How a short negative news detox could revive your metabolism
1 April 2025 | Digital Detox
We often don’t think of it like this, but – for your brain - having a relationship with a device that delivers bad news at many moments of the day, is a bit like living with someone who is constantly threatening you.
On receiving these images and words, brain systems which regulate our immune system, nervous system, digestion and metabolism, immediately divert resources to manage the stress response. This feels unpleasant.
Perhaps this unpleasantness is the price we need to pay, to stay informed. However, this cycle of stimulation can become addictive, and why hand this responsibility over to companies that don’t have our well-being or our society’s best interests at heart? Maybe some choices can be made about where, how and when we engage purposefully with the complex issues of the cultures we are embedded in.
There is much in the Buddhist psychology literature which points to the importance of actually protecting your mind – so that qualities that are going to be of benefit to ourselves and others can grow.
Read more about this here: https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/why-news-bad-for-you-psychology
For a dive into the effects of social media and how it is structured: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmEDAzqswh8