29/08/2026
Social media intake is now part of your wellness plan.
We talk a lot about what we eat, how much we move, whether we’re sleeping enough and what we can do to manage stress.
But I think we need to start talking more about what we’re consuming through our phones.
Because that affects our health too.
We now have access to more information, opinions, tragedy, conflict and outrage than humans have ever had before.
When I was growing up, the news came on at certain times. There was the newspaper. We knew what was happening with our friends, neighbours, family and the people we went to school with.
We didn’t have access to everyone, everywhere, all of the time.
And more information doesn’t necessarily mean better health.
Social media algorithms are very good at showing us content that creates a reaction. Anger. Fear. Outrage. Disgust. Because when something gets a reaction from us, we’re more likely to keep watching.
But what happens to all of that emotion afterwards?
Where does the outrage go?
Does it become tension in your body? Anxiety? A racing mind? Irritability? Poor sleep? Another hour of scrolling when you meant to go to bed?
This doesn’t mean we should bury our heads in the sand.
Social media has done incredible things. It has brought important issues into the light, given people a voice and allowed information to be shared that may once have remained hidden.
There is value in being informed.
But there is a difference between being informed and repeatedly exposing yourself to things that make you angry, frightened or distressed when there is absolutely nothing you can do with that information.
You don’t have to read every comment section.
You don’t have to watch every awful video.
You don’t have to engage in every argument.
You don’t owe strangers on the internet your attention, your energy or your nervous system.
Unfollow. Mute. Scroll past. Put the phone down.
These days, I think boundaries around what we consume online deserve a place in the conversation about our health.
