I talk about challenging ourselves and self-regulating... sometimes I forget that social media is something that feeds us those feel-good hormones, and can keep us constantly trying to engage and get reactions from others, or compare ourselves. I forget sometimes about the research about what this is doing to our brains (especially young, developing brains - and we are their models). I am not immune to these neurochemical rewards.. So it's up to me to to create deep work spaces from time to time, and go through the feelings of withdrawal that come with not getting validation for what I'm doing.
Internally-driven rewards are an important part of perseverance...
I'm re-starting the use of an app called Freedom to block distracting websites for a couple hours at a time. That way, I can still go on for brief periods to give encouragement and check in on people who are providing valuable content... (and family members who post updates I want to know about!). I had used it for a while and it seemed to help with book-writing, so will experiment with different ways of using it.
When I'm active with other things, none of this is an issue! It's when I need to be in front of the computer for book-writing and consulting projects that I have these online distraction challenges. I imagine other people have this issue, so I want to find ways of doing this that I feel are more realistic for people to find ways to create some space away, but also have intentional time and use of technology. It can be such a valuable tool - we just all need to have more intention and awareness of how we use it (and this is especially true for young people).
As much as the algorithms and social media create issues, there is still so much potential for good. I love to cheer on the people who I deeply respect, admire, and appreciate. It feels good to support people who are putting their ideas out there. And for many people, having an online presence is important for multiple reasons. So it's something we all need to learn how to navigate. What I see as a challenge is when people lack purpose or self-control - whether they are constantly seeking the rewards and don't know what to do without them, or have negative reactions when they don't get the reward they were hoping for. This is where I see some of the mental health stuff coming up for young brains.
Will update again about this as I experiment!
