People suffer for all sorts of reasons. And now, there is a new reason, and, often, it’s the principle cause: Online Social Media Anxiety.

I really explored this topic in depth in the new book, but here are some more quick thoughts for you on the subject matter.

Early on, I developed a Very Thick skin on social media because I had so much negativity and hate about the nature of my photos. I learned to develop this amazing skill: I’m AMAZING at ignoring people. Especially idiots.

Now, this combined with all my studying of mindfulness and consciousness has given me a perfect set of tools to still engage in social media and not be affected by any negativity.

Here’s a little tip for you. A mind vitamin. Notice the next time something bothers you on Social Media. The mere act of noticing you are bothered is a good step. Who is the one noticing? Is it the one that is bothered or the one that is noticing the one be bothered? A thought-shift, you see? Step 2 is to understand that things that bother you are things that do not agree with the egoic-story you are telling yourself. It’s an assault on your constructed identity. If you fight back, it’s not really you, it’s just your ego reinforcing its own story in defense mode. Your story may not be true at all! In fact, it’s possible for you to exist as a human being without having a complex set of stories that have to constantly defend. These constant battles. This endless war of defending your stories. This is what causes suffering and anxiety.

Social media amplifies this anxiety because they WANT you to be engaged in the public defense of your ideas or the attacking of others (this is really the same thing). Never before have you been able to engage in a nonstop constant public defense of your egoic stories. Your ego secretly loves it and feeds off it, starving you of mindfulness.

So, just notice, that before social media came along, you didn’t have this particular type of suffering in your life. It’s manufactured, amplified, and presented to you on a glass screen all day long. Take tiny steps… aim low… and try to engage a little less every day in the public defense of yourself.

Real Instagram handles and names are used throughout as examples. I provide my personal opinion on what may constitute fraudulent behavior on social media, based on the evidence and data available to me. The reader is welcome to draw their own conclusions.

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