I decided not to buy another phone. I was gonna go PHONELESS!
It took a certain amount of balls initially, but I let go of my smartphone addiction there and then. For a while people made noises and got irritated that they couldn’t get hold of me when they wanted but, surprisingly, after not very long, my friends, workmates and family just kinda accepted it, ‘Oh, ok, Bob is not really a phone person any more.’ I made email (on my laptop) my method of communication. People could contact me, but not 24/7.
I made a boundary with technology and it felt amazing.
I curbed my addiction, albeit in quite a radical way, but it worked. I spent one whole year without a phone. Now, I’m not addicted. I have a phone again but I use it in a completely different way. My first thought in the morning is no longer ‘Check my messages’. It is ‘Have a shower, eat some nice food, meditate’ and then go out into my day. I feel saner for it. My year-long digital detox did the trick! I kicked the habit. I now use a laptop and ‘unsmart’ phone to manage areas of my life, but they don’t run my life.
Change your digital reality to a dig-it-all reality
Our devices can be such a distraction from life – from the beauty all around us – so, please, don’t be distracted!
Our planet is in a bit of a mess at the mo (did you notice?) and you, my warrior friend, have an important part to play in sorting it out. We all came here with a mission. If we all find our purpose for being here and play our respective parts, then things are going to be ok.
For the younger generations it’s the norm to be surrounded by gizmos, gadgets and increasing numbers of digital distractions. One of the dangers of this, incredible as this technology can be, is that it can make us apathetic. It’s become easier (or more normal) to sit in your house, online, than it is to go out and actually do something and be among your community.
We can become hypnotized by the internet, drawn into the online world and stop taking the kind of positive action that is desperately needed in the real world. Too much time online can make us kinda robotic, and lose touch with the magic of being conscious. Empathy is what makes us human. We need to be super-careful to keep a firm hold of this most important of human qualities. The question is; do we wanna live in a ‘digital’ reality – or a ‘dig-it-all’ reality?