Installment #28 in Monolisticle's Ongoing Campaign Against the "Internet of Endless Listicles."
For most people, the typical day goes something like this:
We wake up to negative news on our TV or mobile phone. Have conversations about the negative news with our spouse or partner. During work we hop on an endless string of video calls and deal with the stress of work and multi-tasking. We then "take a break" by checking our social media and scroll through negative comment after negative comment.
After work we watch a TV show filled with stressful dramatic conflict and violence. Scroll through the news before bed and read about everything from devastating forest fires to record Covid deaths.
AND THEN—with all of that toxicity swirling around in our brains—we try to get a restful night’s sleep.
Good luck with that. It’s like eating a diet of pork rinds, candy bars and soda, then trying to run a marathon. It’s not happening.
Negative thoughts are the sugars, trans fats, and corn syrup of your mental diet
If you think of mental input as you would food, then the positive messages coming in are fruits and vegetables, and the negative things coming in are trans fats and sugar.
We need to control and moderate our consumption of negative news and toxic people and unhealthy influences the same way we moderate our consumption of unhealthy foods.
By doing this we will see the same positive results in our attitudes and mental health and happiness as someone who makes healthier food choices will see in their physical self.
The truth is, if negative thoughts were food, many of us would be severely obese. We may not show it physically, but it manifests in how we interact with the world, and ultimately feel about ourselves: On edge. Quick to lash out. Depressed. The result is that millions of Americans are mentally obese.
So where did all this mental obesity come from?
It’s not that the world is any worse or more negative or toxic than it was 100 years ago. In fact, with amazing advancements in science, medicine, and technology, it’s probably better than it’s ever been.
But what actually has changed is that in the entire history of the world, humans have never been more exposed to every negative thing happening everywhere—all the time. Because of our constant access to social media and news we are incessantly exposed to illness, death, violence, toxic opinions, and conflict—not just locally, but globally as well.
It’s a lot. For anyone. No matter how positive or optimistic you may be.
Toxicity sells, unfortunately
News and social platforms thrive on delivering the most contentious, dramatic content possible. Because that’s what people crave. Just like sugars and trans fats are addictive, so is human drama and conflict. As humans, we crave stories, and dramatic situations, which typically contain conflict, angst, and violence.
I’m not saying get rid of social media. I’m not saying bury your head in the sand like an ostrich and lose touch with the world. What I’m saying is, each of us has to figure out a way to filter what we’re exposed to so we’re not constantly consuming the negative and the toxic like a daily half gallon of rocky road.
Nor am I saying that we can’t expose ourselves to the occasional negative or contentious environment. The same way that an occasional cheeseburger or slice of pizza or donut isn’t going to ruin our physical health, watching the nightly news isn’t, by itself, going to ruin our mental health. Moderation is the key.
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The reality is, the news is no longer only appearing on news channels anymore. It’s literally everywhere. On social media. On the subway. In taxis. At the airport. Anywhere there is a screen. Which is a lot of places.
It’s nearly impossible to scroll through social media without being barraged with news (or friends’ comments about the news).
Things you can do to keep yourself in healthier mental shape:
To put it simply, we need to be our own brain’s gate keeper. The same way we control the food that goes into our bodies, we need to control the thoughts and ideas that enter our minds.
Limit news consumption to once per day. And try to keep it to that. Especially avoid “bookending” your day with news, which is mostly filled with negative.
Instead, start the day and end the day with positive, uplifting input. Especially the end of the day. Studies show that the thoughts we have right before falling asleep tend to linger in our minds, influence our quality of sleep, and greatly affect our mental state when we wake in the morning. Is the last thing you read before going to bed the latest stats on the number of Covid deaths, or is it an uplifting article about someone who donated money to send 20 impoverished kids to college? Big difference!
Before bed, focus on grateful thoughts, or meditation, or prayer, or inspirational quotes or stories (whatever puts you in a healthy, empowered mindset).
Resist the urge to lie in bed scrolling through your social feed where you could—and most likely will—come across something negative. You wouldn’t eat a dozen donuts right before bed, would you? Same thing.
While venting about negative issues with friends can feel therapeutic, continuously dwelling on them is not. Talk to your friends about cutting back on certain “toxic topics” you all tend to discuss when you get together socially (for example, politics and Covid). Or at least agree to spend the first five or ten minutes discussing those things, then switch topics.
The good news is, all of this is doable. You don’t have to go cold turkey. Try to control, or at least minimize, what you can (remember: moderation is key). Develop healthy mental input habits. And place yourself around people who are generally positive.
You’ll still be able to keep in touch with what’s happening with the world, and with your friends and your family, while also keeping yourself mentally healthy.
Need someone to talk to?
There are many mental health hotlines available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Some even offer a texting option, if you prefer. Search “mental health hotlines” on Google for options.
The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as expert health or medical advice. Consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition, including mental health issues.
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