A society of deeply lonely people, who have been taught that life is about money & showing off, who don't ever get out into nature, who are controlled & humiliated at work, will have a depression crisis -for a very good reason. We're not living in ways that meet our deepest needs
It doesn't have to be this way. Very few people like these factors in the way we live. We can come together and change them. It's not primarily a problem in you - it's in the society, and we can heal the society #Reconnection
Obviously covid restrictions are necessary. These were crises before covid - & we need to undo them when we emerge from covid.
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This is my first time looking at Twitter in a year. The world is full of joyful & meaningful things to do. Talk to people; read books; walk in nature; dance. Twitter is not one of those things. It coarsens & degrades everyone who heavily uses it. Spend your one precious life well
The 4 mental states that Twitter most often stirs in its users are sarcasm, exasperation, contempt, and rage. We all have those feelings sometimes, & in small doses they can be healthy - but they are psychologically disastrous modes to live in over the longer term.
Healthy modes to live in are: curiosity, openness, compassion. Build your life around encouraging these states as much as possible. To do that, you need to take yourself off Twitter, a site that systematically smothers them
Whoah! I just got an email explaining my TED talks have now, in total, been viewed over 70 million times. People are clearly hungry for a more compassionate and loving approach to addiction, depression & anxiety. Here’s the addiction talk ted.com/talks/johann_h…
Here’s my talk about why depression and anxiety are rising – and why we need to stop insulting this signal by saying it’s a sign of weakness or madness, & start listening to it: ted.com/talks/johann_h…
And here’s the Facebook link, where my talk about how the opposite of addiction is connection has been viewed 49 million times facebook.com/TED/videos/262…
A year ago today I learned my friend Jamie Janson died by suicide. He taught me many things in the 10 years I knew him but I am think of one in particular today dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7…
Jamie was from an extremely wealthy background - but he chose to seek meaning instead of comfort, possessions, stuff.
He lived in refugee camps to help people fleeing the worst things that can happen to people, he went to Syria to fight for the Kurds against the forces trying to destroy them.
Most people know that, except in small doses, Twitter is bad for your mood, attention span, & outlook. It’s why I take long breaks. Here’s some tips for cutting back your use:
1. Make a list on your phone of all the things that are more fulfilling than twitter - books, phoning friends, going for a run. Before opening twitter, look at this list & ask: could I do one of these instead?
2. Anne Lamott says - you are your habits. Your habits are your life. If this isn’t how you want to spend your life, remember: you need to do other things starting now.
I just got an email saying my most recent TED talk - 'This could be why you're depressed or anxious' - has had 6 million views. It got a recent surge because so many more people are depressed & anxious, & the causes for this surge are clearly environmental ted.com/talks/johann_h…
If you're interested in how I'd apply this thinking to the current crisis, I talked to @voxdotcom about some aspects of it: vox.com/2020/3/28/2119…
My brilliant friend @rcbregman has written an extraordinary book that won’t just expand your mind, it will expand your heart. It's called 'Humankind: A Hopeful History', out now from @BloomsburyBooks
It’s about the most important question of all - what’s our nature as human beings? - and it has so much to say about it that is revelatory