I can't just be me, but the first 3 months of this, and I suppose every year, are just insane. Between work, school and general summer activities, it feels like a lot. With Easter around the corner we now in the thick of all the public holidays. I do hope everyone is having at least a little rest and relaxation.
How did your New Years resolutions go? If you like me, they got swept away with craziness of work, school and too many to do's. So I have decided to start again now. The second quarter of the year is always a little easier to manage. I must say, the Vitality Health Plan lessons are long lasting and even though I considered myself rather health and food educated, I have learnt more and continue to learn more. I have been very poor in our "The Inside of Out" WhatsApp group, but hope to get sharing again.
So what is the Inside of Out?
Its all about what we put in, what we consume. This is becoming so much more important today than ever. What we consume is certainly not just about what we eat, although that is critical to our health, it is also about what content we consume. Our WhatsApp group is more about what we consume in our diet, tips and recipes that are full of flavour and health. In this blog I want to touch on the more complicated topic of what content we consume .
It is hard to believe how this has become such an import life skill for us, and our children. This is one I take very seriously. Teaching myself how to be critical of what I consume, what I read and watch and teaching my children the same. As an example, some of you will know about our experiences and challenges in dealing with our teenager. I remind myself every day how blessed we are with our 3 children, but raising healthy adults, body and mind is very challenging.
Choosing what we consume, in our bodies and in our minds has a direct effect on our health. Both our bodies and minds need nourishment. The science around food is extensive and the ideas about good nutrition is generally accepted by most, with variation always existing. However, the science around how what we consume in content and how it affects us is still an ever evolving machine. AI is definitely the topic of the year. I have so much to learn and so much to understand, but here I want to share some tips I have learned so far, on how to protect myself and our kids emotionally and cognitively from the world of media. This is what we try do, this in no way to be taken as scientific advice, but to share our personal experiences. I am not an expert, only a parent.
Everything should be questioned, always. There is no such thing as a trusted source online, just those you trust more than others.
the integrity of a source I find is most important, what does this source have to loose if they get it wrong? Do they profit in some way by being biased?
Limit what you consume, information overload is real and harmful.
There is a time and place for watching, reading or listening too certain topics
I prefer not to consume heavy, emotional, political or religious debates / topics at the end of a day as it will affect my sleep
I teach my daughter (and our kids in general, but at her age is more important) that online friendships can be fun, but that they are never real until she meets a person. I feel the online world, including social media, is an avatar world, it is what people want you to see and therefor never the whole story, most often times it is carefully curated idealised version, of which many are guilty.
NOTHING is more important than REAL relationships, friends and loved ones. If you are important to someone, they will want to be with you and make time for you in real life.
Place a value on the time giving to topics you consume. Why would you give hours of your time to a topic that adds no value to your life?
Like the food we eat, we will always move between healthy and the more unhealthy options, but its important to mange the portion size! We will never always get it right simply because perfect does not exist. We are ever evolving and learning.
What are your thought's? I would love to hear what you do to protect yourself!