What is your algorithm?
Do you ever feel like you are being watched? Or that your devices know what you want before you do? They do! Your algorithm tells social media what you are interested in and what you are more likely to watch so it can be cued up next. Your computer is studying you and is an expert on predicting what you will do. As you spend time on the computer or smart phone, watch it and see how it changes depending on what you do.
As you watch your reels on Facebook or shorts on YouTube and as you click and scroll, keep in mind that your search engine is recording what you watch. You might think twice about what you do online if it will be difficult to get out of that pattern later, especially if it affects the way you think and feel. What if the same could be said about your brain? Imagine that your brain works like a search engine and your focus sets up your algorithm. You determine what your brain focuses on and you determine the information it is exposed to throughout the day. Most of us allow our algorithm to determine our focus. Instead, we can embrace that power ourselves to feel better about life. Therapy can help us take back that power, beginning with an increased awareness of what we focus on.
The doomscrolling algorithm
As we take control of our focus we are more able to change how we think and feel. The more you focus on something, the more likely it is that you will experience physical changes associated with thoughts related to the information. Information and thoughts affect us in very physical ways through our emotions and the chemical changes our bodies experience with strong emotion.
It is important to realize that when we focus on something and have a physical experience through emotions, we are more likely to create neural pathways in the brain. A neural pathway in the brain will make the feeling and behavior more probable in the future. In turn, that will validate the pattern. It is one thing to be addicted to doomscrolling on your device, and another to constantly look for the worst case scenario on a daily basis in your life. That kind of anxiety is exhausting, painful, and debilitating!
As you unconsciously scroll and click on what you find interesting, you may feel more scared or depressed. If so, you may be clicking on fear-based or suffering-based information that is changing your brain and making you more susceptible to anxiety and depression. The algorithm that influences your thoughts and feelings on your computer may be creating your fear and suffering! In therapy we train patients how to choose more positive thoughts over negative thoughts. This process makes the sifting of information more conscious, and helps you decide what you focus on. Undeniably, it takes training and discipline to change how you think. The process can take a few months, but in the end my patients are able to feel more at peace with issues in their lives they have considered overwhelming and unmanageable.
Your focus and your feelings
In other words, your brain is influenced by a thought algorithm because your thoughts and feelings are determined by what you focus on. If the algorithm is positive, you will have more positive thoughts. Positive thoughts bring on positive feelings that are associated with certain chemical reactions in the body. Chemicals like serotonin dopamine and norepinephrine give us a natural high. Stress, on the other hand, neutralizes and destroys all feel good chemicals in the brain. While we cannot end all negative things in our lives, stress becomes debilitating if we do not take a time out from stress to decompress and let go of worry and heartache for a while. As little as 15-20 minutes a day can make a huge difference in how you feel!
With this purpose in mind, we take control of our thought algorithms by becoming aware of our thoughts and becoming aware of what we focus on. In fact, awareness is achieved through the consistent practice or daily reflection in journal writing. Little by little we are more able to stop focusing on the negative thoughts and feelings that make us miserable. Little by little we give ourselves permission to focus on positive, nurturing and loving thoughts about ourselves and our lives.
Create the life algorithm you want
Summing up, consider the information you are presenting your brain and how you are reinforcing the focus in your life. If you are feeling anxious and you continue to focus on fear based information, the anxiety will only increase. Take a step back and watch your thoughts and feelings. Be honest about how your focus and the algorithm you create for yourself are contributing to how you feel. Give yourself the opportunity to feel more at peace with your life right now. Let go of irrational fears. Most importantly, practice taking control of your focus and start finding the peace you have always wanted to have in your life!
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