I wonder how much reducing use of Twitter would improve mental fitness? The roiling recriminations and resentments of Twitter can't be good for our mental fitness. In the last 15 years we have seen a large increase in psychological distress and anxiety - especially among younger people. I wonder how much of that is due to the way we consume information and the type of information we consume.
The answer isn't avoiding Twitter but learning to use it properly. Block Trolls, mute annoying people and draw pointless arguments to a close quickly. One of many exercises needed to maintain mental fitness
I agree wise use is often a better strategy than abstinence. And it is fascinating to observe the many different strategies humans are devising to optimise their interactions with the information world. Almost like we're trying to win game points in a virtual world.
I would think the rise in anxiety is at least in part a function of both over-diagnosis, promotion of that over-diagnosis in the media and consequent feedback loop with people who are already high self monitoring. This leads to greater internalisation which leads to a reduction in the variability of the sensory and mental inputs for that person. Reducing that variability increases anxiety because the brain learns that the world is low variance. But the world isn't so even quite mild perturbations will cause an attentional jolt with associated release of adrenaline. Increase in adrenaline causes a visceral response which is interpreted as anxiety, so the person feels anxious.
Sir, if I maintained a Twitter account for even 24 hours, let alone for 24 months, I would be quite literally a hospital patient. When Twitter first appeared I decided against using it, and - despite various pleas from acquaintances that I change my mind - I have not for a moment regretted my decision. Instagram, Snapchat, WeChat, and TikTok can likewise go jump in my view (I deactivated Instagram within weeks of signing up; I have never even tried the other three).
For more than a decade, I did use Facebook; but I closed down my Facebook account in 2022 - after three years of guiltily continuing to use it following the livestreamed Christchurch massacre - and since closing it down I have noticed marked improvements in my mental health. Now other factors indisputably aided such improvements, notably acquiring full-time properly-paid work (as against hand-to-mouth casual jobbing) and imposing on myself a daily exercise regimen. But these things, though very useful, did not transform my life in the way that quitting Facebook did.
Incidentally I can recommend the book STOP READING THE NEWS, by Swiss journalist Rolf Dobelli. While the timing of the book's appearance - January 2020, just before COVID made news-hounds and presser-addicts of us all - was not perfect, Dobelli offers much sensible advice.
For some time, I've come to the conclusion that mental fitness is a far more productive and helpful way of viewing the benefits of positive thinking. Being physically fit didn't prevent the bad luck of falling off your bike; positive thinking doesn't mean only good things will happen.
Of course, there's mental fitness in the sense of being "smart", and then in the sense of being happy (enough).
For someone like myself, who has experienced bouts of mental illness at first hand since childhood, the single most extraordinary thing about COVID has been the normalization among Australians in general of those sentiments which we with mental illness have experienced anyway. Not long ago I stumbled upon a meme (American in origin) which I found remarkably relevant. It reads as follows (I've bowdlerized the original's coarse language):
"I said to my therapist a few days ago that 'I feel weirdly calm with all this coronavirus stuff. Everyone's panicking and I'm not and it makes me think I should' and my therapist replied 'that's because you were raised in chaos so you feel at home.' I F***ING SCREAMED [helpless laughter emoji]."
From memory it was an article in New Scientist, and I think it was a study of studies.
The takeaway was that serotonin levels where not that different between people diagnosed with depression compared to the overall population. The suggestion was that there may be other reasons for depression in some people that are not based on a physical imbalance.
I had assumed that mental health was largely based on a physiological 'problem' like chemical imbalance, the article suggested casting a broader net.
I didn't think it diminished depression as a serious ailment.
Thanks, I know this research a little https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0#Sec13 . The authors conclude "We suggest it is time to acknowledge that the serotonin theory of depression is not empirically substantiated" ie serotonin may not be the whole story or even any of the story. That is not as strong a claim as "Recent research has not shown a strong biological cause for depression" My other point is just that all mental health is physical as the mental is physical. No dualism :)
You might try Mindwandering by Moshe Bar. It has all the flannel you expect in a book like this but some thoughts on positive activities one might engage in. Maybe start with the last chapter..
