To ping, or not to ping?
Just a minute...I need a smile here!
Ahh, the ever sounding “ping” of a text message, email alert, social media notifications such as Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, etc. etc. You know the drill. No matter what you’re doing, and no matter how important it is, the curiosity of that last “ping” causes us to stop what we’re doing(in some dangerous cases even driving!) to check out who, or what, just pinged us. And why?
Because we’re curious people who can’t stand not being “in the know”. Or is that the REAL reason? Maybe, but…….
Let me pose another reason that’s a little more realistic, if we’re willing to be honest with ourselves. We’re addicted. We’re addicted because we suffer from ‘FOMO’, which means “the fear of missing out”. Yes, it’s true!
But! Is this a healthy addiction? Most state no, and back it up with proof. According to the site www.healthline.com/health/social-media-addiction#takeaway, it says a healthy addiction should never cause any other side effects, especially unpleasant ones. This addiction causes anxiety, fears, self-loathing(because you’re not accomplishing what someone else is. So what!), anger, resentment, and so on. This addiction causes you to change inside, who you are, what you believe in, what you value, etc. Don’t believe me? Think about yourself a few years ago. Now match that to who you are now. What’s different? Be careful, as this is not an exercise to beat yourself up. On the contrary, it’s a chance to re-evaluate ourselves so that we can be better. Better by NOT absorbing so much of the world’s garbage(which is harmful in soooo many ways). And here’s my advice.
UNPLUG. Slow down and rewind a little.
Simplify. Remove the negatives.
And remember to shut the pings off. Either permanently, or at least for a few hours, days, etc. You really will be better for it. You’ll experience more calm, less anxiety, less mental disturbance from constantly being pinged by nonsense. Enjoy being alive, because you matter! Not because someone else says so, but just because YOU DO!