I mentioned in the previous post that social media has a lot of influence on how we perceive happiness. I am a huge social media advocate myself, as checking the daily feeds is part of my everyday routine. I can’t help but to be influenced by the content that I find online, as we find ourselves in a position that lacks concrete evidence of how to be happy. We know the gist of it, “socialization, preferably the face-to-face kind, breeds happiness, that alcohol and drugs (although fun and exhilarating) do not, and that simple things make us happy”.
These simple things might include sunlight (go out and soak up that vitamin D), exercise, sleeping, and relaxation, much of which does not include the use of social media, or even the internet for that matter. The stress involved with the brain being used, or overused is overwhelming in modern times, such as today. The only real true way to relieve our body and mind of this kind of stress is to allow for uninterrupted rest for at least 7 – 8 hours a day. But come on, realistically, how often do we allow ourselves to get the proper amount of rest? We’re much too busy being consumed with our stress, work, bad habits, social lives, and drinking too much caffeine and alcohol.
This kind of rest is much too hard to come by, and if you are one of the few that allows themselves the rest, then i commend you on your constant efforts and healthy lifestyle. You will definitely feel better and healthier than I ever will on even my good days of rest. And when we’re not busy with these distractions, we’re constant starting at screens. From smartphones, tablets, televisions, and interactive displays, it’s impossible to avoid getting drawn into the events on a screen.
Despite the convenience and potential that technology has brought to our front door, it has lead us into developing a nasty habit. Now that the smartphones has become the hallmark of design and technology, 2013 is too often defined by #hashtags, #latergrams, #foodporn (constantly uploading each meal onto social media), and #memes. I am undoubtedly someone who has committed towards 2013’s reputation (good or bad, depending on how you look at it). I am wholly dependant on my phone and I can’t imagine life without it, but I figured it’s worth a shot to add to the awareness of this matter. Now comes the real questions: Have we sacrificed our happiness for the internet? Has social media killed the modern relationship? Where do we draw the line and how do we know how much is too much?
The scope of these questions is huge and I’m sure you’ll find enough articles that dissects these topics by just googling them through your phone. The convenience of having anything and everything at the touch of our fingertips has brought browsing to a whole new level. The fact that we now have the ability to search and find information so easily has caused us to forget why we open our browser windows in the first place. The need to do our daily updates on our social media websites have become nothing but habits. These habits aren’t necessary bad, but here’s where I draw my line.
When social media and browsing on the internet comes at the expense of my priorities, then that habit has impaired my productivity. This is more of a on-going goal for me: setting a short-goal per day helps me become more motivated to finish what’s important before allowing my brain to idle on pause, while meaninglessly browsing the internet. I think it’s all about finding your own balance and setting your priorities straight. By forcing myself to finish up what’s important, I then reward myself the time to enjoy the idleness. Being productive in general is something that brings me happiness (and it should also bring your happiness). What better sleep can you get knowing that you finished off everything that you were supposed, rather than stress yourself out about waking up early to finish that last 1000 words on your essay. Just finish it and stop wasting time. You will learn to enjoy your time off, without having that voice at the back of your head haunting you with work still needs to be completed.
Happiness Week