Sometimes we have to be at least one bottle of Chardonnay deep to realize how utterly unique we are, but the morning-after hangovers serve as a dutiful reminder that alcohol is not the equivalent of happiness. Even hangover-free, how many of us wake up smiling with the blissful revelation that life is beautiful? We’re not all careless hippies (blessed be their spiritual work, damned be their B.O.), or one-percenters with millions to blow on distractions from the worries of humanity. The majority of us Millennials are mere cogs and springs turning inside some rich guy’s grandfather clock. So in our obsolete, systematic version of hell, we’ve become obsessed with the tragically modern, ritualistic escape of experiencing life through a digital screen.
A study from Elon University supports the notion that our generation is psychologically addicted to social media (yup, it’s official), stating “this generation has made social media their top priority and continues to need more usage in order to feel satisfied.” Feel like you can relate? Another study from the University of Connecticut describes the negative effect the media has on self-esteem, specifically body image. With media exposure through the roof, we’ve formed a visual concept of what happy looks like, and in the process we’ve become lost to the idea that a crooked smile is more meaningful than a full-lipped, photoshopped pout. Happy isn’t a brand you can patent and sell, yet we have the destructive tendency to associate our own happiness with an aesthetic lifestyle or image that we cannot realistically reach.
For God’s sake, most of us live on a college budget, and exist within a gene pool that seems extraordinarily ordinary. We have infinite access to the ideals of beauty and riches through impersonal Instagram photos and Vogue subscriptions, so how do we learn to love the “mediocre” life we lead in the “imperfect” body that consciousness has manifested itself in? The answer is unconditional self-love, in all its undermined glory. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, and a nauseating amount of romance in the air, self-love is tragically overlooked as so many singles get caught in the emotional avalanche of “Ew love sucks! Couples are gross, I never wanna’ fall in love. Let’s get drunk instead.” The problem with this mentality is it’s not love that deserves the blame; it is the idea that love is only found between two people, and that you owe your love to anyone else in the first place. If you can cultivate an ounce of love towards your own self, you’re already taking a step in the right direction.
It’s not always easy to muster up internal feelings of positivity, but the results are worth the effort. Begin by disconnecting: turn off your phone, close your Facebook and Twitter accounts, and take some “me time”. Create a routine in which you pamper yourself, remind yourself you are important, too, and focus your intentions on appreciating the little things in life. Give thanks to your body for it’s functionality, beauty and being. Give thanks for the meal you ate today, or the fact that it didn’t rain. If it did rain, give thanks for that, too. Not many people are open to acknowledging the power of positive intentions, but for those of you with an education on metaphysics, the scientific evidence is liable.
Japanese alternative healer, Dr. Masaru Emoto, experimented with the effect of positivity on water molecules as a simple, yet impacting visual explanation for how positive intentions work. To sum it up, he labeled one bottle of water with a positive phrase, such as “I love you” or “thank you”, and another bottle with a negative phrase, such as “you make me sick.” Then he froze the water and observed the crystalline results through a microscope. The results were drastic: water molecules that had been labeled with positive phrases froze in symmetrical patterns, exhibiting a vibrational harmony. Meanwhile, the frozen water molecules with negative phrases showed no coherent patterns whatsoever.
What can we take from this experiment? Considering our bodies are about 60% water, it is safe to assume that your own thoughts and intent have a physiological effect on your body, and the type of effect depends on the positive or negative input. Self-love and positive intent go hand in hand. Take time out of your day for yourself to meditate, mentally cleanse yourself of negativity and replace those thoughts with positive ones. The results will be a happier you, a healthier body, and a butterfly effect of wishful thinking upon the people you hold close to your heart.