#NFH 21 - Fatherhood, Desires & Tik Tok Superweapon

5-minute mental health newsletter.

Author

Nick Horton
January 29, 2023

The 5-minute mental health newsletter.

Never Fully Heard is a space for men to listen to and engage in open, vulnerable & uncomfortable conversations to help improve their mental health being.

In today's edition:

Self-reflection question of the week: Are my desires rooted in insecurity?

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It's Sunday, let's go!

Before reading I want you to do four box breaths.

Exhale to a count of four, holding your lungs empty for a four-count, inhaling at the same pace, and holding air in your lungs for a count of four before exhaling.

Repeat 4 times.

Link to podcast here

  • Elliott's career journey to date

  • The traumatic birth of his daughter

  • Masks of masculinity

  • The difficulty in being vulnerable as a man

  • Why men are seeking spaces for these conversations

  • Why uncomfortable conversations are so important

  • The most important lessons to date

  • Fears of fatherhood

âť“Self-reflection question âť“

Are my desires rooted in insecurity?

This is a fascinating thread to pull on

Definition of desire:

"A strong feeling of wanting something to happen or wishing for something to happen"

Desires can be completely positive and healthy

However...

This week I want you to examine your deepest desires

What would your desires coming true do for you?

When, how and for what reason did you acquire your desires?

Does this desire fill a hole in your life that was created by a traumatic event?

Is this desire covering up an insecurity I have?

As desire is such a strong driving force for humans you have to careful of what is driving them.

đź“ťArticle of the week

A snippet from the article:

"In order to develop and maintain mental faculties like memory and attention span, one needs to practice using them. TikTok, more than any other app, is designed to give you what you want while requiring you to do as little as possible. It cares little who you follow or what buttons you click; its main consideration is how long you spend watching. Its reliance on machine learning rather than user input, combined with the fact that TikTok clips are so short they require minimal memory and attention span, makes browsing TikTok the most passive, uninteractive experience of all major platforms.

If it’s the passive nature of online content consumption that causes atrophy of mental faculties, then TikTok, as the most passively used platform, will naturally cause the most atrophy. Indeed many habitual TikTokers can already be found complaining on websites like Reddit about their loss of mental ability, a phenomenon that’s come to be known as “TikTok brain.” If the signs are becoming apparent already, imagine what TikTok addiction will have done to young developing brains a decade from now.

TikTok’s capacity to stupefy people, both acutely by encouraging idiotic behavior, and chronically by atrophying the brain, should prompt consideration of its potential use as a new kind of weapon, one that seeks to neutralize enemies not by inflicting pain and terror, but by inflicting pleasure."

Link to the full article here

🚀 Share Never Fully Heard 🚀

If you know someone who would enjoy being a part of this community please forward them this email or send them this link below.