Our minds have evolved to keep us safe and save us from pain.

This manifested itself in some very helpful ways during the days when being eaten by a hairy monster was a real possibility or being part of a tribe was the difference between life and death. Unfortunately the very same hyper vigilant brain that:

• kept us on alert,

• perceived threat around every corner, and

• stored food, weapons and supplies away to ensure future survival

has morphed these qualities to match our modern existence, making it all to easy to become:

• stressed,

• anxious, and

• greedy.

Worst of all our deep rooted and incessant need to belong has been co-opted by technologies that are purposefully designed to manipulate this part of our brains, with the result being that many of us live lives of quite desperation through the avatar on the screen, hoping that the world will give us the validation we need to feel secure. But of course we’ve been through this before and we know that it provides us with very little in the way of validation and does a much better job at leaving us feeling empty and depressed, but since the need is real and ever present, we go back to it despite already knowing the outcome.

We need to change our relationship with technology if we want to be happy.

It’s easy to criticize ourselves for going down a social media rabbit hole only to emerge 4 hours later, fully dehydrated and smelling like Doritos, not knowing what day it is or even remembering what just happened (don’t lie, it’s happened to all of us). But as we become better in our awareness practice (see The Healthy Day Series #3) we can simply recognize this behaviour for what it is, a limitation of our evolutionary bias against the addictive technology of the day. And that’s okay! We need to be honest with ourselves in order to change our relationship with anything for the better.

Here are a couple things to remember:

Prioritize Human Connection

Set up your day so that the times you would be scrolling through god knows what you’re instead sharing your time with others. Set lunch/dinner dates in advance, go for a stroll with your favourite person or find a community of people to exercise with. Use the feelings we all get to reach for our phones as a cue to reach out to someone else.

Put Your Phone Away

Whether you’re on a date, chillin with your friends or at home by yourself, if your phone is within sight or within reach you’re fighting an uphill battle. Ensure your focus is in the moment by limiting any potential distractions and put your phone/computer in a place you can’t easily access.

Check out this video titled The Happiness Trap to learn more.

Until next time,

-Coach Kev