Is your Digital World Healthy?
So much of our lives are online now and in so many ways it is convenient and easy. And in others it is addictive and harmful.
Does Technology Help you or Hurt you?
Most of us with chronic conditions spend hours upon hours researching hopeful cures, medication and treatment options.
We also struggle with trauma and PTSD from:
- The research,
- The illness itself,
- The medical systems
- And the repeated trips to the ER.
Technology with all its benefits is also an underlying cause of poor mental health.
The algorithm:
The social media algorithm was designed to read your mind and interests by remember what posts you like to read. Even if you stop on a post by accident AI thinks that you want to read more of this.
So it shows you more of “this.”
When you deal with trauma, every time you are exposed to something you are triggered.
I follow instagram accounts of people with IBD, and it’s not always healthy. I am reminded every day that my body thinks of my colon as a foreign subject that needs to be eliminated.
Reading others accounts that are funny, honest and even very relatable isn’t necessary helpful.
Google:
Google will show you more of your searches. Ads will pop up in the articles that you are readings based on your searches.
It’s a subconscious programming meant to get you to buy things.
When its your health, it still might be selling your drugs, products and supplements. It’s also having a major effect on your mental health.
Every time you see a medication you wonder if that is the miracle you’ve been waiting for.
You see a supplement and wonder if that is the one that will do the trick meanwhile you have a box of barely opened supplements.
You see a health coach that promises results and charges an arm and leg for their work with no guarantee.
I know… it’s just all so overwhelming.
What and who can you trust anymore?
You. You can trust you.
Trust your body, your gut instinct.
The more time we spend online, the less in-touch we are with our body.
I am a big believer that the often inconvenient truth is: that technology must be used carefully and in moderation.
Often we already know the answer to our burning question.
Sometimes we have to take that trip to the ER.
Sometimes we have to say no to your best friends wedding because you know your body can’t do it right now.
And sometimes when you feel like you’ve been drug through a swamp backwards you need to say yes to the dinner invite so you can get out of your house and out of your mind.
Be careful with your google searches.
It’s important to be informed and education about your condition. It helps in so many ways. You will need to be your own advocate in so many ways.
Just remember to take a break often and regularly.
A tip for Online Health:
Make an effort to search for things you like and bring you joy. My Instagram is curated to show my reels of animals. Dogs and horses always make me smile.
I know when I start seeing videos of IBD meds, Cancer Patient Stories or Gut Healing supplements that I need to take a break.
Be aware of what is happening in your online world.
What ads do you see pop up on your social feeds?
What YouTube videos are on your home page?
Take note.
When they aren’t making you a happier, healthier and wiser person stop and ask yourself if there’s something you can do to help.
That doesn’t mean only looking at the roses, you can embrace the thorns. They have lessons and wisdom in them too.
It simply means to be intentional about your online life.
How do you feel about your life online?