Thinking of your attention as similar to what you eat can reveal much about yourself.
You already know that consuming too much junk food can lead to health issues, weight gain, feeling sluggish, and more. The same principle applies to what you consume mentally.
If you’re constantly taking in easy, pleasurable content like TV shows, social media, and movies, it’s like consuming mental junk food. The effects can be just as harmful.
If you’ve ever spent a period of time consuming this type of content for several hours a day, you probably recognize the impact. Your mind becomes dull, consumerism tendencies rise, and your beliefs often shift, making you more vulnerable to corporate influence.
This is a natural consequence of your “mental diet.” Similarly, if you only consume negative news — whether through newspapers, YouTube, news sites, and so forth — it can start to feel like the world is engulfed in chaos, affecting your daily decisions and outlook.
Such is the power of your mental diet.
That’s why it’s essential to be mindful of what you consume and where you direct your attention. Wherever your attention goes, that’s where your mind — and ultimately, you — will be.