#28: The Social Dilemma Documentary Review, Mental Health, and Strategies for Digital Detox

In this podcast, we will review The Social Dilemma documentary, the negative impact of the internet on mental health, and strategies for digital detox to reclaim our health and sanity. We have accepted social media and smartphones without questioning how they are affecting our lives, to the point where people will defend digital devices and their social media habits as if they are our close friends and family. Questioning the impact of social media and smartphones is something we cannot shy away from too much longer. We've all seen the exponential growth in anxiety, stress, depression, non-fatal self-harm, and suicide rates, especially among teens. This is the adult conversation we need to have. Some may say that it is a new form of media that we will get used to and that a behavioral addiction is not as bad as a substance addiction, but many people just don't know how much of their lives is actually controlled by clever algorithms and vanity metrics that prey on two vulnerable behavioral patterns that were essential for our survival as we evolved (more on those two behavioral patterns in the podcast). Personally, I've always had a very distant relationship with social media because I don't own a smartphone. One of the inspirations back in 2015 for writing the manuscript for Fasting the Mind was the psychological damage the digital world in general is having on our health, well-being, and sanity. Fasting the Mind along with my new book Emotional Intuition for Peak Performance pinpoint strategies for digital detox and a way of life geared towards health and sanity that we can live where we are not overwhelmed by the digital world. We will explore these strategies after dissecting how the digital world is controlling the way we think and behave.