Dear Readers,

Happiness to All!

Most of you can’t even imagine a day going by without staring at your phone, whereas some don’t even own a phone. I’m not really sure about the number of social media users and I honestly don’t care about it much. However, what I care about is well-being and spreading awareness. 

I’ve noticed for awhile now how addicted I am to my phone and specially to social media. I’d jump from instagram, to facebook, to twitter, go through my emails, then repeat. Minutes of mindless scrolling and minding other people’s business. Don’t you relate? If you don’t, I salute you!

For the past 5 months, I noticed how this was having an impact on my life in general. So, I decided to go on a #nosocialmediaday once a week.  The first time I did it, I realised how my mind had created a habit of simply checking my phone, pressing on the social media icons, as if something important is waiting for me. But, I had logged out and after a few attempts my mind got it. I had one of the most relaxing days and got so much done that  I didn’t really want to get back on it the next day, but alas I did.

Have you ever thought of the value of being online and scrolling feed after feed?

Many start to create a sense of belonging, and as much as it can make them feel good, it does have its unhealthy qualities.

Yes, as humans we are changing how we interact and socialise, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it is making us happier, more content or more loved. 

One of the biggest things we are drifting away more from is being in the now moment. We are so occupied to record or take pictures of the place we are in, that we are not really enjoying every second of it.

A few weeks ago, I asked my IG community https://www.instagram.com/iammarialeonard/to share their thoughts on the following questions, and some of the answers were so repetitive that I noticed the pattern we“blindly” have as a human collective consciousness. 

From 1 to 10 how much do you think you are addicted to your phone? (1 being the lowest)

The most common answer was 8, and were justified by watching funny memes, running away from reality or by educating themselves. 

You see having access to so much information, doesn’t necessarily make us brighter or more aware, it confuses us even more and leaves us scattered. 

To achieve wellbeing, we need to have a balance of inner wisdom and outer “valuable” knowledge. 

I invite you to choose only 5 top sources of information accounts/outlets for you and stick to them. Don’t overwhelm yourself. 

Do you think you can go on  a day without instagram?

I was secretly promoting the idea of #nosocialmediaday (ha!), and I was happy to find most saying YES. The funniest answer was, “only if I had a very interesting day and honestly that’s rare”. This brought me back to memories where we didn’t have IG and was wondering if our days were interesting enough!  

The social media spectrum is limitless. You see genius creativity and ignorance all in one place, which can help in understanding the diversity of human nature. But how long and how many hours a day do we really need that? 

Try a full day without any social media and see how many things you would accomplish and most importantly how would you be feeling. You will learn so much about yourself in 24 hours than you would ever have. 

Do you think digital technology affects your health and wellbeing?

I had forgotten about the eye and neck strains when one person mentioned it, whereas others were justifying by saying “if you use it in moderation, it wouldn’t harm”. Of course! How many use it in moderation though? What is moderation? I believe other than the physical side effects it leaves on us, “radiation” to name just one, it also causes a huge mental and emotional distress. I’m happy to see so many new accounts promoting truth than camouflaging what’s behind the cameras. Celebrity Jameela Jamil has an account called I WEIGH https://www.instagram.com/i_weigh/?hl=en on radical inclusivity. There is so much honouring going on human diversity on that page. Check it out! 

At the end of the day, we can sit and have a nice long debate on this for hours but the bottomline is: Have discernment and create healthy boundaries. Don’t just believe what you see, question it, don’t make your phone your life, that’s just a fraction of your existence. Be in the moment and if you believe this is not bringing you true joy, find what truly does and make it happen. You don’t need to follow the “trend”, always remember you are unique and you have the ability to create your own rules. 

Love Maria