Connection is the key to life. Our existence on this planet can only be because of our connection to nature, animals and other humans. The more we connect with these things, the more we thrive. However, our connection through the day is largely through technology that takes away the very fabric of what connection actually means.
As a society we are feeling more disempowered. Mental health is on the rise. Suicide rates are higher than ever before. 3.96 billion people around the globe are on social media every day for approximately 2 hours and our teenagers are glued to their smart phones or tablets for 7.5 hours per day!
What is this actually doing to our mental health and well-being? It is creating a culture of panic, fear, anxiety, depression, sadness, discontentment and loneliness. We are masking our true feelings through cute emojis and through an online presence that shows how good we are doing, not how bad we are feeling. It is forcing ourselves into a world screaming of attention, with a shallow mindset, creating internal wounds.
I have been sucked in by social media spending hours of my day scrolling, watching, saying things that were totally irrelevant to my life. It took me away from the things I needed to be focused on, especially since I had just begun my doctoral studies! I was stalked by males and females mainly in the USA, bullied at times, and in the end it questioned the way I was living my life. I barely spoke to my husband as he spent time playing Civilisation on the desktop; I was “speaking” with strangers from all over the world. We forgot how to communicate face to face. As a result, I deleted my page from Facebook and got on with bringing back meaning into life. This was 16 years ago when Facebook first begun. Eight years later, I reluctantly joined Facebook again to keep in touch with my cohort from the Navy and have been on it since.
The ability to engage and find people to connect and empower each other is possible! What I have needed to do is ensure that my core values are in front of me validating the path before me. The way to find connection that brings empowerment and contentment is to engage physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually with others face to face, time in nature and with animals, caring for our planet and doing what is best for our growth.
Mel