The Context
We all have at least one thing we can't eat. Pizza gives us heartburn, dairy upsets our stomach, carbs make us bloated, processed snacks give us migraines, sugar makes us lethargic, meat makes us feel morally wrong, and so on. Tasty as those foods may be, we ultimately know that the risks outweigh the benefits. And so, we so say no. This isn't just personal preference, it's biological. All animals eat defensively. We learned to avoid ingesting foods that are harmful. Being picky eaters has been evolutionarily advantageous for our species for millions of years. The problem is, humans have forgotten to apply this same level of discernment to other things that we ingest.
The Tool
Conscious Consumption
CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION — Applying a level discernment to the intellectual nourishment you ingest
Consider the news and marketing messages and social media other psychological poisons. When it comes to the human information diet, we have zero portion control. Because it comes at a clip far faster than our constitutions can handle. It's like a buffet. Every hour of every day, we consciously, but unconsciously, inhale supersized portions of misleading, irrelevant, toxic, wasteful junk food, simply because it's there. We're not even hungry. It's just there. And since we already paid our fifteen dollars, we just keep eating. But what we don't realize is, all that stuff goes down rough. Our mindless consumption leads to unhealthy digestion. It gets absorbed into our psyches and negatively affects us emotionally and socially over time. Convincing us that every minor incident is a crisis.
The Rest
Just say no. Abstinence is cheaper than moderation. We're better off without it. Even if we do miss watching the news or scrolling through our feeds for those first few months, once we've weened ourselves off of that addiction, we'll look back and wonder how in the hell we swallowed so much junk for so long. Conscious consumption fuels healthy digestion. Last night, were you watching television or adding value to yourself and others?
The Benefits
Wean yourself off of unhealthy addictions to dramatic information
More mindfully consume media that positive effects us socially and emotional
Reduce unnecessary experiences of anger, stress, cynicism and fear
Decrease overall stress level so you have more time to add value to yourself and others