Connectivity
That feeling when I'm trying to log in to an account I don't often use – and I remember my username and password on the first try? Elation! Brilliance! I'm in! I wonder if that great feeling is similar to the dopamine hits we get when scrolling through social media, or when someone likes or comments on a post we made. But research shows that the dopamine feedback loop isn't tied to positive results – it's tied to the unpredictability of the behavior. It's the pursuit, not the result, that drives the nervous system to produce these boosts, and they are short-lived and unsustainable.
The contemplative practice traditions are much more interested in pursuing sustained states of ease and well-being. In a modern day context, the guidance suggests that we apply rigorous mindfulness to what we're plugging into, that we ask questions about the nature of our everyday engagement, and get really particular about how we manage access to our hearts and minds.
Instead of doom scrolling or "like"-seeking, we might take a few intentional minutes at strategic points during the day – when we wake up, before each interaction (virtual or IRL), and before we go to sleep – to notice a few steady breaths, check in with our hearts, and send loving friendliness to ourselves and to those with whom we may interact.
So instead of having to remember a password to "get in" to a good place, we only need recall that we already are just where we need to be: right here in the present moment.
~ Annie Moyer
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