In the age of digital media, protecting our peace has become difficult as we spend many hours with our gazettes. When it comes to social media, scrolling down seems like a never-ending thing that we really like to do, sometimes consciously, sometimes sub-consciously.

Thus, spending more time with your phone or laptop not only affects your eyesight, concentration level, sleep hygiene, but also makes you addicted to the digital media that eventually hampers your mental peace. Although we know the side-effects, yet, we drag ourselves toward the digital media to spend hours in scrolling down the social handles of our favorite celebrities or public figures or our friends or relatives. Along with this, we pay little attention to control our duration to spend time with digital media.

Being a Blogger and Content Creator, even I find it hard to balance my screen-time and offline work to maintain my peace of mind and take care of my mental health. Thus, I decided to ask my questions to my friend Dipika Singh who is a Blogger, Social Media Influencer, and Digital Content Creator. We had a nice conversation on the same.

Here is what we talked and discussed on the first conversation from my storytelling community. The topic of the conversation was ‘Protecting Your Peace in the Age of Digital Media’.

TPS: Hi Dipika! Welcome to my series, Of Peace and Purpose. Today, I want to know from you how you focus on the small acts of self-care to protect your peace along with working on the digital media in a vast spectrum. Dipika, we have heard the phrase, Protect Your Peace. Dipika, we would like to know from you, how you protect your Peace being a social media influencer and digital content creator.

D: It is a very tough thing to manage, we often fall in the vicious circle of wishes & desires. But, in the end, what matters to me is my personal peace. So, there have been many instances, when #FOMO hits you hard and you act impulsively. But, then with age, I have devised the approach of not acting on impulses. I take my time to react and choose my battles wisely – keeping in check what’s really important to me.

TPS: Well, that’s a nice thing to know. I also believe in taking time to response to people and avoid making impulsive choices. So, Dipika, do you practice Digital Detox and Social Media Detox? If yes, how frequently and in which ways? What have been the results on your Peace of mind when you went for a digital detox or social media detox?

D: Yes, I do, and very frequently. Occasionally, I simply vanish for a few days from social media channels. However, it doesn’t hamper my work as most business communication occurs through e-mail. Additionally, I choose to avoid the temptations of short-form video content for a week or so. I personally feel it puzzles & clouds my own personal style & creative ideas. Hence, I don’t go with the social media trends. Some may call it differently, but this is my way of handling social media stress.

TPS: Vanishing from social media channels helps me too. Taking a hiatus from my social media handles give me peace and helps me improve my focus. Dipika, being a social media influencer means you need to interact with a bunch of people on a daily basis. I am wondering, how do you choose your circle so that you can maintain your peace of mind?

D: I vividly remember a few instances, where I have been subjected to emotional discharge by a few I chose as my people. Those very few episodes left me with lessons for life, and hence my inner circle is very small. I am a people person and have cordial relations with many from the blogging & social media community. But, when it comes to the inner circle – it’s selected few, including my family.

I choose only the people who really matter to me.

– Dipika Singh

TPS: Wonderful! That’s a life lesson for all of us. I have been there when I faced unexpected turns in my relationships and you are true, we get hurt from people who are close to us. Such an important message you have shared, choosing people who really matter to you gives you the much-awaited peace. Dipika, you have a daughter. Do you think it’s important to educate kids about mental health at their early stage of academics?

D: Yes, of course! Even I believe it is most important to teach kids about mental health now than ever. After the onslaught of the COVID scare, kids too have gone through emotional highs and lows. Hence, open communication becomes very crucial to maintain transparency between adults and children. I am glad to see, educational institutions are taking time out to teach kids life skills and mental health-related issues.

TPS: I agree with you. From my personal experience, I believe it too. Teaching about mental health issues to children have become more important than before. Dipika, as a social media influencer, is there anything that you would like to promote to your audience to contribute to society by bringing a change?

D: I am very vocal about random acts of kindness and totally believe in them. On my social media platforms and blog, I often talk about how to imbibe kindness in our day-to-day life.

With the way we are progressing in life, almost like semi-machines, it is important to feel humane for each other.

– Dipika Singh

TPS: Dipika, you have told my words. I don’t know when and how we became like almost a machine, but it really hurts seeing people forgetting to behave like a human. You are right, random acts of kindness could save us from becoming a machine by keeping our emotions alive. Dipika, I know, you have suffered from mental health problems and fought with utmost courage. So, would you like to share your message with the mental health fighters living on the other side of the light?

D: Yes of course! I would love to send my message to those lovely souls who are fighting with their inner demons every moment. Here is what I want to say:

“Every battle is different, those who are fighting this silent war know how tough it is to come out and speak about it. But, as someone who has been there, I know it is important to talk. No matter, what you feel inside, however vulnerable you are, it is crucial to ask for help. Today, times have changed a lot, there are a lot of volunteers who come out and counsel those in need.”

Life is very precious, we may feel dejected or rejected at times, but once the turmoil is over, you will see how beautiful the world is.

– Dipika Singh

TPS: Thank you so much Dipika for being our first guest on the series ‘Of Peace and Purpose’, a part of my initiative The Peace Stories, to bring the power of conversation and community together.

Meet the Guest: