1 AM

The Word document is still blank. It’s been an hour and a half, and you’ve done everything but start typing. You scroll through a day’s worth of Facebook statuses, and learn that Kevin ran two miles during his lunch break using his new Nike thingamajig, and Danielle can’t wait to come home to NJ in 15 days because Taylor ham.  You surf on over to Perez Hilton. “Jay-Z Goes On 22-Day Vegan Cleanse” Hm. I’ve always wanted to go vegan for like, a day. Click. “Seven Stars Who Shouldn’t Leave the House Without a Bra.” The scandal! Click. “16 Dogs That Just Can’t Wait for Santa.” Oh my God, a pug dressed up as an elf…Click.Like. Share. Click.

MADNESS. Pure madness. 

The constant influx of information coming at us this day and age is unreal. It’s easier than ever to access just about anything from your fingertips. It can be a beautiful thing, and also a very ugly thing. That’s why, today, I want to talk a little bit about why it’s so important to pick and choose the stuff you are feeding your brain. To keep things short and sweet here are three major reasons low quality information is, simply put, a big ‘ol waste of time.

Celeb gossip, your Facebook newsfeed, the 5 o’clock news ….

1)      …is to the brain what sugar is to the body…Toxic. All of those bits of info that don’t have anything to do with our lives is easy to digest, like sugar. However, it can be majorly detrimental to our overall wellbeing. Negative or stressful news can actually trigger the production of cortisol which (as you know) leads to stress, which breaks down our ability to stay healthy. 

2)      …gives us a warped view of the world. This isn’t a new idea. Take Instagram for example. Instagram is essentially a highlight reel of peoples’ lives. It’s a steady stream of pretty foods and filtered selfies. Everything else in between goes missing. Same idea applies to gossip rags- except it’s a highlight reel of drama…Which is even worse.

3)      …clogs our head. This one is a no brainer. There is only so much our brains can concentrate on at a time. When we are constantly surrounded by anxiety-ridden headlines and nonsense, we are using up valuable concentration on garbage. Who needs that?

Bottom line: Clean out the BS, even if just for today and see what happens. Take us up on our challenge and swap out your usual TMZ browsing sesh for something more filling. We have a ton of great posts here on Get Smart for you to check out. Not to mention, the internet is chocked full of inspirational reads. Try it once and make the swap. Who knows? It could inspire a new you.

Until next time xo

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