December Wrap-Up: What Social Media Is Really Doing to Our Minds And How We Can Reclaim Our Peace

As the year winds down, December brought a powerful theme to Healing Is My Hobby:

our relationship with social media, our nervous systems, and our emotional well-being.

Whether we realize it or not, most of us live in a constant state of low-level overstimulation. Our brains are absorbing more information in an hour than previous generations consumed in an entire day. And for many of us, that information is coming from one place:

Social media.

This month, through our Therapy Is My Cardio series and the Healing Lab experiment, I took a deep dive into what social media is doing to us — not just psychologically, but physically, emotionally, and neurologically.
Here’s what I learned, what surprised me, and the small shifts that can help all of us feel more grounded in a digital world that never stops moving.

📱 The Emotional Cost of Constant Stimulation

In our December Therapy Is My Cardio episode, we explored the cognitive load of scrolling — how every image, video, caption, opinion, and emotional tone becomes something for our brains to process.

In just one minute of scrolling, we encounter:

• facial expressions

• political takes

• celebrations and tragedies

• humor and beauty standards

• ads

• opinions

• conflict

• inspiration

• comparison triggers

This flood of content creates:

• mental fatigue

• fragmented attention

• irritability

• emotional numbness

• overstimulation

It’s not that social media is inherently bad — it’s that our brains were never designed for this much input.

💬 How Social Media Shapes Our Mood, Identity, and Nervous System

Throughout December, we talked about:

Comparison Culture

How easy it is to measure our worth against curated highlight reels — and how this distorts our sense of self.

Validation Loops

The pull of “just checking” becomes a habit loop reinforced by dopamine, making it harder to disconnect.

Emotional Overload

Even positive content takes up emotional space.
Our systems can only absorb so much before they shut down.

Trauma Triggers

For many people, certain content activates old wounds — often without them realizing what’s happening in their body.

🧪 The Healing Lab: My 4-Day Social Media Reset

This month, I put myself through a real experiment:
I logged off for four days.

I didn’t expect it to be easy, but I was surprised by how often I reached for my phone without thinking.
The urge to check — especially in the first 48 hours — was strong. It wasn’t about connection. It was a reflex, a coping strategy, a way to avoid discomfort.

Here’s what I learned:

1. Discomfort Is Insightful

When I couldn’t scroll, emotions surfaced: boredom, loneliness, irritation, fatigue.
Those emotions weren’t problems — they were information.

2. Social Media Adds Less Value Than I Thought

Once the urges quieted, I realized how peaceful it felt not to be plugged in.

3. “Post It and Leave It” Is My New Rule

Borrowing from Therapy Is My Cardio, I now share content without checking it afterward.
No likes. No comments. No spirals.

4. My Productivity and Presence Increased

With fewer micro-distractions, I felt more grounded, creative, and connected to my actual life.

5. I’m More Intentional Now

I don’t avoid social media — but I choose when I use it.
And that choice makes all the difference.

💡 What December Taught All of Us

Across every episode and experiment, a clear message emerged:

Our digital lives need boundaries. Not punishment, not restriction — boundaries that help us return to ourselves.

Some of the most powerful shifts are simple:

• No-morning scrolling

• App limits

• Notifications off

• Posting without monitoring

• One-breath interruptions

• Replacing scrolling with something grounding

• Asking: “What is my body needing right now?”

These practices don’t eliminate social media — they transform our relationship with it.

🌱 Closing Reflection: Reclaiming Our Digital Peace in 2026

As we move into a new year, consider this:

Social media can be a tool, a connector, and a source of creativity —
but only when we stay in the driver’s seat.

December reminded me, and hopefully reminded you, that:

• our attention is precious

• our nervous system has limits

• our emotional well-being deserves protection

• our real lives are happening outside the scroll

If this month taught us anything, it’s that intentionality changes everything.

Here’s to a calmer, clearer, more grounded digital life in the year ahead.
And here’s to choosing connection that nourishes — not overstimulates.