we live in a world where internet and communication connect people all over the world. it is really handy and helps in transfer of information to be faster and more information. everything is at the tip of our fingers. it is really convenient to us. but little do we realise everything comes with a price.
in a world where everyone is connected, it is easy for us to communicate and hence allow us to get more attention. social media platforms have enabled people to spread information, ideas and trends and the mass started to follow. this constant web of communication allows us to be connected all 24/7. more interaction means that we are socially more accepted and thus creating the influencers. this so called celebrities in the net. the status of these celebrites depends on how many followers they have and they feed of praises and interactions from their followers that provide them satisfaction and happiness. whos not happy being in the center of attention. the surge of happiness and rewarding feeling one get from being in the lime light is addicting. and yeah lots of people get addicted to the extent theyre willing to do anything just to get more attentions and more interactions from the mass. everyone is trying to get more attention in their own way be it good or bad. they do unexpected things, pushing their creativity to the limits to appeal to the masses. unfortunately some resort negativity in order to get attentions, just like a toddler throwing tantrum. some went to extreme by harming oneself or people around them just so that their goal is achieved. most of the times though, itss just the addiction of the mass approval that makes one do stupid stuffs without thinking of the consequences when they didnt even realizes their action harm themselves or people around them until its too late.
i realized that constant interaction with people makes us have less "me time". i feel that having me time is crucial in our lives as it is the time that you have a look at yourself, communicate with your soul, and reflect on yourself. it is part of your time where you can build your persona without anyone's interference. me time allows you to recognise your weakness and strengths, and ultimately be at peace with who you are and learn to love yourself.
when we are addicted to attention we lack me time and hence we depends on others to build ourselves. we created a persona based on the people around us. of course, it is convenient to do that but it is not a stable persona. the structure is supported by the mass and we all know humans are fickle. they can love us in one moment and the next thing they can totally hate us. all these interactions become input on how we build ourselves. when theres too much input the product will be just too unstable and in the end break down. this is what happen when we try to cater to too many demands and expectation from people surrounding us and eventually we are going to be too tired and burn out. not to mention that some are just manipulating us for their own benefits while completely disregarding our well being.
this might not make sense to anyone that might read this probably because im not a good writer but yeah what i see is that the fact theres increase in behavioural problems and mental issues with advancement of technology in communication shows that alot of people are defined by the society surrounding them be it in reality or in the net. in fast pace society, a lot of people couldnt cope with all the changes and lose themselves leading to stress and depression. the persona created from external input is only superficial. though we look complete, we are actually hollow inside. theres no solid foundation from ourselves to fully support our mind when we have no time to build our persona
and i think thats why exercise is a good way to help in mental issues like depression. when i say exercise i mean the boring ones that we can do alone like running, swimming, weightlifting. scientifically exercise and weightlifting have something to do with our dopamine release that is related to reward feeling which can help reducing depression. besides that, these exercises allows you to totally focus on yourself as you move your body and pushing it to the limit. it allows you to drown the surrounding and block all input from outside. it just you your soul and your body. no interference from outside world. it might be only a brief moment but that allows you to discover calmness in your mind. dont be afraid of boredom. boredom is just a sign that youre craving for interactions when all you need is to focus on yourself. get the workout to help release the dopamine instead of from interactions. and then theres also the addiction issue of us having constantly releasing dopamine that not having it makes us feel bored. endure it long enough and the boredom will be gone, just like when the withdrawal effect is gone.
the concept of exercising alone/working out is quite similar to meditation albeit different method. while exercise helps you to focus on yourself with heavy task, meditation helps you to focus on yourself through stillness and blocking out interferences from the outside. through stillness you we heightened our senses and feel every part of your body. the pulsating of your heart, the flow of air as we breathe, to the twitching of every single fiber in our body. ultimately both methods allow us to be in a world of solitude within our minds.
