Wait a Minute: Practice pausing before posting on social media

A simple mindful practice can slow down an emotional reaction, take a breath, and encourage you to pause before posting.

Social media has made it easy to broadcast our thoughts and feelings widely in an instant. At the same time, we often don’t take into account the huge numbers of people who will read what we share. How many friends do you have on social media? 300 to 400? 500 plus? How often do you really stop before posting?

When emotions are at their peak, there is a lot of quick, non-face-to-face communication. For teens, this can be especially difficult, given their tendency to be impulsive.

“Teenagers are biologically more likely to make poorly thought-out decisions,” he says. Tristan Gorindo“The part of the brain behind the forehead that controls judgment is going through a rapid period of development,” says Jorindo, who studies the way families use technology.

For teens and adults alike, it’s all too easy for a moment of heightened emotions to lead to intense conflict, bullying, or just saying something that stays forever and can be very unfortunate.

Jorindo created a practice called WAIT, designed with teens in mind (but perfect for anyone living in today’s world). Digital world). Here are 4 questions to ask yourself before you post:

W = wide audience
“Am I going to say this in front of a school assembly?” (If you’re an adult, imagine your entire office.)

A = affects
“Am I in a good emotional place now?”

I = intention
“Could my intention be misunderstood?”

T = today
“Today, tomorrow, or the next day? Can this wait a day?”

Assessing the urgency of what we’re about to say can provide a useful injection of perspective. Why is it so urgent? What would happen if you took a breath and paused before posting? And if you wait, will you feel differently about it later?

This article also appeared in a slightly different form in the December 2013 issue of the magazine attentive magazine.