DEALING WITH DIGITAL NOISE

 

THOUGHTS ABOUT STUFF

3 NOV 17

So I did something crazy today. I uninstalled the Facebook app on my phone. Yes. I did. And you know what? I feel better for it already. I’ve been feeling on the verge of mental burnout for a little while now and all the noise coming from all the different places I am plugged in to have been starting to make me feel, well a little bit crazy. And a lot exhausted.  Feeling like my brain just can’t take any more information in. And by information I mean pics of a work colleague from way back’s sister’s hens party (loved their flower crowns but seriously though) and a friend of a friend’s daughter’s first birthday party or that article about the best places to eat ramen in the city or that video of that cat that fell out of a tree which was funny for about 2 seconds or that meme about not being a morning person (I identify with this a lot being a complete monster in the mornings). I could go on but you get the idea. I guess my brain was kind of telling me that there was too much noise. So I decided to take some steps towards unplugging myself from all these messages, notifications, funny cats, memes, pins, pokes, DM’s, comments, likes, un-likes and shares.

Don’t get me wrong – I love social media when it’s used to inspire, connect, support & collaborate. I’m fluent in emoji and I love looking at videos of screaming goats. I can like, comment, share & tag with the best of them.  It’s an invaluable tool when it’s used right and with integrity. But it creates a lot of noise, most of which is completely unnecessary in our already overcrowded brains. And as much as I love being a voyeur to other people’s lives I also need to look after my own sanity and give my brain a break from the constant stream of stuff being thrown at it.

So I decided to do some small things to help me reduce some of the noise. I turned off email notifications on my phone. I turned off notifications on Instagram and Pinterest.  And I uninstalled Facebook on my phone. And do you know what I’ve missed? Not a hell of a lot to be honest. Sure maybe a couple of funny cat videos. Or a friend of a friend’s comment about a thing that has nothing to do with me. Or that click bait article that sucked everyone in.  And you know what? I am actually OK – yes my finger wants to press that Facebook button on my phone and it’s not there (which totally shows me how I have created an addictive habit) but I managed to get through the day without too much social media anxiety or FOMO.   With a lot less useless information thrown at my brain, which is awesome.

I stopped watching the news about a year ago and I don’t listen to commercial radio. I get the news delivered into my inbox every morning and I will only read what I choose to read. And you know what? I’m no less informed than anyone else but I choose what I allow into my brain. I decide what gets through to the precious grey matter. And I have to say I am a lot happier for it. Sure I don’t know what Donald Trump did today (seriously?) or what the score was in the cricket but hey, my brain is thanking me.

So if you’re feeling a bit brain tired and you need to unplug  you may want to implement some of these things – start small and do what works for you.

I would love to hear your thoughts on digital noise & how you unplug - drop me a line in the comments so we can chat some more.

MX


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