How to Break the Habit of Mindless Scrolling on Social Media?
4 Mindful Practices Ground You In the Present Moment
Do you ever look at the high weekly daily screen use report on your phone and think what the hell am I doing with my time? I for one, am definitely guilty of having the occasional shock and awe moment whenever I see a number that is higher than I think it should be.
From the never-ending to-do list to the many other responsibilities, and obligations that make it seem as if there is not enough time in the day to get it all done. If this in any way rings true, know that you are not alone.
The good news is we are not victims of the persistent mindless habits that pull us away from our intentions. We each have the power to change anything about our lives that doesn’t serve our highest good, regardless of what anyone else may be doing.
Especially when it comes to using your handheld device. As a collective we have each become so intertwined with our devices that it figuratively mirrors that of a fifth appendage.
Whether you navigate social media, as a part of your occupation, or if it occupies your attention in your downtime, you can free yourself at will. Independent of what everyone else is doing, we each have volition over where we are placing our attention at any given moment in time.
This post will discuss 4 practices to break the mindless habits that take you out of the present moment.
Mindlessness vs Mindfulness
Much has been said about mindfulness, but very little is mentioned on various mindless habits that siphon our time, making it that much harder to get things done and checked off our to-do list.
Mindfulness is a practice of being fully present with what unfolds on a moment-by-moment basis. It’s the nonjudgmental awareness of where you are, and what you’re doing, while not being overly reactive or overwhelmed by all that’s going on around you. It is an inherent practice that calls for you to be present with whatever you’re doing at any point in time.
Whereas, mindlessness is the practice of engaging in activities and actions that require little to no thought. In many ways it revels that of being an automaton, where you essentially repeat a pattern of actions to the point where it no longer requires conscious thought. Literally and figuratively you could do it with your eyes closed.
When it comes to randomly scrolling social media without a specific intention, it essentially requires no thought. In doing so, it predominantly takes full reign of our attention as we relinquish it to the whims of the random posts that come across our feed. In order words, we go on autopilot releasing all conscious volition over where we are placing our attention at any given moment. This is often why we find ourselves getting so caught up in the distractions that are social media.
In the moments when we repeatedly lose interest in our intended task or persistently reach for the phone out of sheer boredom, we create ongoing habitual patterns that become engrained within our neurological system, creating hardwired habits that become that dam near impossible to change overnight.
As a generation X’er (generation preceding millennials), I can remember a time when pagers ruled to roost and cell phones were practically the size of a brick, and texting took an immense amount of time, focus, and concentration, to translate numbers into comprehensible phrases. Only to type short condensed phrases that you could have easily conveyed in a quick call or a brief voicemail.
Now texts are the mainstay of communication, with an increasingly large number exclusively communicating via text vs voice conversations, with a select few of a particular age having both a cell as well as a landline.
The Mindless Nature of Social Media
Although there have been extensive strides in technology over the past 20 years, it has greatly affected our ability to remain connected to the present. Just recently I found myself scrolling through my phone for no particular reason, and like clockwork, the prior week’s screen time report popped up to remind me how distracted I’ve been. Regardless of how much I’d like to believe that I am present, the hard-cold facts of the summary report doesn’t lie.
The hard truth is, no matter how present I may think I am, there remains a persistent urge to fill those random idle moments with mindless distractions. Be it an informative google search, or mindless scrolling through social media, I often find myself going down a rabbit hole of posts that range anywhere from educational posts to random shenanigans that either leave me shaking my head in sheer disbelief or laughing uncontrollably at the entertaining comedic reels.
Anytime we find ourselves mindlessly scrolling through our feed, our attention is easily pulled in numerous directions within a very short period of time. From emotionally disturbing world news events to the extravagant posts that highlight the lavish entrepreneurship life of a founder that essentially went from rags to riches in your chosen field.
Only habitually scrolling through content that mirrors our intentions can affect your vibration, as it can either increase or decrease it. Either way you slice it can easily distract you from devoting your time and efforts to actualizing your intentions
Suddenly what starts out as a quick few minutes quickly sucks up anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour or more of your time. Throughout the course of the days, it can quickly add up anywhere from 4 to 5 hours a week. Needless to say, it can essentially shatter your perspective of how present you actually are. Embarrassed and disappointed are an understatement. It’s one thing to know that you could be doing better, it’s another thing to come face to face with the objective facts.
Scrolling through social media is nice on one hand because it’s a form of mindless entertainment that essentially requires nothing but your attention. However, our awareness is one of our most valuable currencies, as where our attention goes our energy flows. If we have no volution over where we are placing our awareness, we are not optimally expending our energy to its fullest potential.
Anytime we unconsciously lose track of time by getting caught up in the whims of social media, we are not present for each moment as it presents itself. Whenever our attention may stray. redirect it back to the task at hand, as many times as need be. Have Grace with yourself. These habits weren’t formed overnight. Likewise, neither will it be transformed overnight.
4 Mindful Practices Ground You In the Present Moment
1. Increase Your Awareness
What starts out as a brief search through your social media feed, can easily siphon more time than you initially bargained for. What’s interesting is that the mindless habit of endlessly scrolling through your can steal your awareness away from your intended focus, making that much more difficult to course correct.
The only way to make the unconscious, conscious is to increase our awareness of what’s occurring on a moment-to-moment basis. In essence, mindfulness practice supports us to root ourselves within the present moment by bringing our attention back to what we are presently engaged in within the moment.
Thankfully, shining the light of your awareness empowers you to transcend any deep-seated habitual patterns that keep you stuck in the monotony of routine.
2. Pause and Breathe
Mindlessly scrolling through social media can easily take your thoughts into a perpetual downward spiral within a matter of seconds. Once it starts it is often dam near impossible to stop. The absolute best approach to course correct is to refocus your attention on your intention. If you have a never-ending to-do list and find that you spend more time caught up in route habits that frequently hijack your attention, hone your awareness on what is occurring in the now.
Notice where you are placing your attention. In the event that it has been hijacked, take a moment to pause, and take a few deep cleansing breaths. Subconsciously ask yourself whether where you are placing your awareness aligns with your intention. If no, pause, and take a few deep cleansing breaths. If yes, stay the course.
3. Revisit your Intentions
If you notice that your awareness has been pulled down the proverbial rabbit hole of parsing through random social media posts, revisit your intentions. Revisit your why anytime you find yourself engaging in an activity that does not serve your highest good.
4. Redirect your Attention
If your actions do not align with your intended focus reevaluate your activities. Subconsciously ask yourself, is this activity going to add or subject from your intentions? If no, redirect as many times as need be. Developing the habit of mindlessly scrolling through your social media feed several times a day did not happen overnight.
Therefore, it will take consistent persistent effort to cultivate new patterns. Whenever you find yourself caught up in the distraction that is social media evaluate whether it serves your highest good. If not, take your power back and redirect your awareness.
If you are interested in expanding your mindfulness practice in a virtual community of like-minded individuals, you are more than welcome to join our Mindfulness Community Circle for twice-weekly live facilitated mindfulness sessions. We’d love to have you join our rapidly growing global community.
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