DIGITAL DETOX - I DARE YOU!
I haven’t opened the Instagram app in 2 months (well, except for a couple of funny reels people have texted-–not DM’d–-me recently).
While I binged the 4th and 5th seasons of Yellowstone with my mom around the holidays, I’ve stopped streaming shows and movies.
I ONLY watch YouTube when I’m doing research for my business.
I do read the news through sources I trust, but I limit my intake to 20 minutes a day.
RESULT:
More time to connect with nature
More time to connect with the people who mean the most to me
More time to dance, listen to great music, and make art
More time to spend outside staring at all the planets coming into alignment !!
A calmer, more rational mind
More power
I KNOW how tempting it is to watch the drama unfold in real time.
Our new/old POTUS just got inaugurated, and it’s hard not to be like my granny glued to the TV in 1984, salivating over what inconceivable chaos will arise next on Days of Our Lives.
But let’s talk about why, regardless of whether you like or dislike what’s happening “out there” in the world right now, it’s NOT a good idea to allow yourself to be consumed by media, social or otherwise.
WHY We aLL NEED TO WALK AWAY FROM THE SCREENS
First, ALL this stuff is DESIGNED to:
Manipulate the way we perceive the world by playing on fear and outrage [1]
Keep you addicted through dopamine feedback loops that reinforce mindless scrolling [2]
Shift your attention away from your intuition and personal power
The effects of screen time are no joke:
Increased anxiety and depression due to overexposure to curated, often negative content [3]
Eroded focus and creativity, leaving little mental bandwidth for deeper thinking
Long-term impacts on relationships as virtual communication replaces meaningful face-to-face connection
An old friend of mine recently wrote a book that touches on that last point: Relationality: How Moving from Transactional to Transformational Relationships Can Reshape Our Lonely World. I highly recommend it if you’re interested in diving deeper into how this is playing out in our lives.
Now, you might argue that turning off the “REAL” drama is like burying your head in the sand.
But let me ask you this: What’s more important than your sanity?
When the mind is a mess, the body suffers.
While I love AI for many reasons, I also think its rise serves as a cautionary tale about letting technology lead our lives rather than supporting them.
DON'T FEED THE BEAST: How to Create Healthy Media Boundaries
Here’s how I’ve been encouraging my clients to set boundaries that allow you to stay informed without succumbing to fear, resistance, or exhaustion (and yes, I’m practicing this myself):
No doom scrolling. Keep the apps, delete the apps, you do you. But stop scrolling as an escape or out of boredom.
Turn off your phone between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. This disconnect allows you to wake up ready to engage and gives you mental and emotional space to tend to your most important relationships IRL.
Dive deep rather than skimming headlines. Headlines are clickbait, designed to trigger you emotionally. Instead of making up your mind based on these highly manipulated one-liners, pick one topic per week that you want to be really informed on, and consider where you’re getting your information and dedicate time to fully understanding it.
Connect with your people. REAL human connection is what keeps us all sane. Skip the texting and DMs. Pick up the phone and make an actual playdate!
Question EVERYTHING. Reflect on your deepest values and ask yourself if your actions align with them. Watch your own motivation for everything you do. When you get deeply in touch with what matters to you, you’ll gain trust with yourself, and you’ll be able to better discern the motivations of others.
Don’t worry about having all the answers or solutions right this minute. It’s ok to feel a little confused or disoriented, especially if this is the first time in a long time that you’ve given yourself some space from the media firehose.
The Age of Embodiment
Yes, we need to keep up with the world and evolve
But that evolution isn’t about cramming more information into your brain.
The “Information Age” is over. And the only way to keep up with the rapid acceleration of change now is to learn to process energy through your body.
This is where your true intelligence lies.
We’ve been taught to rely on our minds for intelligence and problem-solving, but our bodies are home to a different, equally vital form of intelligence.
Somatic awareness—or the ability to tune into bodily sensations—is a powerful tool for navigating the complexity of life.
Science backs this up: the body and brain are deeply interconnected through the vagus nerve and the enteric nervous system, sometimes referred to as the “second brain.”
The gut, for instance, contains over 100 million neurons and produces up to 90% of the body’s serotonin, significantly impacting mood and decision-making [4].
Moreover, embodied practices like mindfulness, yoga, and somatic experiencing have been shown to regulate the nervous system and enhance emotional intelligence [5].
This means that when we learn to process emotions and stress through the body, we develop a clearer mind and more grounded decision-making.
True intelligence is no longer just about storing and analyzing information in your head.
It’s about integrating mind, body, and emotion—listening to the signals your body sends, trusting your intuition, and using this awareness to guide your actions.
Your gut instincts, your body’s capacity to regulate itself, and your ability to connect deeply with yourself and others all hinge on getting out of your head and back into your body.
For my full guide on HOW to start this for your self, grab your copy of The HUSTLE Trap. I'll walk you through step-by-step!
We have to live our lives, find joy in each day, and know that our contributions to family and community will look different for everyone.
And remember what I said a few weeks ago … sometimes sitting still is the very BEST thing we can do (and it’s not about being passive.)
Make LOVE ❤️ not HUSTLE.