Apologies if this comes across as a bit ‘New Age and Crystals’, but I personally find it difficult to distinguish between my own physical and psychological health, so strongly interwoven they are.
For example, I know from hard won experience that a consistent regime of meditation , physical exercise, consciously practicing gratitude, no alcohol, plenty of sleep, fresh air, avoiding toxic people (and media) and reading has me humming along nicely. Merely practicing the mental dimension of this regime is good and I feel better in myself as a consequence , but nowhere near as good as when an holistic approach is taken.
As an aside, the excellent ‘Lost Connections’ by Johann Hari explores many of the drivers of depression and exposes the ‘chemical imbalance’ theory as overblown and principally serving the interests of big pharma and the medical establishment.
I think we can only start to classify most ‘mental’ ailments as genuine illnesses when we reach the states like multiple personality disorders, Tourette’s, more extreme forms of PTSD, eating disorders, etc. You are right to point out that many experience depression as extended periods of a ‘bad mood’ and this can be most effectively self-managed by a combination of the physical-psychological techniques noted above. General maladies and melancholy have long been discussed in centuries old texts and are integral to the human condition. At a more extreme level, Frankl’s purpose-driven
antidote to depression (and of continuing life itself) give an insight into what appears to make us ‘tick’.
My point is, at the general level, we are wrong to compartmentalise health into ‘mental’ and ‘physical’ and a holistic approach is the only sustainable way to cope with the maladies associated with a highly dysfunctional Western ‘modern living’ (e.g. urbanised, alienated, overstimulated, over-prossessed, over-medicated).
Commiserations. Some time ago I ran into the back of a truck on my bike. I dislocated my right elbow (and a few bruises, lucky eh?) I soon fell into a quite deep depression. I recovered my mental health when my physical health recovered. I think the mental and physical health are linked, particularly for those of us who are hooked on a diet of endorphins generated by vigorous exercise.
I wonder how much reducing use of Twitter would improve mental fitness? The roiling recriminations and resentments of Twitter can't be good for our mental fitness. In the last 15 years we have seen a large increase in psychological distress and anxiety - especially among younger people. I wonder how much of that is due to the way we consume information and the type of information we consume.
The answer isn't avoiding Twitter but learning to use it properly. Block Trolls, mute annoying people and draw pointless arguments to a close quickly. One of many exercises needed to maintain mental fitness
I agree wise use is often a better strategy than abstinence. And it is fascinating to observe the many different strategies humans are devising to optimise their interactions with the information world. Almost like we're trying to win game points in a virtual world.
I would think the rise in anxiety is at least in part a function of both over-diagnosis, promotion of that over-diagnosis in the media and consequent feedback loop with people who are already high self monitoring. This leads to greater internalisation which leads to a reduction in the variability of the sensory and mental inputs for that person. Reducing that variability increases anxiety because the brain learns that the world is low variance. But the world isn't so even quite mild perturbations will cause an attentional jolt with associated release of adrenaline. Increase in adrenaline causes a visceral response which is interpreted as anxiety, so the person feels anxious.
Sir, if I maintained a Twitter account for even 24 hours, let alone for 24 months, I would be quite literally a hospital patient. When Twitter first appeared I decided against using it, and - despite various pleas from acquaintances that I change my mind - I have not for a moment regretted my decision. Instagram, Snapchat, WeChat, and TikTok can likewise go jump in my view (I deactivated Instagram within weeks of signing up; I have never even tried the other three).
For more than a decade, I did use Facebook; but I closed down my Facebook account in 2022 - after three years of guiltily continuing to use it following the livestreamed Christchurch massacre - and since closing it down I have noticed marked improvements in my mental health. Now other factors indisputably aided such improvements, notably acquiring full-time properly-paid work (as against hand-to-mouth casual jobbing) and imposing on myself a daily exercise regimen. But these things, though very useful, did not transform my life in the way that quitting Facebook did.
Incidentally I can recommend the book STOP READING THE NEWS, by Swiss journalist Rolf Dobelli. While the timing of the book's appearance - January 2020, just before COVID made news-hounds and presser-addicts of us all - was not perfect, Dobelli offers much sensible advice.
