I find it amazingly ironic that we live in a world that labels any type of compulsion as wrong and bad behavior then delivers you as a lesser person. An addiction is an urge to do something that is hard to control or stop.

If you use cigarettes, alcohol or drugs, you could become addicted to them. You begin to start projecting and exhibiting a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior or activity.

Now, today in this world of social media, the new addiction is attention. We have allowed ourselves to become addicts and approval junkies on social media platforms by seeking acknowledgment, recognition and validation from others. This is all triggered by a deep-seated sense of insecurity and incompleteness.

How long can we focus on a simple task without obsessively checking our smartphones, social media feeds and web browsers before feeling lost, anxious, fidgety, moody or bored?

In these modern times, receiving likes has become a sort of euphoric drug. Likes are so addictive because they activate a boost of the hormone called dopamine, which you also get from eating chocolate or winning a lottery. Just like the creamy soft chocolate bar that you now want, being popular online creates a cycle of reward, which makes you crave more.

What has been revealed outside the realm of social media is that likes can affect mental health. If you're spending too much time online looking at the images, words or shares and seeing that these things were not being rewarded with a lot of likes can cause anxiety, and may lower your mood and self-esteem.

Smartphones and other modern day smart devices have now become the new drug, the new addiction for this current generation. Billions of people worldwide have become techno-junkies and self-incarcerated prisoners. This is only going to worsen as they all begin to be drawn to virtual reality headsets and live to the newly named “Metaverse,” the new virtual world that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg created.

We have become overwhelmed, rewired and addicted to the constant stimuli of this social matrix. We are outsourcing our brains to these smart devices, which are doing the thinking for us and, in turn, leaving us lost in the afterthought.

Social media has become a never-ending stream of distraction in a hall of mirrors reflecting and distorting everything back on itself so that nothing escapes. These computer-generated algorithms study your habits and patterns of behavior in order to send you a series of ads and interactions that keep you locked into your own bubble of experience. These techniques are designed to keep you online for as long as possible because if you are continuously scrolling, you are not going anywhere.

We all have the freedom to either live as mental slaves that are trained to be unconscious and in a hypnotic state, distracted and reactive to artificially induced realities that remove the present moment out of mindfulness. We can reclaim our true sovereignty as conscious observers and creators.

The pace of our daily lives has increased so exponentially, filling our days with ceaseless activity. If we pause for just a moment we can still feel the longing for the wisdom of contemplation.

We do not have to play by anyone’s socially accepted rules, codes of conduct, conditions or expectations. If you play by their rules, then you are controlled by their rules. Take the opportunity of mass confusion and reclaim your inner sovereignty by taking back your power, sense of dignity and self-worth.

One of the greatest daily challenges for many, it is declared, is simply finding the time. Time after time, when you ask someone how they are, for a communal greeting, you hear back, “I’m busy getting things done.” So we multitask. Which is another plague of the computer world.

The term multitasking originated in the computer engineering industry. It refers to the ability of a computer to process several tasks, or computer jobs, concurrently. So we, being the obedient humans that we are, have un-successively copied this mode of x’s and o’s.

Humans are not created to multitask. In short, people cannot really multitask. Multitasking is a myth. The human brain cannot perform two tasks that require high-level brain function at once.

Multitasking and the constant monitoring of social media approval, hinders your performance. Working in one of the millions of jobs that requires a computer and splitting the time between work and Facebook, allowing your brain to constantly switch gears. Bouncing back and forth between tasks and likes, you do nothing but deplete your self-esteem, become less efficient and more likely to make a mistake.

Living is not about the likes. It is about who you are, your higher self and living in the moment. Living away from the need of likes with mindfulness helps us increase the ability to regulate emotions, decrease stress, anxiety and depression. It keeps our attention to focus and observe our thoughts and feelings without judgment.

When we pause for a moment, then we can feel the wisdom of contemplation. When we find peace with ourselves we can see clearly, act more effectively, cooperating with the energies within and around us to build more peace with ourselves. This is when we can begin to live authentically in accordance with your inner truth. dbA

You can find more of the unfiltered insight of Dan Abernathy at www.contributechaos.com and please SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Channel, The Intrepid Explorer