Swimming Upstream
How to Live a Deep Life in the Age of Puddles
Hi, Friend!
It would be easy to walk around in a cloud of despair. Not only is the daily news gut-wrenching, but the long-form commentary about the society we live in (and are evolving into) is equally depressing.
This week I listened to a podcast with the author of the book Dopamine Kids: A Science-Based Plan to Rewire Your Child’s Brain and Take Back Your Family in the Age of Screens and Ultraprocessed Foods. The author argues that screens and ultraprocessed foods are engineered to activate dopamine (which I’ve heard before) but she goes on the explain that dopamine is more about wanting something (or being motivated to do something) than actually being satisfied when you finally do get it.
So in other words, our screens and our food make us want more, more, more, but they don’t leave us feeling satisfied once we actually have it.
I feel this acutely in my life. Scrolling on social media does not leave me feeling satisfied, and yet I still do it.
I feel like I have to actively swim upstream to live a meaningful life. In fact, I first have to seek out some deep water because so much of what’s around me is shallow puddles!
In the Highs & Lows section down below, I go into the details of how I try to build this kind of life for myself (and how I’m thinking about doing it in the future), but this podcast made me feel like I need to fight harder to help my children see this pattern in their lives and respond purposefully. I want to help them learn how to separate out what they want from what actually makes them feel good. (My hunch is that some of their screen time makes them feel good and some of it does not.)
I also want to do more to make sure they have go-to hobbies that truly bring them joy as humans in the physical world. We’re going to start by making a list!
I feel like I need to somehow integrate this practice into my daily life. Maybe we go to Target at the beginning of every month to pick out a new game and a craft activity? Or maybe I intentionally check out library books once a month that focus on hobby-like things, including cookbooks?
I’m looking forward to continuing to think this through!
This Week’s Random Tidbits
Most Interesting Podcast This Week: We Deserve More than Netflix (1000 Hours Outside)