Competing for Attention in a Dopamine & Adrenaline World
How Social Media Marketing Sends Me into a Tailspin
I opened Instagram this morning and was immediately assaulted by closer-than-comfortable over-smiling faces trying to influence me in some way, shape or form.
I scrolled past the first one, and the next and the next. Someone was demonstrating facial lymphatic drainage. The next was showing me someone’s belly fat and promising to get rid of mine. The next had her face so close to the camera, I have no idea what she was trying to influence in me but it was enough for me to blink and look away.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll watch videos of little Pibble Kevin (a dog) getting a bath for the first time, or nature center’s rehab experiences about wildlife that comes in for care and (mercifully) gets released, and I’ll definitely watch a metalworker make an amazing nature-based necklaces or earrings. I’m fascinated with printing and glass blowing, felting and foraging. I love watching dolphins leap through waves and butterflies and hummingbirds sip nectar. Podcasting is okay, too, as long as it’s genuine. But all this in-your-face marketing? No.
I finally X’ed out of the app altogether, feeling strained and pressured, in dire need of some quiet time.
I don’t post photos or videos of myself very often. I try to let Nature speak through me. And after this morning, I know I’m not wrong about that. Our own nature dictates who we are when we’re contemplating social media marketing. If I were to smile like that all the time, my face would seriously hurt.
Pushing dopamine and adrenaline on the willing public isn’t new, and it’s been taken to a new level with all the in-your-face apps available. And, it’s not what is being promoted, usually. It’s how. How can I “fix” something about myself? How can I live a better, sometimes more attractive, life? Why am I living with less when I can live with more? Sigh.
Social media can harm mental health by promoting addictive patterns through dopamine releases, leading to increased anxiety and depression due to constant exposure to idealized lives and social comparison.
Dopamine is the happy chemical messenger for memory, reward, motivation and mood. If we like something we see, Dopamine wants us to repeat the action by seeing more of it. Can walking with Nature release Dopamine? Yes. Is that something we should repeat? Definitely.
The difference is there’s no comparison with Nature. Nature doesn’t make us feel ‘less than’. A walk with Nature is a reminder that we belong because Nature is our home. We ARE Nature. We feel better rather than feeling the need to purchase the brushes that will make our face look younger or the cream that will get rid of our belly fat.
Adrenaline and doom scrolling. Sometimes, we’re unable to stop scrolling, looking for the next crazy thing that will get our blood pumping, which isn’t too challenging these days.
The effects of doomscrolling on mental health include1:
Worsening depression and anxiety: People with depression or anxiety (whether officially diagnosed or not) may find that doomscrolling triggers an episode or worsens symptoms. Doomscrolling can also trigger panic attacks.
Reinforcing negative thoughts and feelings: When some people feel anxious or depressed, they may read news and information that confirms their negative feelings, creating a vicious cycle.
Sleep problems: Many people look at their phone just before bedtime. Any type of late-night media scrolling or video streaming – not just doomscrolling – can overstimulate the brain to prevent quality sleep.
Increasing stress hormone levels: Too much time spent doomscrolling can increase levels of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which leads to increased stress and mental and physical fatigue.
Lately, even when I’m reading some of the emails that I subscribe to that share political news, I find myself reading faster and faster, and I can’t read fast enough. There’s some doom reading there, too. I find I’m out of breath if I make it to the end. Fortunately, when I feel the adrenaline rising in my body, I stop reading. Close. Delete. Done. Not healthy.
My idea of marketing is sharing the beautiful photos I take in Nature, whether it’s something from the more-than-human world or one of my forest bathers. My purpose is to help support others in their longing for some peace and quiet; their longing for reconnection with the natural world. How could I possibly sell that like snake oil?
Studies show exposure to nature, specifically green spaces, helps lower blood pressure and reduce cortisol, which is the body’s stress hormone. The calming effects of being outside boosts endorphin levels and dopamine production, which promotes a happier you in a quiet way, not in a way that you’re likely to ‘crash’ later.
Chronic stress and prolonged elevated cortisol levels can lead to adverse health outcomes like high blood pressure, heart disease, and a weakened immune system2. In fact, early studies done with forest bathers in Japan revealed that the cortisol levels of a first time forest bather on subsequent walks never went back up to the level before they begin forest bathing. That tells me that time spent in Nature, with Nature, helps our bodies control the release of cortisol in stressful situations. Will we still feel stressed? Probably, and yet, in a more conscious way, a way that doesn’t let our body run away with the stress.
“Most of us sense that taking a walk in a forest is good for us. We take a break from the rush of our daily lives. We enjoy the beauty and peace of being in a natural setting. Now, research is showing that visiting a forest has real, quantifiable health benefits, both mental and physical. Even five minutes around trees or in green spaces may improve health. Think of it as a prescription with no negative side effects3.”
Who wouldn’t want to try that?
While you can always forest bathe on your own, and I recommend that you do that at least once a week, one of the most beneficial ways is to join a guided walk. Being with Nature in a community of like-minded people only reinforces the relational aspects of forest bathing. People who are willing to stand in a circle with you, close their eyes and grow roots to find a tree that would like to connect with you, are priceless. People who will read aloud the freestyle poem they wrote, starting with the words, “I sit by this water …” are beyond comparison. People who will reach out their hand to you, a stranger, as we all navigate a gravel slope, they are the best people in the world.
Let’s all give doom scrolling and influencers a break this week. Find some time with Nature, my friends.
With love, light and awe,
Linda
https://www.forestbathingfinder.com/guide-profile/lindawildheartnatureconnection/
https://www.wildheartnatureconnection.com/
https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2024/07/doomscrolling-breaking-the-habit
https://friendsoftheforestct.org/musings/the-science-behind-forest-bathing
https://dec.ny.gov/nature/forests-trees/immerse-yourself-for-better-health