Do you wake up, go through your day and go to bed with an underlying anxious feeling like something important or bad is about to happen, or you are missing some big story? Do you feel a generalized anxiety or feeling of being unsettled, but have no real reason to be feeling any of these things?… Our daily habits have changed drastically in the past 15 years. Our jobs have changed. Our ways of shopping has changed. Our ways of learning and reading have changed.  Our “socializing” has changed. Our daily life now all revolves around being on the internet, attached to our smartphones 24/7, with a 24-hour news cycle giving our brains constant stimulation with zero downtime. There is shopping with no human contact and stores that never close,  work that never has an end point as they contact you on cellphones and watch your social media, friendships replaced with like buttons, physical contact replaced with an endless stream of nudity online. There are relationships damaged by porn addiction where literally anything goes, and now so much exposed that nothing has be worked for to be seen, and nothing in real life is as exciting (imagine trying to excite an partner who has seen a handful of women naked in his life vs. a man who has been watching XXX porn for 10 years, and then sees a naked woman standing in front of him. To this porn xxx man, it is now no big deal).  

We hear beeps that make us jump like trained monkeys as if we are doctors on call needed to save lives.  To top of it off, we now have companies owning our personal and social life through social media as if you are not allowed to a be your own person outside of your job  (the same companies that offer you next to no paid vacation, work you into an early grave, and will let you go with no notice after years of hard work).   

When our lives become dominated by our next internet fix, it is more important to find a way to ease our minds and do ONE Simple thing to be Happier Today– Get Off The Internet.  Stay off social media. Don’t read the news stories.  Don’t watch any You Tube Videos. Don’t check your work email.

For a period of my childhood I grew up with my grandparents. It was before social media, and before the internet dominated every waking moment of our lives. I recall my grandparents made eye contact, had real conversation daily, and truly LISTENED to each other. They each had their own exercise groups and made sure fitness was part of their regular routine. They each had reading clubs.  They each and women’s and men’s clubs they were part of. They loved exploring new places together. They both enjoyed boating together. My grandfather flew a small plane into his 70’s. My grandmother loved cooking. My grandfather loved building things. They both watched a news show watched for 1 hour together and that was it- the news was off, and they focused on their friends, conversation, daily responsibilities and hobbies.  Moral of the story is they were experiencing life through real human contact vs through a screen. Granted times have changed drastically in the past 15 years, but much of it is from our daily choices as a society. We have centered our lives, our habits and our time around our smartphones. With technology and explosion of smartphones/internet use, shouldn’t we be more efficient with our lives and working less, not more….?!

I would much rather be playing or doing something myself, than watching someone else play or do it. I would much rather be with a person or talking to them, then seeing their pictures on a screen and pressing a like button. I would much rather wake up to a partner to love and have sex with, vs. watching other people do crazy sex acts on a screen. I would rather be working on my dreams, than watching someone else realize theirs.  Our society as a whole needs to do some serious shifting, but at the very least, you can take steps in your own life by cutting back on mindless scrolling:

What Can You Do to Feel Happier Now:

Read a book- you will feel more at peace

Dance- you will feel happier

Listen to music- you will feel less stressed

Exercise- you will feel more energized

Color/Art Project- you will feel calmer

Sing- you will feel joyful

Just get off the internet today.