Tag: mind

Why social media content is so addictive (at least for me) and what it has to do with raw dogging flights

As I waste time doomscrolling through text based social media or reels, I will often stop and ask myself: why am I doing this? Why am I not reading a book or watching a movie? After many an hour wasted on the couch with my phone, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not that social media content that is a problem: it’s the social media format that is a problem.

Social media is essentially a stream of randomness: a collection of words and sentences and images with limited or no connection. You can surf along and not have to hold anything together in your head. That’s it’s format.

Now if you are reading a book or watching a movie, the format is different. Sentences are connected to paragraphs which are connected to stories or chapters. Characters and scenes and dialogue in a movie are connected to other characters, scenes, dialog. Your brain has to work to keep all those connections in mind when reading or viewing. The format of books or movies demands it.

With  social media content, you don’t have to maintain any of those connections in mind. You read and scroll and read and scroll, or you swipe through reels or Tiktoks, and in the end perhaps you retain one or two things.

Not having to maintain these connections in mind makes it easier for your brain to process social media content. That ease can make it more preferable, especially when you are tired or in a low energy state. Which, if you are like me, is fairly often.

Now it seems like some people are taking it to a new level by raw-dogging flights. (What Does ‘Raw-Dogging’ a Flight Mean? All About the Viral Travel Trend). Perhaps because they are in a low energy state and they don’t have access to social media, they just stare ahead the whole trip. It’s almost meditative. Again, the brain has very little to do here. People on a flight watching the flight path have zero connections to maintain.

So the next time you are beating yourself for wasting time on social media, perhaps acknowledge your brain is tired and this is all you can do. If you can, try meditating or napping or just going outside. Just understand that social media knows you are the way you are and it will suck you in if you are not careful.

Some help to get you on the path to fitness in January

Welcome to another piece on getting fit.

If you are looking to get fit and wonder if you need  to take 10000 steps a day then read that. (Answer: nope). 10000 steps a day is good though. But so are exercise snacks, those bite sized workouts spread throughout your day. If you feel like something more sustained, something more than a snack, why not this nine minute workout?

One of the best things to do is take advantage of exercise you can’t avoid. Case in point: pushing a young one around in a stroller. Make the most of whatever opportunities you have to get fit. Remember: exercise is not just good for the body, but also for the mind. To see what a run does for your brain, read this. To see more on the mental health benefits, read this.

Finally, if you find that even with sustained exercise you still aren’t looking like a superhero, fret not. As this piece shows, some of that extreme fitness is the result of steroid use. You don’t want that.

On the mind and mental health


I sometimes posts links I find on physical health, which is all well and good. Here’s some pieces on mental health care and the the mind that I found worthwhile.

When I would run I was always struck by how I felt physically would literally changed my mind. If I was having a good run, positive thoughts would spring up. If I was struggling, plenty of negative thoughts arose. So I thought this was a good reminder of how our body — in this case, our physical heart — influences what we perceive and fear. Relatedly,  when you feel sick, you can thank your brain. It’s a good reminder to me of the tight interconnection between our physical and mental health.

An important way to take care of your mental health is therapy. Here are a few pieces on the topic. Therapy is important and useful, but it has its limits. For example,  this is a sad reminder of the limits of mental health therapy.  More on the topic of the limits of therapy, here: The philosophical roots of CBT help explain its limitations.

Moving on to a practical note, here’s a good piece on the importance of rituals. And this piece on training your brain for hard things is good. As is this one on how habit stacking will trick your mind into adopting a new habit.

Let’s not forget exercise. A reminder that even a single exercise session can help shift depression. That’s especially important in the winter time if you suffer from something like SAD. Besides exercise, there are other things you can do for it. See this and feel better.

Finally, if  Jonah Hill can take mental health breaks from his work, we all should.

Mental health is a serious matter, as is physical health. That’s why I think this made me sad: advice columnist does not take the mental health of someone’s dad too seriously.

Take care of yourself, mentally.