For some time, I've come to the conclusion that mental fitness is a far more productive and helpful way of viewing the benefits of positive thinking. Being physically fit didn't prevent the bad luck of falling off your bike; positive thinking doesn't mean only good things will happen.
Of course, there's mental fitness in the sense of being "smart", and then in the sense of being happy (enough).
For someone like myself, who has experienced bouts of mental illness at first hand since childhood, the single most extraordinary thing about COVID has been the normalization among Australians in general of those sentiments which we with mental illness have experienced anyway. Not long ago I stumbled upon a meme (American in origin) which I found remarkably relevant. It reads as follows (I've bowdlerized the original's coarse language):
"I said to my therapist a few days ago that 'I feel weirdly calm with all this coronavirus stuff. Everyone's panicking and I'm not and it makes me think I should' and my therapist replied 'that's because you were raised in chaos so you feel at home.' I F***ING SCREAMED [helpless laughter emoji]."
Physical fitness analogy for mental health is interesting.
Recent research has not shown a strong biological cause for depression, it may not necessarily be a physical disease.
Which research is that? Depression will still be a physical disease it is just that the cause may not be endogenous.
From memory it was an article in New Scientist, and I think it was a study of studies.
The takeaway was that serotonin levels where not that different between people diagnosed with depression compared to the overall population. The suggestion was that there may be other reasons for depression in some people that are not based on a physical imbalance.
I had assumed that mental health was largely based on a physiological 'problem' like chemical imbalance, the article suggested casting a broader net.
I didn't think it diminished depression as a serious ailment.
Thanks, I know this research a little https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0#Sec13 . The authors conclude "We suggest it is time to acknowledge that the serotonin theory of depression is not empirically substantiated" ie serotonin may not be the whole story or even any of the story. That is not as strong a claim as "Recent research has not shown a strong biological cause for depression" My other point is just that all mental health is physical as the mental is physical. No dualism :)
OK
You might try Mindwandering by Moshe Bar. It has all the flannel you expect in a book like this but some thoughts on positive activities one might engage in. Maybe start with the last chapter..
Apologies if this comes across as a bit ‘New Age and Crystals’, but I personally find it difficult to distinguish between my own physical and psychological health, so strongly interwoven they are.
For example, I know from hard won experience that a consistent regime of meditation , physical exercise, consciously practicing gratitude, no alcohol, plenty of sleep, fresh air, avoiding toxic people (and media) and reading has me humming along nicely. Merely practicing the mental dimension of this regime is good and I feel better in myself as a consequence , but nowhere near as good as when an holistic approach is taken.
As an aside, the excellent ‘Lost Connections’ by Johann Hari explores many of the drivers of depression and exposes the ‘chemical imbalance’ theory as overblown and principally serving the interests of big pharma and the medical establishment.
I think we can only start to classify most ‘mental’ ailments as genuine illnesses when we reach the states like multiple personality disorders, Tourette’s, more extreme forms of PTSD, eating disorders, etc. You are right to point out that many experience depression as extended periods of a ‘bad mood’ and this can be most effectively self-managed by a combination of the physical-psychological techniques noted above. General maladies and melancholy have long been discussed in centuries old texts and are integral to the human condition. At a more extreme level, Frankl’s purpose-driven
antidote to depression (and of continuing life itself) give an insight into what appears to make us ‘tick’.
My point is, at the general level, we are wrong to compartmentalise health into ‘mental’ and ‘physical’ and a holistic approach is the only sustainable way to cope with the maladies associated with a highly dysfunctional Western ‘modern living’ (e.g. urbanised, alienated, overstimulated, over-prossessed, over-medicated).
Commiserations. Some time ago I ran into the back of a truck on my bike. I dislocated my right elbow (and a few bruises, lucky eh?) I soon fell into a quite deep depression. I recovered my mental health when my physical health recovered. I think the mental and physical health are linked, particularly for those of us who are hooked on a diet of endorphins generated by vigorous exercise.
An Indian person I worked with recently mentioned that he and other male friends meet regularly to meditate.
I thought that was pure genius and I hope one day to join them.