Please click on a photo of a flower

My mother-in-law started a cooking account a while back, and I asked some friends of mine to follow her. One response from an editor friend in New York made me pause and laugh. She said, “Susie, I only follow kitten, pony, rabbit, and dolphin accounts…It’s a mental health thing!” Good for her, I thought. Her brain is probably filled with enough chaos. 

Her reply got me thinking about my brain, too. 

During a couple of conscious social-media breaks this year, I had to ask myself, “How much is scrolling really costing me and all of us?” I know I spend a lot (too much?) time online, falling down rabbit holes that leave me feeling worried and tense. Or else wondering, “Is that AI?”…or getting wrapped up in spats that have nothing to do with me. 

As a life coach, I know that our attention is the most valuable asset we possess, because what we focus on expands. It colors our outlook. Yet most people hand it away without much discernment. 

This was mirrored in a conversation I eavesdropped on while walking my dog one evening. Two women were power-walking side by side and one wailed, “Well, the world’s a mess. Just look at the feed on your phone! I don’t know what to worry about first!”

The other responded, “What? Stop! Sounds like your algos are doing a number on you….” The rest I wished I caught, they were going too fast and my sweet Yorkie is a slow-moving 16-year-old. But I know how I would have finished the thought: “You need to fix that!”

Here’s a simple truth: You don’t have to passively ingest what comes your way. You can exercise your personal agency.

I’ve found that the more I enjoy videos and images of what is real, the calmer I feel. And what’s real is the physical, tangible world around us. Things we can touch and feel (trees, oceans, animals, flowers, fruits, plants, sunlight on our face). Bring on the images of a child blowing on a white puffball that was once a dandelion or a deliriously happy dog rolling around on the lawn. Even just a bed of cosmos bobbing in the breeze. So much better than illusions of comparison to others, nonsensical animations of politicians break-dancing, or clickbait that frightens us (this next terrible thing is about to happen; brace for impact)! 

This is why getting outside is so restorative. So why not bring more of what’s real into the palm of your hand and, more importantly, your mind? What is real in the world reconnects us to an ancient and eternal part of us all. Because we too are nature. So why not choose a closer relationship with beauty more often — online and off? This is a selection that only you get to make. It’s not accidental that the people and things we nurture and pay attention to are the things that blossom. 

Every click is a vote for what we want more of, and every follow is a signal inviting, "More of this, please."

So perhaps it's time to have a little break-up with some of our familiar algorithms.

You know the old line: "It's not you, it's me."

Maybe this time it's the opposite.

It's not me... it's you. With “you” being an algorithm full of darkness and looming disaster. And thankfully, unlike most break-ups, this one is remarkably easy to do. Click on what’s pretty, what transports you, what helps you escape and feel lighter. A tree, a bird, a flower: All good places to start. The algo will get the message, the beauty will multiply, and your mood will be that much brighter.

What images are helping you savor nature? Show us and tag us @miraclegro on Instagram.