At the Everyday Creative Collective, we use something called the Connected Health Model. It’s the idea that health isn't just one thing; it's made up of multiple, interconnected dimensions. One of those dimensions is environment.

When we think about environment, we usually picture our physical space, like our home, our office, the people around us. But your information environment matters just as much.

The content you consume every day directly impacts:

Your brain doesn't always distinguish between "this is just entertainment" and "this is important." To your nervous system, it's all input.

This post was sparked by a very real experience. My (Emily’s) mother-in-law was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. Thankfully, surgery went well, but the rebuilding phase ahead raised some important questions: What actually helps a brain recover? What strengthens without overwhelming? What contributes to growth instead of exhaustion?

Not in terms of optimization or performance, but in terms of support.

But these questions don't only apply to someone in recovery. They apply to all of us, especially during seasons of stress and overwhelm. Which, let's be honest, is most of the time.

The parallel to food is a useful one. Our food intake is a mix of nourishing meals and the occasional junk food. When we eat mostly well, we feel mostly well. But when the balance tips toward junk, we notice the difference. Our information diet works the same way. The further the ratio tips toward low-quality, draining content, the worse we tend to feel.

I (Emily) have been logging every book I’ve read since 2019, and I’ve recently started digitizing the notebooks that were piling up. When I saw my entire reading history laid out in a list, there was a clear pattern: a strong lean toward dark themes. True crime. Murder. Men behaving badly.

Now, there’s no judgment here. The books weren’t “bad.” But it sparked curiosity.

What is the emotional tone I'm feeding my brain over and over again, and what effect is that having?

This is a question worth asking yourself, too. Not to eliminate any particular genre or topic, but to notice ratio and emotional tone. If most of your intake reinforces fear, outrage, or cynicism, your baseline will start to reflect that.

It's also worth considering how media shapes our perceptions of other people. Research and cultural commentary have long noted how certain groups — people experiencing homelessness, Black people, LGBTQ+ people — are often reduced to narrow stereotypes or plot devices. The more we consume that without awareness, the more it quietly shapes how we see the world.

Sometimes the problem isn’t what you’re consuming. It’s the pace at which you’re consuming it.

Podcasts on 2x. Audiobooks sped up. Skimming articles like you're competing in an information Olympics. (And yes, 90s sitcoms have even been slightly sped up to fit in more commercials. We're not imagining it.)

We wildly underestimate the effect this has on the nervous system.

I tried an experiment: on a day when I felt inexplicably agitated and anxious, I dropped the speed on the podcast I was listening to from 2x down to 1.2. And almost immediately felt calmer.

Because speed itself is information. Fast input subtly tells your brain: we're behind, we're rushed, we're not safe to slow down.

This parallels eating, too. You can have a perfectly healthy meal, but if you scarf it down without chewing, it lands differently than the same meal eaten slowly. Sometimes nourishment isn't about changing the content. It's about changing the pace.

There's a reason "brain rot" became Oxford University Press's Word of the Year in 2024, defining it as the deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state due to overconsumption of trivial or unchallenging material. People use it as a joke, but it resonates because so many of us have felt it.

Brain rot looks like:

And this isn't just cultural commentary. Research published in Brain Imaging and Behavior found that long-term television viewing was associated with lower gray matter volume in areas related to higher-order thinking (even after controlling for physical activity). Gray matter is where much of your brain's processing happens.

Other studies show that heavy passive TV consumption, defined as four or more hours daily, is associated with greater cognitive decline and increased risk of later-life impairment.

Television, which we now treat as practically harmless compared to social media, is not actually harmless.

But here's the important nuance: one Netflix night is not shrinking your brain. Brain rot doesn't happen in a dramatic moment. It happens slowly, when:

It's patterns that matter. And patterns can be changed.

Let's be clear about something: we're not setting up a good-versus-bad framework or demonizing any platform or type of content. The goal is awareness. It is understanding how the information you take in is either brain-supporting or brain-taxing.

And nourishing content does not mean serious, educational, or self-improving. It means content that supports all aspects of brain health, like growth, flexibility, and regulation. It’s support for where you are right now.

There are four categories worth thinking about:

Your brain thrives on novelty and challenge. This could look like:

You're not trying to become an expert. You're just giving your brain something new to work with. For those interested in more therapeutic options, the Barrow Neurological Institute has compiled a list of apps and games that support skills like language, memory, and planning with difficulty levels that increase over time.

Some content nourishes by widening how we see the world:

Practical Tip: ask people with different life experiences from yours for recommendations. It could be clients, neighbors, coworkers, or friends you don't often discuss books with. It's a way to expand your worldview and deepen connection because you can follow up and talk about it afterward.

A regulated nervous system is foundational for learning and growth. If your brain is constantly taxed, it can't grow. Regulating content might look like:

Sometimes your brain doesn't need more insight. It needs to settle.

Passive consumption has its place, but actively engaging with content builds brain health more effectively. This can be as simple as:

This is where creativity naturally enters. Turning input into output through writing, drawing, teaching, even just discussing, helps your brain actually integrate what it's learning. As Evie put it: "If you're learning something, teach it to someone. That's how it becomes usable."

This isn't about unplugging. It's not about banning dark content or canceling your streaming subscription. Being informed matters. Entertainment matters. The occasional binge is fine.

The issue isn't one episode, one book, or one scroll session. The issue is balance because content is not neutral, and everything you take in shapes your brain over time. Being informed doesn't have to mean being immersed.

If most of your intake is brain-taxing, your mood, sense of well-being, and overall environment will reflect that. Awareness won't fix it overnight, but awareness changes patterns over time.

A simple three-part reflection:
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​First notice: How does the content you consume make you feel? About yourself? About other people? About your future?
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​Then name: What is one brain-supporting input you already have? What is one brain-taxing input that's no longer serving you?
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​Last list: What might you want to replace it with? Is there a skill you want to learn? Or a language to try? Or a different type of content to explore?
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​No immediate action required. Awareness changes patterns over time.