Content. It’s everywhere, and we spend hours of lives consuming it through TV, social media, and advertising. It’s become so omnipresent that I bet you (just like me) see the word content and think of instagram, youtube, netflix, twitter, linkedin, or tiktok content.

But this word also represents a feeling of satisfaction or contentment. And it also means the things contained within something, like the contents of your mind. Language is a funny thing isn’t it? Our words have meaning (duh) and I find this set of homographs to be quite the coincidence.

I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that the things you consume have an influence on you - i.e., the content you consume impacts the contents of your mind. Furthermore, the contents of your mind influence how content you feel. Our bodies and brains are like big computers. We take in information (inputs), we filter these inputs based on our experiences (processing), and then we react to the freshly processed inputs (output).

Now before going further let’s be clear, this post isn’t meant to demonize all content on the internet. No doubt, some of it is really useful. It can inspire us, teach us things, and connect us to people and possibilities around the globe. However, not all content is created equal and I find that even the best content has it limits. Even with my favorite creators, I find that after a certain point engaging with there content no longer supports my own contentment. It just becomes additional noise. Our minds can only process so much information in a day, and when we spend all day plugged into the world of other people we loose the ability to listen to our own inner world.

And lets face it, so much of what we consume comes from people interested in projecting a certain image of themselves into the world. Even I’m guilty of this (although I do try and keep it real). Then add in that this content is posted to apps designed to keep us scrolling. The more I think about this, the more understanding and compassion I am able to have towards my own habits. Of course, I’m going to feel shitty if I spend all day watching someone else’s epic highlight reel - mixed in with silly memes and (well intentioned) videos on how to heal my nervous system from trauma and release toxic shame all while overcoming my fear of being seen - without ever actually leaving my couch to do anything.

Your attention is valuable, and I dont just mean that in the cliché, figurative sense. Literally, every second you spend watching or clicking something online has a dollar amount associated with it. In fact, right now a team of marketing consultants is probably chugging away to calculate the cost-per-click of their new ad campaign that just appeared on your feed. Our viewership has become a commodity companies now fight for, and if you’re not careful your brain will pay the price.

So, what do we do about this situation? I won’t pretend I have it all figured out but here are some guidelines I’ve found helpful for myself:

1: Start to become more intentional about the content you are consuming. Follow pages which inspire you and expose you to new ideas, unfollow people that make you feel small and don’t add anything to your life.

2: Spend more time without your phone. Build the muscle of spending time away from instantly accessible dopamine. Go for a walk, touch some grass, eat a meal with your devices in another room.

3: Engage with longer form content on topics that are interesting to you. Opt for the article, podcast, or book about the topic over 60 second clips.

4: Create more of your own things. See yourself as a creator. Share your ideas and make that thing, not to go viral but because it’s fun to make things. Don’t just consume, create!

4.5: Social media is meant to be social, use it to connect with the people in your community.

I find that I’m more content the less content I consume, and I would imagine that’s the same for you. Often, my impulse to reach for a device is a reaction to some discomfort I’d rather ignore than sit with. It’s easy to find a distraction or another piece of advice, motivational video, or tutorial on how to do the thing, but if you continue to consume without ever taking action then one day you’ll look back with grief over all the things you could have done but never did. For me, taking ownership of my own contentment in life has often meant meeting myself with kindness when the first instinct is to seek more content.