“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I’ve just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” Diane Ackerman
I recently came across the term ” bloomscrolling ” while perusing an article in Psychology Today Magazine. I love collecting words in notebooks that I have strategically placed at my favorite reading nooks (the bedroom nightstand and the sunlit office). Along with jotting down new-to-me words that I hope to incorporate into my conversation and writing, I keep old-fashioned dictionaries around to peruse too! (Thanks, Mom, for getting me in the habit of enjoying a varied word stock with the kitchen word wall you drafted each day for my sister and 2 brothers to absorb!)
Bloomscrolling, according to the article by Ludmila N. Praslova, Ph.D., is “the deliberate search for true stories of human kindness and images of natural beauty…” Catchy name, right? Bloomsrolling rather than adopting the habit of its opposite, doomscrolling, or the practice of becoming entangled in negative and stressful non-stop news.
I am a latecomer to scrolling of any kind since not having had reliable cell service for so many years. It’s been eerily fascinating to note how the algorithm selects just what to add to my feed, even though I follow sites such as State Parks, history and art museums such as Smithsonian’s Side Door, nature and science podcasts including The Wild with Chris Morgan, Science Friday, Golden State Naturalist, etc., that doom and gloom still appear frequently on my feed.
Not that I keep my head in the sand. I am all for keeping up with local and world news. It goes without saying that the news is truly important to keep on top of. However, I am learning that research supports bloomscrolling, and that intentional curation and mindful content selection can create a sense of nurture and feel life-giving rather than draining. But don’t spend too much time ogling pictures of lakeside living, serene green forests of redwoods, and cute animal videos. It’s all a balancing act. It’s the Goldilocks effect- not too much and not too little, but juuuust the right amount of engagement in any one form or another.
We most assuredly need up-close-and-personal real-time beachside visits with the scent of brine or the piney scent of the woods to encourage and enhance positive emotions and strengthen our well-being, along with research-supported interactions, socializing, and keeping inspired by those around us. Now, excuse me while I get back to viewing some Nichibei pottery online, and then head out to my pottery barn to glaze a new batch of wheel-thrown vases and jars to present to my friends at Grace Hudson Museum, Twin Pine Casino Gift Shop, and the Petrified Forest’s Gift Shop.
