Mindful media consumption
Illustration by Guille Manchado
by Kim Thai
Last year, I committed more deeply to my Buddhist path by taking the 5 Mindfulness Trainings in Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Buddhist tradition.
I stood in the spacious meditation hall, facing the altar simply adorned with the Buddha, flowers and a picture of our teacher who recently passed. As the monastics rang the bell, I dropped to my knees and bowed to the Earth, touching my head to the ground. I heard the lead monastic read each mindfulness training out loud: Reverence for Life, True Happiness, True Love, Loving Speech and Deep Listening, and Nourishment and Healing.
Since then I have done my best to abide by all these trainings, not just as a commitment to my faith but also to see if my experience of the world would change as these ancient teachings promised. As I have practiced, I have seen monumental and exponential change for me both immediately — and over time. One of the biggest shifts came last year when I took a deeper dive into the Fifth Mindfulness Training: Nourishment and Healing. I started looking at my consumption — yes, this meant what food I was taking into my body; how much I was drinking or smoking; but it also meant looking at what I was taking into my consciousness.
I took a step back and re-evaluated what media I was watching, reading and double-tapping. It was a slow transition at first — reducing how much violence I was taking in on all my devices, and focusing on content that was more affirming and positive. It eventually led me to take a break from Instagram as the increase in divisive rhetoric sent me into a paralyzing state of anxiety every time I opened the app.
Teens, especially, feel social media’s pressure
Social media is rife with highlight reels aimed at showcasing a false sense of perfection – clothes, beauty, popularity, vacations, cars – all on a cycle of 24/7 nonstop constant updates. Scrolling aimlessly for hours, going down the rabbit hole, is a quick way to end up feeling drained, depressed, and insecure afterward. This is where mindfulness can help: It's not just about avoiding the negative content on socials. It’s about actively curating a feed that supports your well-being.
Award-winning psychologist Don Grant, PhD, of Newport Academy has seen a rise in how much stress teens and young adults are experiencing through their social media and news consumption — or as he calls it, “media saturation overload.”
“Headline stress disorder” started to emerge after the 2016 election and was further amplified by the “doomscrolling” during the pandemic, as so many of us were fed one daunting news story after the other and felt paralyzed and powerless as a result. This was evident in a study done in the Spring of 2020, where more than 2,000 adults reported that the more they sought out news, the more emotional distress they experienced. Even more so, other studies have actually contributed news consumption to depression and PTSD symptoms and a growing swath of research efforts are focused on better understanding the effects of media consumption on mental health.
For teens, navigating social media can feel like a constant struggle with self-worth. But what if you could take control over what you allow into your space? It’s your mind and your mental health, so why not try to use your tools to cultivate joy, peace, and purpose?
What can we do?
Both science and this Mindfulness Training give us simple guardrails to follow. My suggestion on how to be more of a mindful consumer for your wellbeing and mental health are
Take a big step back and check in with yourself. How much are you scrolling? Have you built habits around it without even realizing it? You can take a step back like you would with any other “addiction”— whether it's junk food or too much screen time. What has emerged from the intentional addictive nature of these platforms? Set boundaries around when you consume media, just like you would around snacks or meals. Consider time-boxing or giving yourself a certain time of day to consume the news. Try this out for a week and make note of the difference in your stress levels, your body and your overall wellbeing.
Take a look at what you’re actually consuming — is it activating for you? Is it making you feel anxious, upset, scared, or stressed? For teens especially, seeing too much drama or negativity on platforms like TikTok or Instagram can affect emotional well-being. Studies have shown that extensive viewing of violence can make people desensitized and more prone to acting out aggressively. Instead of watching something that might give you nightmares before bed, can you aim for a peaceful transition for sleep? Before you click, ask yourself: “How do I want to feel after watching or reading this?” Make note of the difference in your experience.
Take in the good stuff. Research has shown that consuming positive media can help improve your overall health. “Consuming good news usually makes us happier and more optimistic about the world, because it reminds us that the world is a good place,” Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, author of “Happier” and co-founder of the Happiness Studies Academy told the Washington Post. Taking a note from positive psychology, we can actively choose to consume media to reinforce the good. Watch, read, play things that will cultivate ease and bring joy. Before consuming something ask: Is this nourishing me? If not, perhaps re-consider.
These are the guardrails, the boundaries, I’ve set for myself when it comes to consuming media as I continue to practice this Mindfulness Training. Since practicing this, I’ve seen almost immediate benefits in my everyday experience. I’m less anxious, stressed, and have more time and space in my day to focus on what matters to me. I feel lighter, more grounded and have more emotional capacity to take on the world — something that is possible for all of us if we shift our relationship with our media.
Kim Thai (she/her) is an interdisciplinary mindfulness writer and teacher. As an Emmy award-winning storyteller and a proud Queer kid of Vietnamese refugees, she has uplifted marginalized voices across different mediums for almost 20 years. She is currently working on a memoir/mindfulness book on how to reclaim power and joy in the world regardless of what identities you hold. You can follow her work by subscribing to her mindfulness newsletter Just One Breath, where she invites us to see how every moment is an opportunity to transform the world around us.
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