3-2-1 Get Balanced Wednesday
by Dr. Donnie
“Helping you align your daily behaviors with your priorities in life.”
3-2-1: Social Wellness -vs- Social Media Sickness
read on DONNIEHUTCHINSON.COM | June 28, 2023
View online courses at DONNIEHUTCHINSON.COM/ONLINE-COURSES
3 Ideas from me, 2 Quotes from others, and 1 Question to help you reflect on your work-life balance & well-being habits this week.
3 Ideas from Me
I.
Social wellness refers to our need to communicate with others while building and nurturing beneficial relationships. We are social creatures who benefit from in-person verbal and written interaction and human touch.
Social wellness has been around as long as humans have lived. Our societies in the last two decades have suffered from social media sickness for the first time in history.
II.
Social media sickness begins with an overabundance release of dopamine, “a feel-good” chemical. Swiping left, right, liking, loving, sharing, and all the other options are designed to create an addiction to the media platform as strong as drugs and gambling.
And addictive it is. Many users seek positive affirmation and will go to all lengths to get it. Filter this, filter that, and by the time a pic is sent, one might ask, “Who is this person?” If the “likes” come in as hoped, dopamine kicks in. If not, anxiety and depression fill the gap. Regardless, the cycle repeats unless we embrace a social wellness prescription.
III.
The prescribed cure is In-person, socially engaging your family, friends, and co-workers. Spending more time face-to-face, talking, laughing, crying, and sharing stories builds authentic social connections.
I encourage you to create a few prescriptions that could be helpful for yourself, your spouse, children, and friends. Our “go-to” prescriptions are dining out, beach walks, boating, and swimming. When we prioritize our time together, we build and nurture our relationships back onto the path of social wellness.
2 Quotes from Others
I.
“One of the best decisions I made for my mental health and my ability to maintain a long attention span was when I cancelled TikTok before I started college.”
– Hannah Hutchinson, University of Tampa Student
II.
“The goal: Be better in real life than on social media.”
– Anonymous
1 Question for You
Are you and/or your loved ones experiencing any challenges with social media? If so, what prescriptions could you create to help yourself and others spend more time experiencing real life -vs- digital life?
Dr. Donnie’s Answer: Most of my social medial use is for business. Now that I said that, it sounds cold. I do enjoy engaging with family and some friends on social media. However, I attain greater joy from in-person or phone conversations.
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https://donniehutchinson.com/blog/
I would love to hear your answer and if you find this newsletter helpful and encouraging. Email: [email protected]
Until next week, may God bless you, your family and may the Glory be to God.
– Dr. Donnie Hutchinson
The format and style of this newsletter were inspired and highly influenced by James Clear 3-2-1 Newsletter. The content is strictly Dr. Donnie’s.