Find Your Chill: Reprogram your Brain with Mindfulness
Find Your Chill: Reprogram your Brain with Mindfulness
People are scared. Social media and constant news just magnify our anxieties. How can we break this cycle?
With mindfulness. Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment, on purpose and with kindness. We can use mindfulness to become aware of the mental habits we have. Worry feeds anxiety, and the resulting anxiety feeds worry. If we can notice the fact that we’re worrying or ruminating and gently return our attention to the present moment, we can break that cycle.
Today, our entire newsletter is focused on digital health! I hope everyone is taking care of themselves right now. Thankfully there are a lot of resources to help!
Dr. Jud Brewer, who studies the neuroscience behind mindfulness, has a great video series on Coronavirus anxiety. Here, he talks about how to avoid anxiety when using social media.
I really recommend you watch this one, but here’s the TLDW:
Before scrolling, take a deep breath and ask “What do I need right now?”
Ask “Do I have the habit of checking social media when in need of connection or updates on current events?” Notice this impulse.
Cuddling and hugging is a great way to boost your mood.
Coronavirus Ended the Screen-Time Debate. Screens Won.
Will coronavirus finally end the screen time debate? I’ve been trying to explain for years that it’s not the amount of screen time that counts, it’s the content. Binge watching Netflix alone for 10 hours is probably not great for you, Zoom happy hour with friends is a good thing.
My Phone Keeps Me Sane During This Crisis … and Insane, Too
We’re in a codependent relationship with our phones. Our devices are bringing us closer, but they’re also bringing us closer to something we should be consuming in small doses right now...the news. Our brains are not wired to be constantly informed of the suffering going on all over the world, especially in an anxiety provoking time such as a pandemic. What should we do?
Turn off notifications for everything not important.
Let your friends now you’re not interested in receiving links to news articles.
Set aside a time to catch up on current events.
Newsletters work great for staying informed with getting caught in an endless feed of news. I personally like The New York Times coronavirus newsletter.
Stop Trying to Be Productive
Have you gotten tagged in a push-up challenge on Instagram? Been bombarded with people’s quarantine projects on your feed? It seems like everyone is trying to be extra productive with their time off. But this is a time of global shared trauma, we don’t need to make it harder on ourselves by forcing productivity out of every minute of the day. Practice self compassion. It’s okay to just exist right now.
-Madi
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