It began with the need to know what was happening with the virus near me and around the world. I got into that terrible iPad habit of checking the news every single bedtime. Bedtime didn’t feel like bedtime til I got my news ‘fix’. Then my little addiction grew as more recently things felt more compulsive with the news coming out of the USA. Since then, I got overly attached to news checking mornings AND evenings. It was just too strange and weird to not know what was going on over there.  But I really felt the election was sucking up much more air space around me than I wanted it to – I really related when a journalist likened the culmination of the US election results to getting rid of a jackhammer going off outside your apartment.

Never before has a local, not-even-American friend said to me, ‘We have a new president’ as if we aussies owned the new president!  But due to the news checking we were both doing, that sense of ownership arose from the terrible, compulsive need to stay current. But I understand a little about how we are wired for that instant gratification hit though social media or news checking. And sadly, I know my dopamine receptors have now become wired to the instant gratification of clicking on news articles.

The social media stream is called a stream because it flows on and on. But the thing is, you just can’t touch every drop of water in the stream. However much you want to know everything, it’s just not possible and nor is it healthy to try to do so. Smart phone addiction doesn’t enhance our northern beaches lifestyle. It feels like the opposite of beach, sun and real connections with friends.  So, it’s actually about the discipline to not try to touch every drop of the news feed or the social media stream. To surrender. As we also wish for our friends and kids, we too can ‘make wise choices.’
We all know about FOMO – fear of missing out. And I have written before about embracing  JOMO – the JOY of missing out. But missing out of stuff isn’t an issue. Let’s all just choose wisely and be smart about what we miss out on.
Rather than getting our dopamine fix through a device, which brings that sense of atrophy, and is not often positive, let’s expand ourselves by forgoing the devises. Let’s live a wellness life which will give us healthy and natural hits. Maybe our 30-day challenge  will tempt you. Or, if you want a beautiful experience, come to our special December 11 sound relaxation yin  – a healing sound bath which will help you move towards positive hormone and neurotransmitter chains.