5 Tips for Mindful Media Consumption

You may have caught my video on Instagram…

(if not, you can find that here: 5 Tips for Mindful Media Consumption | @elizabethev)

— and perhaps you know I’d much prefer to be behind the camera, but I am hoping these tips will be helpful to you and for that, I’d risk making a fool of myself on video.

In the video, I shared 5 tips for more mindful media consumption… and in true Type A with a Side of Chaos form… I tacked on two bonus tips at the end. Here you’ll find those tips and actionable items, as well as a few helpful links and resources in case you’d like to dive a bit deeper.

5 TIPS FOR MINDFUL MEDIA CONSUMPTION

In addition to woefully neglecting this blog (yikes), I work as a consultant, content creator and social media manager… but prior to this I worked for over a decade in nonprofit management and direct social services. I have the benefit of being able to bring that social, emotional, and community health experience to both parenting and social media work. You can find me here, more consistently on Instagram, and sporadically on Twitter.

Normally I would be working to get you to simply engage more with my posts, clients’ posts, and clients’ emails, but today, I’d love to encourage you to engage more mindfully, and I’ll share a few actionable tips to help with this.  What we’ll talk about today is applicable across all kinds of media — social networks, news media, podcasts, print journalism, etc.

I share all of this with zero judgment and so much compassion and empathy.  And I’d love for you to have the same: less judgment, more compassion – for yourselves.  Please feel to leave questions in the comments section, via email (hello @ ontapfortoday.com), or via DM (@elizabethev).  I’ll be sure to follow up. 

There is so much good tied up in the level of access many of us have to technology, to news, and to other media – for example: being able to stay connected while being safely distanced, being able to work remotely (for those able to do so), and staying well-informed for our safety and the safety of others.  Recognizing this access is a privilege, I think it’s especially important to always be evaluating how we are engaging online and off. 

One of the biggest hazards, I think, of such a high level of connectivity is the impact constant consumption of media has on our overall well being.  And so, I’d like us to focus on mindful consumption, whenever that is available to us. I’ve broken this down into 5 actionable steps for more mindful media consumption. Let’s get into it.

TIP 1: REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO HOW CERTAIN MEDIA MAKES YOU FEEL

Without changing or judging your current media consumption – notice how you feel as you scroll, or watch or listen.  How is your breathing?  Your heart rate? Your gut? Do you feel energized?  Do you feel zapped of energy?  Really tune in to how you feel physically as a first step.

Think about this in terms of both what you’re consuming and in what amount – for example, we’re probably all stressed to some degree while taking in the news, but we also want to stay informed.  What are some small changes you can make to lessen any negative effects you might be feeling?  Can you dedicate 10 minutes in the morning to reading information from one or two reliable, trusted news sources?  Or would you feel better watching 30 minutes of news at night?

TIP 2: LIMIT YOUR SCREEN TIME

I’m sure you saw this one coming. I am not going to say something like, “You should only have x hours of screen time per day,” but rather that you should have limits or boundaries that you uphold for yourself– starting anywhere is good.  Limiting the time you spend watching the news or scrolling through Instagram will allow your nervous system more time to get away from its fight/flight response, which in turn allows your body to rest and process information. 

There’s evidence (see links below!) that regular engagement with digital devices can disrupt everything from sleep to creative output.  We all need sleep right now – our immune systems depend on that – and for sure we are all digging deep for creative solutions to ongoing (patting myself on the back for not saying “unprecedented” here) challenges.

One thing that’s worked for me: Setting clear and firm no-phone times – mealtimes, while I’m reading to our kids + helping them with school work, first thing in the morning and while I’m settling into my bedtime routine—these are all times when I plan to be away from my phone and other devices.  That time alone really adds up.  Block out the time you need (setting alarms or reminders, if needed), and build up little by little, if that helps. 

I also try to counterbalance device time with time outside, time with nature (even if that’s a humble houseplant), a little 4-7-8 breathing, time writing or drawing, building and playing with my children, kitchen dance parties —things that have a calming or energizing effect for me.

TIP 3: TURN OFF YOUR NOTIFICATIONS – AND TAKE CONTROL OF WHEN/WHAT YOU CONSUME

This one has been hugely impactful for me.  Go to your phone settings and turn off those notifications.  Think of notifications as an unwelcome guest who barges into your day, into your peace – no, ma’am, no thank you.  If you do one thing after joining me here today, please let it be this. The news will be waiting for you, you don’t need it to hunt you down.

