Your Mind is like Instagram. Here’s how to control it.
Your mind & Instagram are the same. Here’s how to stop scrolling.
My weak link is Instagram. I am hooked for so many reasons I’m sure you can relate to: colorful pictures, news, recipes, gossip, rabbit holes of celebrity love triangles (I spent a good 30 minutes Insta-stalking my latest crush, Maxi Iglesias, trying to figure out if he broke up with his Peruvian girlfriend, WHILE WATCHING a series that HE STARS IN, without even realizing the paradox. I still don’t know if they broke up, but I do know he went to Patagonia in 2020).
The truth is, I want to stop the scroll. I really do. I’ve set a time limit on my Instagram engagement (that I often ignore) and I carefully track my overall phone usage. Sometimes, though, I just can’t seem to get out of that damn app.
I want to blame myself, but in a lot of ways, it’s Instagram’s fault too. Every time I like a photo, click on an ad, or watch a new reel, it throws me more and more of the content I like. Suddenly, 20 minutes have passed when I originally only planned to spend 20 seconds checking my messages. Here’s the catch: The Instagram algorithm is designed to keep the user endlessly engaged. The longer you scroll, the more money Instagram can potentially make. This is why you cannot stop.
But why am I talking about all this? Because this is exactly how your mind works.
Imagine, you’re sitting in front of your computer at work, trying to finish a task. Suddenly, you smell the intoxicating scent of coffee. The mind now goes to work. I’d like some coffee. Actually, what time is it? Maybe I’m hungry. Is it time for lunch? What do I want to eat today? Sushi. Or pasta? Wait, am I having pasta for dinner? Dinner! I have dinner plans with the girls tonight. What restaurant are we going to? Is it the Italian one? I hope it’s the Italian one. No, it’s the Argentine one. I wonder what happened to that guy I dated in 2018, he was from Argentina. He was kinda nuts. But he was really funny. Not as funny as my ex from Brazil from 2015. God I’d love to be in Brazil right now. That reminds me, I need a new pair of Havaianas….
Your mind just went from coffee to flip flops in a roundabout fashion. At no point did you step away from the stream and complete the task at hand (work, remember?). But the thing is, you’re not completely to blame. Like Instagram, this is exactly what your mind is designed to do.
Instead of financial profit, your mind is seeking your attention for attention’s sake by forcing upon you an endless stream of content that it knows you like. All of these thoughts stir up feelings and emotions that keep you in a state of rumination, ultimately a comfort zone. Why would you ever leave your comfort zone?
Probably because that (uncomfortable) work task is still pending?
So now that you know how it works, what do you do? In short, STOP LIKING THE PHOTOS. If your thoughts are like the photos/reels/videos in your feed, it is up to you (and your soon-to-be-SUPER-STRONG-willpower) to refrain from engagement. Don’t “double tap” that thought.
Here is how to do it.
STEP ONE: Set your timer for 3 minutes. Choose a mundane object, like a car or a plant. Write it down. Now sit back, close your eyes, and to the very best of your ability, watch the thoughts that come. See how they connect (this is fun, I promise). When the timer goes off, write down the last thought you had. See if you can remember the mental journey you just went on to bring you to that final thought. Soon, you will start recognizing your tangents early on, and you’ll be prepared to redirect yourself. Which takes us to:
STEP TWO: As soon as you recognize that you’re on a mental trip around the world, do something that brings you back to the present. Examples include: Breathe. Touch the surface of your desk. Bring your hands to your heart and feel it beat. Stretch. Get up and walk around. Do this as many times as you need to. THIS WILL BE HARD. In the beginning, you might have to force yourself to present an obscene amount of times. It’s fine. Over time, it will become easier.
It will become SO easy that suddenly you will find yourself, well, here. Living life. Catching every present moment you possibly can. Noticing things on a different level, like the insane beauty of a Miami sunset or the incredible colors of those rather-aggressive peacocks wandering through Coconut Grove. Even though sometimes it’s a tough ride, life is better when you live it outside of your head. And outside of your phone :)
Thoughts? Questions? Send me an email. I’ll write back as soon as I solve the Maxi Iglesias mystery.
With love,
Bethany
