Whether it has been to stay connected with loved ones, or grow our professional networks, social media has opened Pandora’s box on how society relates and how it affects our own personal choices.
When we interface with social media, we need to be aware of what is real and what is fantasy. This past year, due to the pandemic, the global conscience shaken, people have run to social media, utilizing these platforms for various reasons.
Since 2005, social media has grown in acceptance. For most, it was always a platform where one could share photos and news with friends, celebrating moments and new realities. However over the last ten years, for some, social media has become an escape – an escape from the monotony of the job, an escape from the loneliness and feelings of seclusion (felt during this pandemic), and perhaps it has become an escape from one’s own reality. Authenticity – difficult to verify over social media – has been called into question. Today, people use these platforms to show what they want you to see, whether personally or professionally. It has given some people a voice who at other times, may not have been able to speak their truths. It has given us a platform to seek knowledge, new mates, and venture on new journeys, Today, everything in life is at our fingertips, and if you embrace it properly, manifest and seek authenticity, success will follow.
We are blessed to be part of a generation where knowledge is expanded at the tap of a finger, and where we are connected to those with like-minded ideology.
It’s so easy to jump on Clubhouse, Instagram, or Facebook and find like-minded people at a time when there is so much in-person disconnect. Social media is the one place we can connect without worrying about catching the COVID bug. I can jump onto my social media and find a group of like-minded souls in a matter of seconds. When I first started my Psychic Reading business, before the “digital age”, it would take hours to research or even share the same ideology. Google search was done through phone-books and word of mouth. These technological advances can be challenging for someone in my generation, but I feel blessed to have people around me to help navigate the uncertainties of these new found connection tools. I have gained friends, followers, and clients of all ages and demographics that I would have never encountered had it not been for the age of our ever-present social media platforms.
You can google every thought, fact, meditation, or podcast in virtual seconds. That’s what I call freedom of time, creating greater personal and professional efficiencies, which many find calming.
However, for others, social media lends itself to anxiety, and creates a false sense of security and doubt, questioning what we might see as authentic. Let me explain.
When we set an expectation, a judgement, that we must present ourselves as perfect, we believe we must show only “the perfect shot”. On social media, people, everyday, choose to portray their day-to-day activities, their marriage, their careers, love, family, or play with the ultimate pose and place. That “perfect” persona then is shared with individuals who are scanning their own social media environments. These pressures of perfection – needing to keep up with friends and colleagues, propel a person into a negative spin or tone, thinking they need to be perfect – thinking they may be less than perfect. So social media can set the stage for insecurity, and negativity, as we tend to contrast and compare constantly. Instead of “being” and knowing that we are on our own journey, we begin to question our own focus and direction.
With the positive comes the negative – it’s the yin, AND the yang. There is no “good” without evil.
Life embodies a balance. You have heard the term – yin and yang. Using social media allows us to escape into a world beyond our own control. But remember, when we seek answers, we must follow our own intuition and not look externally for the solution. Your stomach may be in knots, and your head may hurt – a physical reaction to your own internal struggles to find the correct solution. So just remember, it’s important to listen to your body. The adage “Seek and Ye shall Find” is now more accurate than ever. Knowledge is at our fingertips with the push of a button. However deciphering that knowledge is our responsibility – figuring out the “truth” according to us. If it feels right to you, if it resonates with your soul, I would say you are in the right direction, more than not. If you hear a voice within your spirit that doesn’t feel right with your prospects, clients, customers, I say search. Sometimes we stumble across negative information. The key is to take everything with a grain of salt, weigh all options, then make a sound decision. This is true for every aspect of your life, whether it is professional or personal.
The best way to find balance, step away from your device, change the routine.
Limit and give yourself a break during the day while at work. If you shut down and step away, you create a healthy space between you, your mind, and your energy. Self-awareness goes hand and hand with the yin and the yang, the positive and the negative – energies that surge from the world of social media. It can aid in your successe and also be your demise. So be present in your conversations with others. Don’t just have your head in your phone all day. Insight: Make a daily list, in the morning, of four things you wish to focus on for that day.
How can we as a collective utilize this technology and be conscious of its effects on human behavior?
I think it’s wonderful that young people have access to these social media tools. But everything should be in moderation. Babies, children, young adults, and older adults are all being sucked into this social vortex. Today, children are learning to grow intellectually at a rapid pace. They spell and count far sooner than kindergarten. Children are integrating social media into their everyday lives so quickly, its terrifying. However they are gauging their self worth by likes, comments, and follows. Their psyche is being tainted, all because of social media. As adults, we are experiencing similar issues. Time away is needed to create healthy boundaries in one’s life and is essential for everyone’s well-being. Know this, your soul knows what’s best for you. Follow that lead.
Self-awareness
This isn’t something that comes prestocked in the human psyche – it’s a learned behavior. Being conscious of our own motives, desires and character – our own self awareness – will help us when we have those “I wish my life were more like (insert name here)” moments.
To live in the moment and being present in the now is what’s most important. Sure, it’s human nature to want to be perfect or to emulate someone else’s life, but God gave you your spirit, your journey, your path to walk. That is what you must do. Sometimes it’s painful, sometimes it’s not. To be self-aware is a wonderful feeling because you can gauge what makes you tick daily. And this is where meditation and prayer work.
Meditation
Sit with yourself and really give yourself time. Once again, listen to your soul and what resonates within you. “I wish” must be brought to a manifestation. Never say I wish. Say ” I am,” say, “and, so it is, and so it will be” Be direct with your thoughts, dreams, and ideas. Simple changes in one script can create and manifest dreams into reality.
Wake up every morning with gratitude.
Finally, before your feet hit the floor, remind yourself how valuable you are as a human being. Remind yourself of your achievements and goals. The more we practice positive affirmations, the higher our vibration, and the less susceptible we are to the “fear of missing out”.
And remember, no matter how or why you use social media, it would be best to put your true self forward. Be authentic, be real, for that is what we all need and want in our lives, today, more than ever.
And be thankful. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Learn a lesson every day. Say hello to a stranger that may pass by. Thank the person who is helping you on the phone. Practice gratitude, and soon you will feel that your day now has purpose and that you matter.
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