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Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

calnewport.com

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Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#481

Post by ayaen »

sharadov wrote: post #417
charstacker wrote: post #149

Consider the following scenario: You're pleased and content one minute, thinking your life is going fine the next. You have a few minutes to kill, so you log onto Facebook and begin scrolling... First, you notice a friend's post stating that she has accepted her ideal job. Then you read a coworker's too political rant. You continue browsing and see a video of your neighbour enjoying a fantastic tropical vacation. And…

No, it does not bother me. I am one of those people who feels happy when something good is happening in other people's lives. That other person who got that job put time into it and achieved it. Good for them. Someone lost a shit ton of weight and looks ripped. That's motivation for me to lift too and eat better. It comes down to you, are you using that as fuel to motivate you or are you seething inside and burning w…

I too feel happy when something good happens in someone's life. I am sure a lot of people do. That is not by itself the origin of envy. So where do I look next? Once the spectacle is over - at myself of course! I see my shortcomings and from there begin the possibility for all kinds of problems and at the same time improvements in my life. What course does my mind take though? I can certainly hear the voice of resentment in my head when I see something I think is "good for them!" But I must quieten that voice and turn to what is the better approach - to improve myself. This takes effort. So no it is not as simple as you put it here. I am sure you are aware of this struggle. This is not something new.

What is new is the frequency with which one is presented with things that reproach ones sense of well-being. Are they eating better food? Living better, happier lives? Having more beautiful babies? And why?

So it is only probable that one will slip into a stupor- with so many shortcomings and so many people out there.

Hope that made sense.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#482

Post by cush »

Clubber wrote: post #480
cush wrote: post #478

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It might be worth your time to explore outside the realm of singular, anecdotal, HN comments and dive a bit into the history and research. Good luck to you, friend!

>It might be worth your time to explore outside the realm of singular, anecdotal, HN comments and dive a bit into the history and research. Good luck to you, friend! I don't buy the statement that social media is a threat to democracy. I think it's a political football and used hyperbolically in an attempt to normalize further censorship of people and press. I was hoping for at least one reasonable example of how soc…

> I don't buy the statement..

You've also stated that you aren't up to date on the latest information around the topic. I've recommend you familiarize yourself and even provided resources (Cambridge Analytica, Social Dilemma).

It seems you're incredibly invested in this conversation. Take this time and passion to learn about it.

Have a great day!

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#485

Post by Allower »

colpabar wrote: post #428
sharadov wrote: post #417

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it does not bother me. I am one of those people who feels happy when something good is happening in other people's lives. That other person who got that job put time into it and achieved it. Good for them. Someone lost a shit ton of weight and looks ripped. That's motivation for me to lift too and eat better. It comes down to you, are you using that as fuel to motivate you or are you seething inside and burning w…

> It comes down to you, are you using that as fuel to motivate you or are you seething inside and burning with envy? > I honestly believe that envy is the thief of joy and if you allow it to consume you it will destroy you. It's nice that you are able to do this, but most don't use social media this way. They see successful, beautiful people doing interesting things and they feel sad that they can't do the same. Can'…

No post body was provided.

Re: Taking a break from social media makes you happier and less anxious

#486

Post by raulb_ »

Taking a break from things such as social media makes perfect sense since we all need to be encouraged from time to time to stay more connected to our immediate surroundings (including ourselves). However, I do think that the real work comes to find a sustainable balance between anything that could distract us and our values. Overtime, these distractions will become even more prominent and we'd better get used to manage these constantly. To learn say "no" more often, and to be more aware when too much time on certain tools is enough. It's a process and takes time!
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