Episode 3 - A Very Special Episode: Mental Health and Technology Techno-Biotic Podcast

Content Warning: In this episode the hosts talk about the potential effects technology has on mental health, both positive and negative. We speak from our own experiences and try to be authentic about our feelings, fears,0 and concerns. We certainly are not trained mental health professionals and avoid giving advice or treatment recommendations, focusing more on our own struggles and histories.
Our resident Millennial and “Spiritual Boomer” Laura talks about how overwhelming the expectations of keeping up with technology can be and the impact it has on her ability to be mindful and stay in the moment.
Laura brings up the collaboration between Barbie and Headspace for a Mindful Barbie meant to introduce younger folks to the concept and benefits of mindfulness. https://www.thetoyinsider.com/barbie-wellness/
Shane talks about how his daughter’s elementary school introduced the students to Calm.com and trained them to recognized their own anxiety triggers around schoolwork and social situations.
Shane calls out a tweet by Jabe Bloom that asked “Which notifications bring you joy?” And discusses how notifications can drive joy or anxiety depending on the context. https://twitter.com/cyetain/status/1222893652617388032
Matt talks about his fears as a father that technology has the potential to negatively impact younger folks at an early age, especially cyber bullying. What role should parents play in understanding and managing the technology your children are exposed to?
We talk about the role technology plays in the erosion of work life balance and the impact that has on personal relationships. We also discuss how some countries have legislated the use of work technology after the work day ends.
We talk about how some companies are dealing with rising anxiety and mental health in the workplace.
We talk about our relationships with technology and how we see it as an escape or way of relaxing or unwinding. Matt touches on the blue light and it’s impact on our brains and sleep patterns. Shane brings up the trend of societies sleep patterns and the potential to use technology as a way to enhance human performance as we learn more and collect more data through wearables.
Blue Light Impacts: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side
Sleep trends: https://www.sleepadvisor.org/sleep-statistics/
We discuss bullying and the dynamics of human interaction online versus face to face. This morphs into a conversation about listening more and talking less and active listening skills as a method of mindfulness and the importance of making space for others as well as yourself. Headspace gets it’s 4th (unsponsored) mention. https://www.headspace.com/
A discussion on the stigma of admitting mental health issues for boys and young men and for girls with Hungarian mothers. We talk about the power of sharing and being transparent about our own mental health struggles and working on increasing empathy in our interactions.
We talk about what it takes to get humans to change and reference the work of John Kotter. https://www.kotterinc.com/
Laura shares with us her brilliant lock screen that reminds her that other things in that moment may be more important than her phone.
https://www.techno-biotic.com/maps-the-journey-and-technobiotic-lock-screens



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