Health

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Take a Critical Look at the Media You’re Consuming

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In today’s technologically-connected world, some type of media is always at our fingertips. Literally. You only have to pick up your smartphone to be connected to your network of friends and family or to see the latest news headline. While the convenience is nice and there are lots of ways in which such accessibility can be useful, these things can also cause a tremendous amount of stress for us all. Let’s take a critical look at the media you’re consuming and the ways in which it can affect your peace of mind.

Types of Media

Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram give you an up close and personal view of what’s going on in the lives of your friends, family members, and colleagues. It also provides you with up-to-the-minute news stories, giving you access to current events like never before. Plus, there’s TV, radio, and newspapers. These standards may not be as immediate in their use, but they do add to the array of media consumption we experience each day.

Media and Stress

Exposure to all this media on-demand can cause a great deal of stress in a number of ways. When you’re glued to your smart phone, answering every alert while also trying to pay attention to the world around you, your senses are bound to become overloaded. This overload leads you to feeling drained and stressed out. It can all become too much, having to be “on” all the time and ready to answer to emails, social media, and the latest world events. In addition, all of this input can become intrusive. It cuts into your personal life and your work world. Many of us feel obligated to deal with work messages and crises at the drop of the hat, even while trying to enjoy leisure time with our families and friends. Being exposed to the news regularly is another stressor. It can be traumatic to see and hear about terrible events occurring in the world around you. Reliving that trauma several times a day simply compounds it, even when it isn’t something that is directly happening to you. Finally, there’s the stress of comparison. Social media can often lead to FOMO or “fear of missing out,” along with comparison. We can feel like our lives don’t measure up to those of our online friends.

How to Cope

First and foremost, limitation is the key to finding balance. Decide what types of media are most important to you and limit the rest. Then set a schedule for when you’ll access that media. Be vigilant and try not to sneak peeks. Soon, you’ll find your reliance becoming less and your mood beginning to level out. Find substitutions for your media access. Spend time focusing on projects that are important to you or actually talking to people face-to-face. You’ll see how productive and social you can really be. Also, when you do sit down with a form of media, be sure you’re looking at just one thing at a time. Multitasking is actually a contributor to stress. It’s best to sit and scroll through your Facebook feed before moving onto Instagram or flipping on the local TV news.

Hopefully, this overview gives you some insight into how a daily barrage of media can affect you. Now that you’re aware, you can be a smart consumer of the media you choose and begin to feel calmer throughout your life.

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Better Sleep? It Starts With Your Bedroom!

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An often-overlooked aspect of creating more calm in your life is your physical health. When your body feels better, you’re bound to have an improved mental outlook. A key component to better health is getting a good night’s rest. This can be difficult for many of us when our lives are jam-packed and our minds are constantly on overload. Follow these tips for creating a calm and relaxing bedroom, and you’ll be getting better sleep in no time.

Get Your Best Mattress

First and foremost, the best mattress you can afford is recommended, if at all possible. Go to the store so that you can test out each mattress and find the one that feels best for you. It’s a good idea to try to find a store that allows for a trial period to make sure you love it and that you’ll sleep well night after night.

Keep it Cool

Temperature matters when it comes to getting a good night’s rest. You want to sleep in a room that is cool in order to promote sleep. Cooler temperatures alert your body that it’s time to sleep.

Make it Dark

Waking up to see light filtering in through the curtains can truly disturb your rest and make it harder to fall back asleep. That’s why it’s smart to add light-blocking drapes to your bedroom. Keeping things nice and dark will add to your nighttime routine. In addition, avoid adding night lights if at all possible.

Add Soothing Colors

Calming, cool colors are best for the bedroom. A nice pastel will promote rest and relaxation far better than a brighter hue. Save the brights for more energetic spaces like the kitchen or living room. Color matters when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep.

Make it Neat

This one goes without saying. Be sure to clear the physical clutter in your bedroom as much as possible. Seeing piles of laundry to be put away or the paperwork that’s waiting for you in the morning will not put you in the right frame of mind for rest. Get rid of other types of distractions like television, computers, and excessive décor also.

Reconsider Your Alarm Clock

Not only do you want to sleep well through the night, how you wake up can also have an effect on how you feel. A harsh, high-pitched, buzzing alarm clock will jar you awake. This can cause you to feel agitated, rather than rested and rejuvenated. Look for one that wakes you gradually, with music that increases slowly in volume or that adds increments of light to help you to adjust to the waking hours.

Hopefully, these tips will help you to create the bedroom of your dreams. Your surroundings make a difference in your sleep quality. Make your room as pleasant to all of your senses as possible in order to enhance your rest.

 

Recommendation

If you’re suffering from insomnia or you’re not getting the deep, high-quality sleep your body and mind need, here’s a recommendation called Primal Sleep System: