Disconnecting to connect: how to find psychological balance in a constantly updating world?

In our constantly accelerating world, information is updated every moment. It is therefore difficult for us to be oblivious to it and to find moments where we are not compelled to seek it. For our well-being, it is imperative that we find solutions.

Every day, at every hour, at every moment, we communicate. In various forms, in different ways, with sounds or without them, and only with gestures. Sometimes without realizing it, because everything is communication. Likewise, on the other side of the communicator, we receive information at every moment, and there are increasingly more ways to receive it, most of them, I would say, involuntarily and unwantedly. Even if we don't want it declaredly, almost like that sticker we used to put on the mailbox indicating that we didn't want to receive unaddressed advertising, but which almost all brands tended to ignore, leading us to have to see – and automatically read - the leaflet that was left for us, despite indicating otherwise. This means that we are exposed, whether we like it or not, to free information.

There is a growing tendency for more communication channels to exist, such as television with news programs and newscasts, newspapers and magazines with their articles, blogs and websites with opinion articles, radio and its segments, and of course, social media, always growing and increasingly diversified. In addition to this, there are advertisements during breaks, or ads on the side of something playing, advertising spaces that interrupt the music we are listening to, or even the algorithms of the websites and applications we use, where everything is directed at us and we cannot escape from a thought we had, which we searched for out of curiosity, and which shaped, for the next few days, the information we will receive.

Adding to this growing trend of firing information from all sides, in recent years we have been plagued by a pandemic. Before this one had ended, the war in Ukraine began, and while this one is still ongoing, another conflict between Israel and Gaza emerged. We know the numbers, we see the images, we hear reports, and we know dozens of opinions about everything. It's all so intense and immediate for everyone that not knowing something can seem like ignorance and that we don't care, which leads us to search even more and always be consciously seeking. This will lead to anxious functioning and stress, as well as the feeling of unpleasant emotions such as sadness, anger, fear, or even anguish.

For our mental and psychological well-being, it is good to feel that we are updated about the world around us and that we have information about it, but it is essential to feel that we have moments of tranquility, just for ourselves or with our loved ones, where we do not seek novelty or information and we feel good just being. There are some strategies that we can use to help reduce this need for constant updating:

• Set time limits: Define daily limits for the time spent on news and social media. You can use alarms to help maintain these limits or choose specific times for this consumption of information and news throughout the day. Choose specific times to inform and update yourself.
• Diversify sources of information: When seeking information, do so from different sources over time to vary the use of various media, balancing your view of the information, without becoming dependent on a single source.
• Prioritize well-being: Create and reserve time for leisure activities that promote well-being, indoors or outdoors, alone or with others, where you find new sensations and the experience of pleasant emotions and feelings. Prioritize time with friends and family to strengthen interpersonal relationships and your support network.
• Create technology-free spaces: Establish areas in the house where electronic devices cannot be present, promoting relationships and communication between people. Occasionally disconnect from social media and your phone/smartphone, allowing yourself to appreciate the present moment.
• Reflect on the consumed content: Evaluate how you feel about the news and information you have received, seeking to establish your well-being after them.
• Practice JOMO (Joy of Missing Out): Unlike the increasingly famous FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), often promoting this incessant search for information, I propose that you work on accepting that it is impossible to keep up with all the news and updates. Seek to be connected to the present moment and learn to appreciate it, instead of cultivating in yourself the concern about what you are supposedly missing.

Article published on Sapo 24

Tiago A. G. Fonseca

Partner
Clinical Psychologist for Adults