What do digital technology and food have in common?
A lot.
First, they are important for our survival but can negatively impact our health. Both are avenues for social connection but can promote interpersonal distress. Our food and tech “diets” are heavily influenced by social-emotional factors such that binging is common and “detoxing” has become a buzzword.
Most importantly, moderating our intake of both is crucial for our health.
I have recent proof that abstinence from food isn’t sustainable! I fasted for 48 hours to prepare for my colonoscopy this morning. As a result, I was irritable and generally unpleasant to be around all weekend. (I would tell you all about the procedure, but I don’t remember any of it. I do recall being married to the toilet last night after choking down warm, barf-like prep material. Note: Mixing this liquid with Gatorade is like spraying perfume into a Porta Potty. It isn’t fooling anyone.)
The point is this: Food is fuel. Regular hits of protein, fiber, grains, and healthy fats are critical for healthy bodies and minds. Food is also part of our social fabric. It’s how we connect with loved ones, friends, and our community. It’s the center of most holidays and celebrations. As a result, food is commonly attached to feelings of joy, pleasure, and comfort. It can feed boredom and soothe an anxious mind.
Similarly, we need technology to connect with work, friends, and family. More of us are dating online and working remotely. Social media was a lifeline for young people in particular during COVID, providing much needed human interaction when schools were closed and regular activities ceased.
Like food, however, too much technology can do harm. Just as some of us numb uncomfortable feelings with pizza or ice cream, some of us zone out by scrolling mindlessly on social media. Our phones can feel like an easy place to quiet the frenzied thoughts of the day.
I admit I get a Dopamine hit looking at Instagram fashion bloggers’ OOTD (outfit of the day) and DIY home makeovers. I love interacting with scientists and public health experts on Twitter. I cackle out loud watching ordinary people do hilarious and ridiculous things on TikTok.
I also find it easy to get caught up in endless cycles of “doom-scrolling,” obsessively refreshing my social media feeds for the latest dose of bad news. If I didn’t already understand monkeypox, I might perceive the infection risk to be the same with sex as it is being in a classroom. (Hint: it’s vastly different.) If I wasn’t paying close attention to nuances of COVID policy, Twitter might have convinced me that the CDC's new guidance is overly lax—that I should live in a state of perpetual emergency—when, in reality, abstinence from regular life isn’t sustainable or necessary in August 2022.
(Check out my Instagram stories for my take on the new CDC guidelines!)
Too much screen time can negatively affect our emotional and mental health. It can lead to social isolation, depression, and anxiety. And, in the case of my trailblazing podcast guest below, it can even drive low self-esteem, disordered eating, and suicidality.
Let’s be honest: Just like fasting isn’t sustainable, it’s unrealistic to quit social media cold turkey. Abstinence from things that are biologically essential and woven into the fabric of our lives typically sets people up for failure. Whether it’s cutting back on carbs on TikTok, for any behavioral change to be effective, it has to be realistic and doable first.
We’re better able to moderate our intake of pleasurable-but-potentially-addicting inputs when we first understand our relationship with them. My patients who struggle with their weight are generally aware of the dangers of obesity. They don’t need judgment or even the motivation to be healthier. Similarly, my patients who stay up late on their phones aren’t unaware that they’d sleep better with fewer digital distractions. Teenagers with disordered eating generally know that images of models in bikinis aren’t helping their own body image.
So instead of lecturing my patients on the benefits of kale or a good night’s sleep, I try to help my patients “mind the gap” between their best intentions and the execution of them. They need help identifying the emotional and chemical inputs that drive unhealthy behaviors.
Whether it’s fear, loneliness, or plain old boredom that causes us to overeat sweets or doom-scroll after dark, naming our emotions can be the birthplace of health. Keeping a journal can be a great place to start. Talking to a friend, a therapist, or a trusted advisor can help, too.
That said, social media usage isn’t always about our feelings. The algorithms are literally designed to addict us. Even the most well-adjusted person can find themselves lost in a Facebook rabbit hole! As such, simply practicing new habits itself can affect change. When I recently started leaving my phone in the kitchen at night (instead of charging it on my nightstand), I suddenly wasn’t on Twitter at 11 pm! Like riding a bike, it takes new muscles to get used to a new routine.
And last, we need to document how much better we feel when we don’t succumb to binges on sugar or Instagram reels. We need to reflect on our improved energy and mood, for example, when we’ve gotten more sleep or felt more self-regulated. Indeed, the mere act of following through on our best intentions generates calm. It’s also cause for celebration and reward.
At the end of the day, there’s no one-size-fits-all recommendation for any behavioral change. A healthy diet is one that sustainably nourishes your body, mind, and soul. A healthy relationship with tech is one where you are in the driver’s seat of your usage—an active participant instead of a passive passenger. At a minimum, we can try to be more intentional about what we’re feeding our body, eyeballs and brain.
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Enter this week’s podcast guest, Larissa, “Larz,” May. At Vanderbilt for college, Larz was dangerously addicted to social media. She’s now trying to change the world. As a trailblazing mental health advocate and entrepreneur, the 28-year-old founded Half The Story in order to help young people navigate our brave new world of potentially harmful social media inputs. Through her advocacy work and educational initiatives, she is living proof that a healthy mind requires a healthy relationship with technology.
On this episode of Beyond the Prescription, Larz and I discuss how to better regulate our social media “diet” and the importance of digital detoxification.
As always, my newsletter subscribers get early access to the pod every Monday night before the official Tuesday launch. Give it a listen now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you find podcasts! Oh—and please rate and review!!
I will see you next week. Until then, be well.