Day Without Media - Afterwards
Jan. 22nd, 2013 03:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeshyrVastly enjoyed my day offline last week! Super bonus ironic amusement from the fact that I kept thinking "must blog about this" :)
The thing I missed most, weirdly, was my camera! I suspect it was because the fact that I'd be without camera did not occur to me until the day. I had mentally thought about most of the other factors, but the camera one escaped me. Added to that, I did an absolutely TON of crafts that day and I do really like posting progress photos as I'm doing crafts, so I had plenty of events that I would usually have photographed.
Had two visitors which was nice, and my flatmate was home all day. That, together with craftwork, kept me happily occupied.
As I had suspected, the biggest problem with "happily occupied" was that if you remove all media from the equation, almost everything that's left requires physically doing things (the only non-doing-things activity is chatting face to face). So although I had a really great day and all, my arms and hands were VERY painful by the end of the day and worse on the day after. I just don't have the physical ability to do so much craft stuff in a sustainable manner, unfortunately.
The nicest thing about the whole experience was how peaceful I felt by the end of it. I really really love how peaceful my mind gets when I am not deluged by media ... unfortunately I have to go through the part where I am bored to get to the part where I am peaceful, which makes it harder to attain. It's so easy to assuage the boredom with more media, which cures the boredom but also prevents the peacefulness. Buuuut on the other hand without media I am cut off from friends and family to a much greater extent, and also with the hand/arm overuse.
So ... after my media-free day, I'm going to try to find a balance with a little less media than before, and hopefully a bit more peacefulness.
To this end, I have been intentionally sitting somewhat with boredom instead of rushing to always alleviate it. It takes some energy to do this, paradoxically, and in the short term it's mildly unpleasant so my success at this varies! For me this means:
- If I am waiting for something that I know will only be a short while, just waiting instead of pulling out an audio book or podcast etc.
- Reinforcing my existing habit of not using audiobooks/etc. when I am out going places, except if I have to wait a really long time for a doctor or taxi and have totally run out of energy.
- When I sit on my recliner to do crafts sitting for a while just doing the crafts, rather than always turning on audiobooks/etc.
- Turning things off earlier before I go to sleep in the afternoon and evening, rather than using the soundtrack always to lull me to sleep.
- Reminding myself that it's OK to feel bored and it means that I'm looking after myself, rather than feeling like boredom is only a negative symptom.
When I am using the computer, I'm trying to be more focussed and less 'scattered'. The temptation to do fifty things at once is strong, once there are fifty interesting things in front of me! So on the computer/iPhone end of things I am:
- Unsubscribing from many online sources of content, including Facebook groups and pages, Email newsletters, etc. Ongoing process at the moment ...
- Consciously closing down computer programs when I am not actually using them, especially things like chat programs, email, and Facebook which tend to "grab" my attention.
- Started using Isolator and Nocturne programs on my Mac, also to help reduce distraction when I am using the computer.
- Becoming aware when I habitually flick between programs every time there is a few seconds break waiting for something to download/render/compile/etc. Instead of flicking to something else, just wait. This is aided by not having things visible and not having things open!
- Decluttering inbox as much as possible too.
For my iPhone, I am altering it to make it less tempting to mess around and also turning off as many 'interruptions' as possible:
- Remove most of the apps from my iPhone, especially games I find most addictive and unused apps.
- Store less frequently used apps in folders so the phone looks less cluttered too.
- Carefully check the iPhone notification settings to turn off notifications for anything that isn't absolutely necessary.
- Change ringtones to less "urgent" sounds so they are less intrusive.
- Try to remember to turn phone to "silent" as often as possible. Slightly tricky as it also silences the alarms that remind me to take meds, so I have to balance it.
- Untrain self from habitually checking iPhone screen for activity. Checking occasionally or if I am waiting for something specific is OK, habitual checking is not useful though.
Other miscellaneous things:
- Make sure my answering machine is set up and functioning for both mobile and landline, so I don't feel I have to answer ringing phones.
- Making sure my home is decluttered and fairly tidy, which always makes the inside of my head feel less cluttered and less messy too. Do other people's brains do this?
