Why Live 2.5

2.5 Self Regulation of Social Media

I went to high school before there was such a thing as YouTube or Facebook.

Most of my friends didn’t even have computers let alone years of selfie on Instagram. 

So this whole culture of self documentation for social gain doesn’t really make sense to me.

I have coached many people who seem obsessed with knowing who posted what about whom. Other than like 8 people, I really have no curiosity about the events of other people’s lives.

So I was shocked to find out that I was addicted to social media too. It was brought to my attention when I was advised to keep all blue light emitting devices away from you for the first hour of your day and the last 2 hours of your day so that your brain can wake normally and shut down for sleep naturally.

I was full of self confidence- until I realized that meant no scrolling Facebook for my motivational memes, no YouTube for my morning podcasts, no Pandora for my background noise, and no typing on my next book!

I was less than happy.

When that hour timer (a kitchen timer mind you not my phone) went off… I about leapt to my phone to have my daily dose of motivation, education, and expression.

We are social animals and we evolved to crave interaction with others. Social media let’s us have all the pretty happy side of Socializing without any of the fears of rejection. So it’s only logical that many people have found comfort in it.

And I think we all enjoy being comfortable most of the time.

So don’t stop. Just become aware and start to structure your habits around social media.

As I have already stated, I have learned that an hour in the morning and a 2 hour period of night with a strict no phone/computer time was a great starting point for me.

Now, note that I said Regulation and restriction. Don’t starve yourself of your social needs.

Just become aware of how often you seek a certain feeling from social media.

Then play with other options that might give you the same feeling. 

If you’re a little lost and don’t know what feelings you get then I suggest you buy a little notebook and start writing them down as they come to you.

This is all about becoming aware of the self.

It’s easier to “just be and see where it goes" and our brains do try to conserve energy wherever possible. So understand that you will have a tendency to want to avoid.

If self exploration and maturing were pleasurable then everyone would do it.

Social media can be healthy or unhealthy. Plenty of content is available for learning new skills, for becoming aware of how your body and Psyche work. But there is also a lot of toxic content. 

Become aware of what you are observing and why. Videos and photos are artificial and that means that our brains and our bodies are not naturally equipped to deal with them. In any amount.

Regulating how much blue light you expose yourself, consciously choosing healthy content to consume, and being happy without social media prompts are powerful first steps.

I know, I do, that seeking happiness is an addiction we all have. I get it. Many times when we do something to self discipline,  we tell ourselves that it’s a punishment.

But is it really punishment to commit to being independent emotionally? 

To declare that power over your emotional responses will be taken away from the content creators and given solely to you.

Because that is the theme I have seen in every unhealed person- they are not in control, the emotions are controlling them.

I want you to heal. I want you to gracefully self regulate and express yourself consciously. 

Peer pressure, shiny objects, and “SQUIRREL” effect are very real.

It’s time you took control.