Shocking title, isn’t it?
In a world consumed by the necessity to always move, and always be busy.
Where people at intersections will whip out their phone to check Facebook because they can’t bear to sit patiently for 2 minutes until the light changes.
Some of us are addicted to technology, sure, but we’ll mostly put that topic on the back burner because it’s not the main point today.
What the heck am I talking about then?
UNWIND
It’s important for our mental health to let go of stress, anxiety, and suppressed emotions.
Some suggested ways to do so are:
- Meditation
- Reading
- Exercise
- Yoga
- Therapeutic Massage
- Warm Bath/Shower
and a million more, depending on your personal preferences or what helps you relax.
The most effective way for me to unwind is to turn off my electronics (or put my phone out of reach, if I need to keep it on in case of emergency).
Once the phone is removed from sight, the real dilemma beings. Whether reading, enjoying the company of someone else, indulging in video game therapy, or television, we always seem to reach for the familiar place where our phones usually rest.
Now the body tells the brain there is no phone, and a small burst of panic spreads over.
It’s uncomfortable to be separated from technology, even for a short period of time when we’re reliant on the comfort of it.
The Challenge
This weekend I am challenging YOU to not pick up your cellphone, or laptop, and to turn off the wretched television for 5 hours.
Simply “block out” 5 hours of time either today, or tomorrow.
Reserve it for yourself!
This is time to mentally decompress. Don’t think about your Amazon cart, or what complete strangers are a complaining about in that Facebook group you love.
If you’re participating in the challenge, leave a comment on the most recent post on Instagram page at TheHandyWriter.
What’s the purpose?
The real reason I am using this weeks blog post slot to challenge my readers is because I believe there’s not enough awareness around the detriment to our mental health by our unconscious desire to be constantly “plugged in”.
There are 3.5 BILLION searches on Google every day.
That’s astonishing. Not in a negative way at all either; the fact that we have the information available to us today which would have been completely unobtainable to people 100 years ago is absolutely amazing.
But, we’ve got to “hit the reset” every so often, unplug ourselves and recharge. Enjoying a walk, jog, run, bike ride, or just breathing the fresh air and staring off into space is freeing.
As humans, our attachment to nature runs deep, in a very primal way, we need the connection to be healthy.
Think about it.
Our bodies are designed to get the vitamin D they need by producing it when sunlight hits our bare skin. So, we’re programmed to be outdoors for some length of time; we all run off oxygen after all!
RECAP!
The challenge stands!
Set aside the 5 hours (or longer if you’d like), to enjoy living like people did in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, before “smartphones” were much more than a sketch or an idea between the headphones of a Walkman radio.
Spend some time doing “nothing”, or doing something beneficial to your mental health.
Be productive during the time, and take care of the home improvement project you’ve been putting off, or cut the grass.
Don’t forget to stop by the Instagram page to drop a comment on the most recent post too.
Enjoy the freedom everybody!
The Handy Writer 