Mental diet

 Diet (as in the food we use to fuel our bodies, not being 'on a diet') is something that we are constantly being reminded about, but we often forget that we need to feed our minds as well, and in the information age, this can be quite tricky (just as finding a good diet that suits your body can be).

It seems obvious that we should be mindful of the things we consume (from a mental standpoint), that if we constantly consume distressing content that we will feel unsettled, and that if we don't incorporate new information we may feel stagnant.  But figuring out how to tune our mental diet is a path full of hidden landmines.

We are surrounded by SO much information, and sadly it can be quite difficult sometimes to figure out what information is accurate.  Not only do many so called 'news' outlets deliberately tilt their articles toward whatever bias they embrace, sharing news becomes a form of telephone, where each time it gets passed along, new bits get left out and other bits get added, and the information you receive might be very different from the original truth.

As much as I hate that this is a thing, it falls on us, as the consumer of the information, to do a bit of fact checking.  Now, I don't think we all need to be researchers or that we need to have a handful of sources for everything we read, but there are a few simple ways to do a basic fact check that will help a ton.  

Firstly, look at the source.  There are sources (especially when we are talking about internet sources) that are flat out not news sources, but are often shared as if they were.  Satire sites especially like to create content for entertainment, but not everyone pays attention to the source, and if it looks like a legit article it may be treated as if it were one (even though the actual intent was to be humorous).  

There are also sources that are known to be quite sensational.  They find some obscure factoid and then figure out a way to twist it into some crazy theory and present that (in order to get more traffic on their site).  This is definitely more subjective, but if you start paying attention to the sources of the things you read, you will find that some are definitely less reliable than others.

And finally, there are interest group sites, which have a very biased slant.  Think of these as any site that is run by a group with an agenda (and yes I know this could be pretty much any site).  Often religious or special interest sites (like charity organizations) fall into this category.  They have a viewpoint, and they will only post information that supports their viewpoint.  Now, this doesn't mean that all the information they share is faulty, in fact some groups are great sources of information on the topic they focus on, but the bad ones will twist information (or flat out make it up) to suit their needs, so it's always worth remembering that and being aware of the potential bias.

The other big (but simple) tool for fact checking is to do a simple search.  You want to look for other articles or sites that have the same information.  Typically, if the majority of search results line up, you can feel pretty confidant that the information is legitimate.  Just be careful and peek at a few of the different sources as sometimes you will find that one article is just shared a bunch of times (it will literally be the exact same article, word for word, just posted on a variety of sites).

Weeding out false information can be a huge thing in maintaining a healthy mental diet, but you may find you need to go a step further and limit your exposure to people and sites that share these kind of sources.  You may notice that some people in your life thrive on digging up dramatic posts, just to get people fighting. If you find this inflammatory behavior to be distressing, then you may need to limit your contact with these people.

Everyone has different thresholds for what bothers them.  For some people, it can be enough that they just stop reading and scroll to something else when they encounter this type of drama, but for others, they may need to actually cull their contacts so that they aren't constantly being bombarded by these types of posts.  This can be really hard, especially if you have dramatic people who are family or who you have been friends with for a really long time.  But you have to consider the toll it is taking on your mental state and do what is right for you.

Now the flip side of these 'bad' mental influence is infusing your life with good mental input.  I think a mix of new information and entertainment is key (and again, what mix is right for you is highly independent!).

I feel like I need to point out that there is a difference between exposing yourself to different people's perspectives and treating those perspectives as if they were fact.  I think it is highly useful to learn about how people who are different to you think and act.  Even people who you absolutely don't agree with, if for no other reason than you can understand how they might react if you were to come into contact with them.

But often when we explore people who live and think differently from us, we can find some common threads.  We can see the ways in which we agree, but also the ways in which we disagree.  The great thing about expanding our mind in this way (especially through books and/or documentaries) is that it is a passive interaction...we aren't getting into a heated discussion with someone who may feel attacked by our different beliefs.  If we read (or watch) about different things, it allows us to wrap our heads around that different perspective at our own pace...even if our final thoughts are 'wow that's a bit crazy.'

I also feel like entertainment is necessary in life.  It's a sort of mental downtime, but I also find it to be nourishing.  I often am drawn to entertainment that fills a hole in my life, it helps me feel connected in a way that I'm not.  If I'm very stressed, I'll definitely turn to more simple, happy things, whereas if I'm in a good place I may want something a bit spicier or that has some drama.  I can create a balanced mental diet by adjusting what I am consuming to fill any voids in my life.

Our minds need stimulation as much as our bodies need movement, and by cultivating a good mental diet you are giving your mind things to think about, new ideas to play with.  It will help you build up your view of the world at large and help you to expand your horizons.