Reference News Network August 15 report: The Argentine Buenos Aires Economic News website published an article on July 27 with the title "Change the habit of scrolling through social media, four methods to protect the brain," written by Rafael Montoro. The article is excerpted as follows:
Fast-paced daily life and constant exposure to various stimuli have made many people confuse rest with activities that cannot relax the mind and only add to the burden. Scrolling through social media or mindlessly eating does not restore balance to the brain, but rather adds more distractions to an already overloaded nervous system.
To this, psychologist Irina Albonova reminds that one should seek true psychological relief rather than continuous stimulation. Here are four practices she has summarized based on her professional experience, which help alleviate inner fatigue and promote brain rest.
The first recommendation is to set aside ten minutes a day for sensory silence. The specific method is to sit in a quiet space, away from screens, music, and conversation, close your eyes, and focus on your own silence. This pause is like an internal disconnection, allowing the brain to reduce the accumulated overload pressure.
The second recommendation is a brief physical release. It is recommended to tense all the muscles in the body (including fists, jaw, and feet) until they shake for half a minute, then relax instantly. This action helps release tension and relieve accumulated stress.
Tensing all the muscles until they shake means exerting force and continuously tightening the muscles, making them stiff for several seconds. To achieve this, simply apply pressure or force to the parts you want to tighten. For example, clench your fists tightly, tense both arms, contract your abdomen, tighten the muscles in your thighs and calves, bite your teeth and forcefully close your eyes, aiming to feel muscle stiffness. First, tense for a few seconds, then relax to feel the change.
The third recommendation, Albonova proposes, is to adopt selective visual "fasting." This refers to removing elements in the field of vision that cause visual distraction, such as a messy desk, multiple open tabs in the browser, or videos playing in the background. Having a clean environment helps improve mental clarity.
Finally, Albonova suggests using techniques to interrupt compulsive inner dialogues. When thoughts like "I can't keep up" or "What if...?" arise, one should say the word "stop" out loud. This behavior can cut off repetitive mental activity and help us regain control of our attention.
These four recommendations aim to create conscious pauses and a more favorable environment for the mind, thus reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed and protecting people's emotional health.
These practices also aim to replace the habit of using social media as a way to rest. Their goal is to provide alternatives so that the brain can truly recover, rather than exposing it to more stimulation and keeping it alert.
By incorporating these practices into daily life, people can experience a deeper and more effective sense of rest without resorting to digital activities that often exacerbate mental fatigue. (Translated by Su Jiawei)
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7538623826645500470/
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