Would I prefer to scroll social media now, or have a lifetime free of the hold of the algorithms? A lifetime of owning where my attention and energy are going. This question pops up in my mind as I sit next to my friends who are scrolling social media and fight off the urge to watch over their shoulder.
I'm almost 2 weeks into no social media, and almost at 30 days with no alcohol or weed. I feel good, but still experience cravings regularly.
This is a crucial time to stay updated, following the Inauguration, as many new executive orders are shaping how people navigate the world and the fears they now carry.
A few weeks ago, I would have used this news to justify being on social media even more. I would have scrolled for hours a day, spinning my wheels in hopes that more pieces of fragmented information would equip me to do something about it.
Around the same time that I deactivated Instagram, I decided to remove the news app from my phone. Breaking news is insidious and it’s always breaking. We are living in unprecedented times; I am constantly reminded.
I don’t know the memorable sound clips from the Inauguration like I may have if I was on social media. Instead, I read through the executive orders and tried to understand which ones have weight, and which ones are smoke and mirrors. I joined a webinar on Immigrant Rights in the context of the executive order, and learned about what to do as a bystander if ICE is trying to detain someone unlawfully. I am listening to Spanish language lessons, picking up my goal of becoming fluent.
I feel grounded, more rooted in place, less frazzled. From here, I can help.
So, now that I have dispelled the belief that I must be on social media to be informed, I can get back to making decisions based on what I want, what I value.
Shifting into this place feels like coming down to earth. Getting out of the rational mind into the heart, the spirit.
So, what do I want? What do I value? I know I want this feeling of spaciousness to continue. I want to feel grounded, resourced, and inspired. I want to share my resourced state with those around me. Intuitively, I can feel this imagining of my future state working to subdue my cravings.
In diving into research on addiction treatment, there is evidence to support this method as an effective treatment. It’s called Episodic Future Thinking, and you can do it yourself.
Research on Episodic Future Thinking shows that when people who struggle with addiction vividly imagine salient future moments, they are more effective at curbing cravings to get a bigger payoff in the future (Bulley & Gullo, 2017). The more connected you are with your future self, the more you value the present. Let’s practice.
Self-Guided Episodic Future Thinking
Go outside to do this if you can. Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in through the nose for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, and slowly exhale for 8 seconds.
Now, I want you to think of the perfect day. Maybe an important day for your family, or a day where you achieve a goal you have set for yourself. Ask yourself:
- Who are you with?
- Where are you?
- What are you doing?
- How do you feel?
- What do you see?
- What do you hear?
- What do you taste?
- What do you smell?
My perfect day goes like this. I am floating in an alpine lake, my face in the sun. I swim into the middle of the lake, appreciating the quiet. Below me is thousands of feet of glacial water, holding me, coating my skin. Crisp mountain air cools my lungs. The sound of lapping waves echo, reverberating against the jutting stone walls of the surrounding giants. There is a sacredness to being this present. I feel part of the earth, and the earth part of me.
I want to collect these moments. Memories of feeling in awe, blown away. Not subdued, not distracted. I will remember this when I feel weak. I will remember the joyous payoff that exists on the other side of abstaining from immediate gratification.
References
Bulley A, Gullo MJ. (2017). The influence of episodic foresight on delay discounting and demand for alcohol. Addictive Behaviors, 66, 1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.11.003. Epub 2016 Nov 3. PMID: 27837662.