When I was 13 my Dad bought me a can of beer. It was a substitute for a conversation that I hoped to have with him. I realize now that he was passing along the only tool he’d ever had…
In the years that followed we developed a routine. He would ask me in the morning if I needed anything from the store. The list of cigarettes, beer, wine, and hard liquor got more extensive, until I forgot what sober felt like.
Before long I woke up expecting to feel exhausted, hung over, and depressed. I’d forgotten what good felt like…
It took me years of normalizing illness to rediscover my path to health. Through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and ultramarathon trail running I unlocked new tiers of personal potential. I learned through experience just how powerful my mind and body were.
Today, a generation of kids are drunk on the digital age. Constant stimulation, nonstop notifications signaling our current level of social approval, and a cascade of dopamine-draining technologies that impact our physiology are making anxiety, exhaustion, and depression the new default state.
A generation of kids are forgetting what health fees like…
Just as the alcohol binges of my youth created a state of dysregulated physiology that impacted my psychological state, the social media binges and screen addiction impacting the brain and body of our youth are not indicative of an underlying psychological disorder.
They are indicative of a brain and body working exactly as they are designed in an environment that becomes less natural by the day.
We need to give our youth the tools that they need, not just the tools that we’re used to, or happen to have on hand.
Our new online course, Physiology First for Parents, provides a 21st century toolkit for improving mental and physical health.
My Dad didn’t know any better when he gave me that beer.
He didn’t realize it would cause a spiral of declining health that would take years to recover from.
He was just passing along the tools that he was familiar with. The tools that he’d relied on.
When the response to a natural physiological cascade caused by the rapidly evolving digital age is labeled a “disorder” and treated with pills, instead of skills, we make a similar mistake that threatens to derail the path of health for an entire generation.
It’s time to create a 21st century toolkit that teaches a generation how to operate their brain and body with agency.
It’s time to teach the next generation about their physiology first.
In the article below I share tips for mastering motivation in the digital age. Share with a parent or young person in your life, and let’s build a global community dedicated to exploring the power of our physiology!
David and the Physiology First Team
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