Is Social Media Programming Your Mind for Fear?

How You Can Escape Endless Doom-Scrolling

Even after all the work creating an Instagram feed filled with inspirational messages and mindset leaders of our time, it still feels almost impossible to scroll social media without seeking images and messages of fear. Triggering words, statements, and videos that leave you feeling stressed, anxious, and angry.

You are not designed to be inundated with that level of trauma, fear, and pain on an ongoing basis.

You are a spiritual being and energetically you are picking up and carrying around tokens of violence showcased as sport, youth trumpeted as power, and sexuality pushed in our face like a trophy reserved for only the famous and wealthy. Even within the self-mastery world, we speak more about our doubt than our success.

Constantly feeding your mind with negativity is programming you to see the world as violent, untrusting, and separate.

When fear becomes your dominant thought, you become angry, hopeless, and closed off.

Yesterday I was angry. I found myself triggered by everything! An email response, a phone call, a random person on the internet. I saw myself getting upset by things that had nothing to do with me and didn’t affect my life in any fashion. I found myself doom-scrolling as I plotted killer comebacks to imaginary arguments about things that don’t even matter. I was allowing this emotion to control my mind and my day.

I caught myself in this cycle and took a 10-minute break to breathe and reset.

I had to ask myself…

• Why was this happening?
• Why was I so angry at people, situations, and circumstances out of my control?
• Was it too much doom-scrolling?
• Was it my unfocused mind seeking an anchor?

I realized that perhaps my ego was curled up in fear that it didn’t measure up.

Ultimately the question is — Do I want my dominant thoughts to be ones of fear?

With a resounding no, I knew I needed to shift my mind, my thoughts, and my attention onto grace, abundance, and love.

Even with this knowledge my mind struggles to move into a mind of gratitude with so much going on that is out of my control. But!… even as I had that thought a parallel thought challenged it; The thought that there is something I can control, and that’s myself.

So as I shovel out advice I have no authority to give, I remind you to guard the gate of your mind. Take a break from social media and regain control over your thoughts. Move in the direction of your dreams by placing a force field of love around yourself. Not to be blind to the problems of the world, but to protect your own energy.

Train your mind to focus on what you do want instead of all the things you don’t.

The world out there will relentlessly continue to bombard you in an effort to break down your hope and keep you numb. Keep you hopeless, depressed, and defeated.

We all know the media is designed to manipulate us, to divide us, to give us a common enemy so the age-old battle of Us vs.Them can continue. And I am here to tell you that it is okay not to engage. To protect your energy, and your mind, and guide that focus onto the thoughts and images you desire.

It’s a simple task, but not an easy one.

We are creatures of habit, so this might take time and effort, but seeing the life before as a beautiful one full of hope beats the stuck energy of fear.

Protect your mind from the low energy of war, control, and violence. Open it to the profound light of love, acceptance, tolerance, and grace.

Energy flows where your attention goes.

Box Breathing with Mantra

One of my favorite breath practices is box breathing. I use it all the time to calm and optimize my nervous system. A great way to get yourself out of a fear mindset is through mantra box breathing. Here’s how it’s done…

Find a comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed. Laying down or sitting in meditation

• If you are in a chair, move your back away from any support and plant your feet firmly on the floor.

1. Close your eyes and bring your focus to your breath.
2. Let your breath deepen as you focus on the tip of your nose. Noticing the exchange of cool air coming in on the inhale, and warmer air flowing out on the exhale.
3. Visualize a box in your mind and when you’re ready inhale for 4 seconds as the one side of the box is drawn up.
4. Hold your breath at the top for 4 seconds as you visualize the second line of the box moving from right to left.
5. Exhale out the nose for 4 seconds as the 3rd line is drawn down.
6. Hold empty of breath for 4 seconds while connecting the lines of the box
7. Continue in this cycle of inhaling, holding, exhaling, and holding for as long as you feel comfortable. Just get used to the mechanics. Slow and deep from the belly every time. You will begin to notice shifts happening as you stretch from deep within.

Begin to add a mantra.

• As you work through the cycle you exchange the counting for mantra.
• On the inhale — I receive breath
• On the hold — I hold breath
• On the exhale — I offer breath
• On the empty pause — I am breath
• Continuing in this way, add in your own.
• I receive love, I hold love, I offer love, I am love.
• I receive compassion, I hold compassion, I offer compassion, I am compassion.
• I receive forgiveness, I hold forgiveness, I offer forgiveness, I am forgiveness.

Do 5 to 10 rounds of this every day and see what begins to change in your life.

Amazing things start to shift in us when we are breathing deeply and consciously. You begin to see the world with new eyes. You will begin to associate with every other living organism as part of yourself. See every experience as a reflection of the narrative that we are offering out and taking in. You will begin to show up in the world differently. Knowing you are connected to all things. Connected to the beauty behind the doom, fear, and uncertainty.

Together we can move our collective energy from fear to abundance. It’s all a matter of putting our focus where we want to bloom.

Now isn’t that worth taking 10 minutes a day to do?

Need help? Reach out, or try my 7-day breath challenge.