Your advice and understanding of this has been extremely helpful to me in my own battle. Though I have found to find the right balance with my phone, I've had to experiment with extremes.
I have spent the last month wearing a high vest on my London commute top stop the automatic reach for the phone.
It's ridiculous (and very mid-life crisis!) but if was the only thing that gave me enough friction! It's quite a social commitment.
This Tuesday marks 30 days and I'm writing about how I feel now. Turns out looking like an idiot is a small price to pay for incredible gains.
I find myself energized by the fight for American values, democracy, climate, rule of law, and basic human decency. But you are right, there is only so much I can actually do against the firehoses, only so much I can constantly keep track of. Taking breaks, unplugged, human breaks, experiencing the world through our senses and engaging with others through our words and actions - these are necessary preconditions to sustaining our fighting energies, and indeed coming out the other side of this dark tunnel.
It's been so cold in Philly that our outdoor activities, even sledding or ice skating, have seemed too painful! God bless the Minnesotans on the streets standing up for themselves and the rest of us. May they also come home to hot mugs of tea, cashmere sweaters, and movie nights with family!
I myself find it hard to not “relax” in the evening with some series or scrolling but the difference to the days when I don’t and actually take time to recover with a low stimulation activity, activating my other senses is huge.
Your advice and understanding of this has been extremely helpful to me in my own battle. Though I have found to find the right balance with my phone, I've had to experiment with extremes.
I have spent the last month wearing a high vest on my London commute top stop the automatic reach for the phone.
It's ridiculous (and very mid-life crisis!) but if was the only thing that gave me enough friction! It's quite a social commitment.
This Tuesday marks 30 days and I'm writing about how I feel now. Turns out looking like an idiot is a small price to pay for incredible gains.
Excellent reminders and inspiration, thank you!
I find myself energized by the fight for American values, democracy, climate, rule of law, and basic human decency. But you are right, there is only so much I can actually do against the firehoses, only so much I can constantly keep track of. Taking breaks, unplugged, human breaks, experiencing the world through our senses and engaging with others through our words and actions - these are necessary preconditions to sustaining our fighting energies, and indeed coming out the other side of this dark tunnel.
It's been so cold in Philly that our outdoor activities, even sledding or ice skating, have seemed too painful! God bless the Minnesotans on the streets standing up for themselves and the rest of us. May they also come home to hot mugs of tea, cashmere sweaters, and movie nights with family!
Thank you Catherine :)
I love the distinction here: doomscrolling isn’t a break, it’s more input.
I myself find it hard to not “relax” in the evening with some series or scrolling but the difference to the days when I don’t and actually take time to recover with a low stimulation activity, activating my other senses is huge.