Hello and thank you for joining me today as we reflect on our relationship with social media.
So we're going to begin by sitting upright,
Either cross-legged or in a seat,
And I'd like you to really consider your posture.
For the next two minutes I'd like you to sit with a straight spine,
Sitting tall,
Sitting with dignity.
Maybe even raise your chin a little and adopt an aspect of confidence.
And as you do this I'd like you to take a deep breath in through the nose and very gently out through the mouth.
We're going to repeat that two more times.
In through the nose and out through the mouth.
And one more time in through the nose and out through the mouth.
And as you release that final breath,
Allow a gentle smile to sit upon your face.
Keep that smile very gently,
Not forcing it,
As you allow your breathing to return to its natural rhythms,
Maintaining your upright dignified posture.
And then in a moment I'm going to invite you to take a couple more deep breaths,
But this time I'd like you to focus on your exhalation.
As you release the air from your body,
Notice the softening of your muscles.
Notice how relaxed you become.
So once again,
Take a deep breath in through your nose and as you release it,
Notice the relaxation,
Perhaps the muscles in your face,
Your shoulders,
Your back,
But maintaining that upright posture and maintaining the merest hint of a smile on your face.
As you once again breathe in deeply and release that breath,
Focusing on the feelings of softening and the feelings of relaxation in your body.
And then let go of the deeper breathing.
Let go of your focus on an upright spine.
Relax your body as we turn our attention to social media.
And take a moment to think about one or more of the apps that you use to access social media.
Imagine yourself holding your device,
Accessing that platform,
Looking at a screen,
Focusing on the memes and the lives of other people,
Perhaps comparing them to your own life,
Perhaps judging yourself against the standards that you see reflected on social media.
Consider what you post on social media if you do.
Most of us choose to present our best selves,
A shiny,
Sparkly version of our lives designed to impress.
Notice how the social media you consume is full of smiling images,
Happy people,
Gorgeous locations,
Effusive positivity,
Maybe people saying things to each other online that they would never bother to take the time to say face-to-face.
And as you imagine scrolling through the social media that you're looking at,
Considering that you only intended to look at one or two posts,
Just check for a couple of seconds and now you're 30 minutes in.
You've been following stories and memes and videos and reels and you've spent over half an hour of your life scrolling through the lives of other people.
In fact,
You've largely forgotten about yours.
And now take a moment to be aware of your posture.
How are you sitting now?
With dignity?
Upright?
Or a little more stooped?
A little more slumped?
A little less sure of yourself than you were earlier?
So take the time now to adjust your posture.
Sit upright again,
Hold your head up high,
Take in deep breaths,
Be aware of the relaxation as you exhale.
Put that smile back on your face as you notice the feeling of the air around you.
Become aware of sounds in your environment.
Focus once again on your breathing and just observe the breath entering and leaving your body.
Each breath bringing you energy,
Each exhalation making you more relaxed.
As you maintain your posture,
You maintain the hint of a smile on your face and you feel confident and you feel calm.
And as those feelings settle over you,
Bring to mind a time in the recent past where you've been happy,
Smiling,
Perhaps even laughing.
Try to really get into that memory and to make it real.
Notice how remembering that time makes you feel good now,
In the present,
In the here and now.
Notice how your body feels when you're happy.
The chances are that the time you remembered was not a time that you were using social media.
The chances are the time you remembered was a real event with real people face to face.
And the feeling in your body as you remember this real event is a real feeling,
Quite unlike the pretense and the theatre of social media.
Recognise that the time you spend with social media doesn't give you that feeling,
Doesn't give you that genuine joy and contentment.
In fact,
If anything,
It robs you,
Actually stealing moments of your life that you could be spending in a more productive and more happy way.
Take a moment now to visualise yourself again,
About to pick up your device,
About to just check in on your social media,
But now stop yourself before you do.
Resist that urge to pick up your device and check in and instead sit up tall and dignified.
Smile gently to yourself and consider these positive affirmations.
I enjoy moments of my life far more deeply than I enjoy watching curated moments from other people's lives.
Overusing social media robs me of time that I have,
To invest in my own social life.
The more time I spend with people who I love and people who entertain me,
The more likely I am to build memories which I can draw upon,
To remind me that I have a good life.
My life is its own reward and I don't need to post images about it to get confirmation from strangers and from people who I vaguely know but are not really my friends.
At any time I want to,
I can choose to breathe deeply,
Sit up straight,
Stand up proud and confident and enjoy my life.
And with one last deep breath in and one last gentle exhalation,
You can gently open your eyes and go forward meaningfully with your life.
Have a great day.
