Mindfulness in our Technology World
You wake up.
You look at your phone.
You check your social media and email
You turn on the news.
Bad news… Hateful words… Negativity, nastiness, death and destruction
Do you know what you are doing to yourself?
When you wake up in the morning you should be well rested, energized, happy and looking forward to the day. Are you? Or are your shoulders inching up towards your ears, your hands and teeth clenched, your mind drifting towards upsetting rather than joyful thoughts. Do you just want to climb back in bed and throw the covers over your head?
For me it is YES. To all of this.
Working in the social media field, it is my job to be online for a large part of the day. I do get up in the morning and check my social, then I move to my laptop, check email, get back into all my social accounts, scroll…scroll…scroll, get off at the end of the day then pick up my phone and scroll.
Thanks to The Tree of Health Center I have learned tools to help me be mindful about my thoughts. Be mindful about what I allow to weigh me down. TTOHC has taught me how to release negative thoughts that could lead me down the path to anxiety and depression.
It’s about being mindful. It’s about realizing that when I am on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn the things I see and read I do not have to hold onto. I can acknowledge them, realize that every person has a right to their opinion and then either keep that information or sit with the information, for just a moment or two, and be mindful about how it makes me feel. I gauge my thoughts and feelings to see if it brings up any anxiety, resentment, anger, sadness or regret. If it does, I ask myself, “why are you feeling this way?”. If it lingers, I can then work on releasing those feelings.
The tools I use most often are:
Belly breathing - where I can focus on my breath and bring my anxiety level down.
Emotional Freedom Technique also known as EFT or tapping – since learning how to tap I can walk my way through the steps and release the energy behind the feeling or feelings to bring down my stress level.
Guided meditation and yoga – Two other great ways to “get out of your head” and focus on visualization or poses.
Be in tune to your thoughts and feelings. If you find that you are becoming overwhelmed, sad, anxious, find something that makes you happy. Watch a funny video, a funny movie, read a funny book, your favorite poetry. Play with children. Go outside!!!! Breath in the fresh air, soak up the sunshine, hug a tree, talk to the flowers, the moon, the birds. Step away from the social media and the TV.
Your heart, mind, body and soul will thank you.
If you need help, please reach out to The Tree of Health Center. Reiki, meditation, EFT, CranioSacral Therapy or just speaking with these fantastic people does help, A LOT!
Patricia Singer
Owner of Follow Me Social Media Consulting, a social media management company based out of Northern New Jersey. Patti is our social media manager and advisor here at The Tree of Health Center. Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.