I still find out about disasters and dangers.  I’m much less in tune with celebrity news (and I’m okay with that).  But my awareness has not suffered since disabling those notifications.  I think it’s one of the best things I’ve done for myself.

And similarly,

TIP 4: LIMIT OPEN ENDED SCROLLING

When you are scrolling through Twitter, for example, you’ll often see posts retweeted or liked, even if you aren’t following the creator or source. Same goes for the For You page on Tik Tok and the Explore page on Instagram– this is akin to spinning a roulette wheel.  You don’t know what you’ll get. Perhaps you’ll be served great, helpful content… perhaps not.

I’d love for us all to approach social media from a place of curiosity, rather than comparison.  Which is to say – if you’re seeing a lot of highly detailed seasonal table scapes, or home gym workouts, or beautiful pantry meals – ideally we would look at those images and appreciate them for what they are, get curious about how they can serve us (if at all — not everything is for us, right?)… and move on. 

But when our nervous systems are already overloaded, it’s really natural to default to comparison, and to lack – and to find ourselves feeling badly that we haven’t carved out a perfect morning routine, we don’t have space or equipment or resources for a home gym, or we feel like we’ve cooked 9000 meals this week and just cannot.

Endless scrolling piles it on.

All of this is why I really recommend sticking to a highly curated media feed during stressful times (but also, like… all the time).

TIP 5: CURATE YOUR FEED

A curated feed that supports your mental health and wellbeing may look like this:

• A few reliable, researched, trusted news sources (please reach out if you’d like more information on this or recommendations for good sources)
• Friends or online community members who uplift, calm, encourage, or motivate you – whatever you might need right now (and that may change day to day) – maybe it’s all the Mariah Carey memes, or 3 hours of Real Housewives – again: no judgment, only compassion.  You may eliminate that first segment (news) altogether, and that’s perfectly ok.

This part is important: Do not feel badly about muting or unfollowing people (even friends, even family).  Your peace of mind takes precedence over someone else’s follower count. Always.  Another option: take advantage of the mute option, which will remove someone from your feed without unfollowing/unfriending.  Again, let me know if I can help by walking you through that process.  Curating your feed is an ongoing task — evaluate and take action regularly.  You might even schedule it into your “to dos” quarterly, if that makes sense for you.

BONUS TIP TIME!

First bonus tip: KEEP A CURIOSITY LIST

Keep a curiosity list– it’s literally  a list of things you’re curious about.  I refer back to this list when I’m feeling the urge to scroll, without stressing myself out further.  The goal here is low stakes media, the scroll without the stress.  This list can (and probably should) incorporate as much offline sleuthing as it does online activity.  Some examples of items that are currently on my curiosity list:

• French chateaus for sale (this is like next level Zillow-ing)
• Bullet journaling (I don’t know that this is something I actually want to do, so much as I like seeing how other people set up systems that work for them — I love systems)
• What to plant and when in our specific gardening zones 
• Seasonal living
• How to set up a successful email newsletter (this is a goal I’ve been procrastinating on for… 11 years)
• Time zones (just in general — this is something I don’t understand at all)
• I also keep a separate list of books that I want to read (and make a note if I’ve preordered or already have them on hold at the library… because um… I can’t be trusted when it comes to accumulating books

One more bonus tip: EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRULY SERVE YOUR COMMUNITIES

If you’re a creator, small business owner, entrepreneur, service provider – this challenging time also presents the opportunity to provide for your online community in new ways.  People are more engaged with social media now than ever and you may have new and different audiences available to you.  This is a chance to provide expert knowledge and services (so many brick and mortars are taking their services online, be it fitness, art, music)—and to elevate and share the work and profiles of experts.

If I can be helpful in any way, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you so much for being part of my community — I hope you know how much I appreciate you! And maybe, just maybe, I’ll mumble less in my next video. 😉

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• 3 reasons to stop looking at your phone before bedtime from the Cleveland Clinic
• How digital distraction is killing creativity and what to do about it by Shama Hyder, Founder and CEO of Zen Media for Inc.com
• Video: 4-7-8 Breathing with Andrew Weil, M.D.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Getting packed for this week’s New England Coastal Creatives conference… first time out in the world in… a long time
• A very necessary Sunday Reset
• Savoring this week’s Great British Baking Show

What is on your curiosity list?