This is a LONG and quite frankly personal post. I want to share it with you all as I think its an important message. Especially with the turmoil that seems to be spreading around the World at a rapid rate. This is how I feel and I want you all to know. It concerns each and every one of us. I make no apologies for posting this here. Make of it what you will. ******************************************************************************** I have watched / listened to a couple of Russell Brands videos where he shares his views on the World. Sometimes he uses big words that I dont know the meaning of. Sometimes he sounds nutty. And then there are the rest of the times when what he says makes complete sense and its like you can see through the issue right to the solution. In this one he links the increasing suicide rate to a loss of the connections we have with each other and the environment. If we took time to explore this theory and expand on this, we would probably find that the advent of technology is most likely to blame for this. Lots of us are tied to our computers, our phones, text, email and social media - constantly connecting ourselves to an electronic world. Bearing this in mind, these are some questions we all need to ask ourselves. 1. Is this behaviour healthy? 2. Is it meaningful? 3. What value does it add to our lives? 4. What value does it add to the lives of others? There have been studies done which show the more depressed a person is, the more time they spend on Facebook. This cant be a good thing! Of course Im not saying there isnt any value in these things - I like a good Facebook session just as much as the next person BUT if a study was done to analyse your personal happiness levels after 1/2 hour of Facebook time and this was then compared to your happiness levels after a 1/2 walk in the outdoors or a 1/2 hour spent having a coffee & cake face to face catch up with a friend, then I guarantee you the last two activities would have the greatest gain in happiness levels. There is a fundamental flaw with social media and I think this gets forgotten. You only ever get to see a snippet of the lives of others. They will generally only post things that make themselves look good or like they are living a successful and happy life. And then we all see this on our newsfeeds and end up starting to question our own lives. Why dont we have all those great holidays? How come their husband does all the housework and mine cant get the beer out of his hand and his bum off the couch? My job doesnt sound anywhere near as fun as theirs! Their kids are so well behaved and clever. Its not fair! However, its quite possible that they are actually struggling behind the scenes but dont want the world to know this. The moral of this long story? >Dont measure your life against a false perception of someone elses. >Dont lose sight of the good things you do have whilst you are pursuing the things you think these other people have but most likely dont. >Connect with each other in a meaningful, purposeful and loving way. >If you love someone - tell them. It could be the one thing they needed to hear. >Get out into the fresh air, stretch your legs and your lungs. Smell the proverbial roses. Watch a sunrise or sunset. Weed the garden. Walk the dog. >Talk to a neighbour. >Learn a craft. >Bake a cake. >Play with your kids. >Paint a picture. >Splash in a puddle after rain. >Hug your family. Then hug them again. And if you need help or support, ASK for it. Dont think for one moment that you have to deal with any mental illness on your own. ******************************************************************************** Now who is going to be brave and get off Facebook to go do something productive? Susan xx
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 09:17:20 +0000
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