Browse
Top articles
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindful Living Can Change Your Life
Mindfulness 101: A Beginner's Guide
00:00
00:00
Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, I'm going to talk about the effect of the media on our minds and in our lives. So I think many people have a little bit of a love-hate relationship with TV and internet use. The most recent statistics indicate that the average American watches about 30 hours of TV a week. So about four hours a day.
And the average smartphone user will tap, swipe and click their phone 2,617 times a day. So the average time spent on the smartphone, two hours and 51 minutes a day on average. So that's a lot, but even though any of us are giving so much attention to the media like this, you know, studies also show that many people believe that they watch too much television and spend too much time online. So I think part of this is a simple awareness that people know that their time could be better spent doing more rewarding, nourishing or uplifting activities, but it's not just the time lost scrolling or watching the box that's detrimental to our wellbeing. There's also quite a compelling amount of research that indicates that it's not just what we're giving our time to, but it's what we view, not just the act of viewing that has all kinds of undesirable results.
One of them is that the media has been shown to influence us to place a lot of emphasis on money and status in our lives and less emphasis on nurturing close relationships, connecting with community, and contributing to a better world. The problem with this emphasis says, Tim Kasser in his book, The High Price of Materialism is that this emphasis on more materialistic values decreases our wellbeing and happiness considerably. So I think it's really, it's important to be aware that when we're using media, we're often constantly being exposed to sensationalized headlines, images specifically designed to hook our attention and elicit emotional response dances and influence our behavior. So while, of course, there is also all the great things online and on TV, wonderful conveniences, great information, it's also really important to be mindful of how the media were consuming is affecting our state of mind and wellbeing. So my invitation for today is this.
Try to bring your mindfulness practice into your relationship with the media. So perhaps even taking a pause every now and then when you're using the internet or watching TV and asking yourself, is this what you'd most like to be doing? And after you read or watch or click on something, maybe taking a pause to notice, how did it affect your mood or your state of mind? Has it stoked certain desires? And if you notice unhelpful habits, perhaps implementing boundaries that feel right to you. Maybe deciding to only consume media for a certain duration of time, or perhaps staying away from certain shows or website that affect you negatively. By doing so, you'll empower yourself to create a healthier relationship with the media in your life, reclaim your attention, and restore more happiness and wellbeing. So as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us.
And now let's settle in for our meditation.
What Is the Problem With the Media?
Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Duration
Your default time is based on your progress and is changed automatically as you practice.
Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, I'm going to talk about the effect of the media on our minds and in our lives. So I think many people have a little bit of a love-hate relationship with TV and internet use. The most recent statistics indicate that the average American watches about 30 hours of TV a week. So about four hours a day.
And the average smartphone user will tap, swipe and click their phone 2,617 times a day. So the average time spent on the smartphone, two hours and 51 minutes a day on average. So that's a lot, but even though any of us are giving so much attention to the media like this, you know, studies also show that many people believe that they watch too much television and spend too much time online. So I think part of this is a simple awareness that people know that their time could be better spent doing more rewarding, nourishing or uplifting activities, but it's not just the time lost scrolling or watching the box that's detrimental to our wellbeing. There's also quite a compelling amount of research that indicates that it's not just what we're giving our time to, but it's what we view, not just the act of viewing that has all kinds of undesirable results.
One of them is that the media has been shown to influence us to place a lot of emphasis on money and status in our lives and less emphasis on nurturing close relationships, connecting with community, and contributing to a better world. The problem with this emphasis says, Tim Kasser in his book, The High Price of Materialism is that this emphasis on more materialistic values decreases our wellbeing and happiness considerably. So I think it's really, it's important to be aware that when we're using media, we're often constantly being exposed to sensationalized headlines, images specifically designed to hook our attention and elicit emotional response dances and influence our behavior. So while, of course, there is also all the great things online and on TV, wonderful conveniences, great information, it's also really important to be mindful of how the media were consuming is affecting our state of mind and wellbeing. So my invitation for today is this.
Try to bring your mindfulness practice into your relationship with the media. So perhaps even taking a pause every now and then when you're using the internet or watching TV and asking yourself, is this what you'd most like to be doing? And after you read or watch or click on something, maybe taking a pause to notice, how did it affect your mood or your state of mind? Has it stoked certain desires? And if you notice unhelpful habits, perhaps implementing boundaries that feel right to you. Maybe deciding to only consume media for a certain duration of time, or perhaps staying away from certain shows or website that affect you negatively. By doing so, you'll empower yourself to create a healthier relationship with the media in your life, reclaim your attention, and restore more happiness and wellbeing. So as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us.
And now let's settle in for our meditation.
Duration
Play in-app
Scan the following QR code with your camera app to open it on our mobile app
Get Unlimited Access
A Mindfulness Plus+ subscription gives you unlimited access to a world of premium mindfulness content.
Email Missing
We couldn’t detect your email with the SSO provider you have selected.We are here to make a positive impact on the world. We never want to sell you something that hasn’t helped you live a better life. That’s why if you’re unhappy with any purchase from us, you have 30 days to get a full refund and your money back.
If you subscribed to Mindfulness Plus+ and are unhappy with your purchase, please get in contact with us within the 30-day period and we’ll refund your purchase.
Learn more about our Mindfulness Guarantee.
Mindfulness
We believe in a world where everybody has access to the life-changing skills of mindfulness.
Private Browsing
Congratulations on taking the first step towards a more mindful life! As a token of our appreciation, we want to offer you an exclusive opportunity to upgrade to Mindfulness Plus+ for a price you won't find anywhere else.
Mindfulness Plus+ is our premium membership that includes everything you need to learn mindfulness and keep practicing throughout all stages of life.
Take this exclusive offer to further your mindfulness skills and experience deeper levels of well-being.
Annual membership
$0
Just a small sample of the life-changing 5-star reviews we get on a daily basis.
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
Thank you for joining us
Dive into the full library and enjoy all it has to offer!
Claim your free access
Create a mindfulness account and we’ll unlock this premium session in your account forever.
7-Days free trial, cancel anytime.
Complete a few quick questions to make your own personalized mindfulness plan.
Sign up or login to your mindfulness account to proceed.
Sign up or login to your mindfulness account to proceed.
Mindfulness
One membership to gain access to a world of premium mindfulness content created to help you live happier and stress less.