What else makes you feel peaceful?
r
The thing I missed most, weirdly, was my camera! I suspect it was because the fact that I'd be without camera did not occur to me until the day. I had mentally thought about most of the other factors, but the camera one escaped me. Added to that, I did an absolutely TON of crafts that day and I do really like posting progress photos as I'm doing crafts, so I had plenty of events that I would usually have photographed.
Had two visitors which was nice, and my flatmate was home all day. That, together with craftwork, kept me happily occupied.
As I had suspected, the biggest problem with "happily occupied" was that if you remove all media from the equation, almost everything that's left requires physically doing things (the only non-doing-things activity is chatting face to face). So although I had a really great day and all, my arms and hands were VERY painful by the end of the day and worse on the day after. I just don't have the physical ability to do so much craft stuff in a sustainable manner, unfortunately.
The nicest thing about the whole experience was how peaceful I felt by the end of it. I really really love how peaceful my mind gets when I am not deluged by media ... unfortunately I have to go through the part where I am bored to get to the part where I am peaceful, which makes it harder to attain. It's so easy to assuage the boredom with more media, which cures the boredom but also prevents the peacefulness. Buuuut on the other hand without media I am cut off from friends and family to a much greater extent, and also with the hand/arm overuse.
So ... after my media-free day, I'm going to try to find a balance with a little less media than before, and hopefully a bit more peacefulness.
To this end, I have been intentionally sitting somewhat with boredom instead of rushing to always alleviate it. It takes some energy to do this, paradoxically, and in the short term it's mildly unpleasant so my success at this varies! For me this means:
- If I am waiting for something that I know will only be a short while, just waiting instead of pulling out an audio book or podcast etc.
- Reinforcing my existing habit of not using audiobooks/etc. when I am out going places, except if I have to wait a really long time for a doctor or taxi and have totally run out of energy.
- When I sit on my recliner to do crafts sitting for a while just doing the crafts, rather than always turning on audiobooks/etc.
- Turning things off earlier before I go to sleep in the afternoon and evening, rather than using the soundtrack always to lull me to sleep.
- Reminding myself that it's OK to feel bored and it means that I'm looking after myself, rather than feeling like boredom is only a negative symptom.
When I am using the computer, I'm trying to be more focussed and less 'scattered'. The temptation to do fifty things at once is strong, once there are fifty interesting things in front of me! So on the computer/iPhone end of things I am:
- Unsubscribing from many online sources of content, including Facebook groups and pages, Email newsletters, etc. Ongoing process at the moment ...
- Consciously closing down computer programs when I am not actually using them, especially things like chat programs, email, and Facebook which tend to "grab" my attention.
- Started using Isolator and Nocturne programs on my Mac, also to help reduce distraction when I am using the computer.
- Becoming aware when I habitually flick between programs every time there is a few seconds break waiting for something to download/render/compile/etc. Instead of flicking to something else, just wait. This is aided by not having things visible and not having things open!
- Decluttering inbox as much as possible too.
For my iPhone, I am altering it to make it less tempting to mess around and also turning off as many 'interruptions' as possible:
- Remove most of the apps from my iPhone, especially games I find most addictive and unused apps.
- Store less frequently used apps in folders so the phone looks less cluttered too.
- Carefully check the iPhone notification settings to turn off notifications for anything that isn't absolutely necessary.
- Change ringtones to less "urgent" sounds so they are less intrusive.
- Try to remember to turn phone to "silent" as often as possible. Slightly tricky as it also silences the alarms that remind me to take meds, so I have to balance it.
- Untrain self from habitually checking iPhone screen for activity. Checking occasionally or if I am waiting for something specific is OK, habitual checking is not useful though.
Other miscellaneous things:
- Make sure my answering machine is set up and functioning for both mobile and landline, so I don't feel I have to answer ringing phones.
- Making sure my home is decluttered and fairly tidy, which always makes the inside of my head feel less cluttered and less messy too. Do other people's brains do this?
What else makes you feel peaceful?
r
no subject
Date: 2013-01-22 05:59 am (UTC)what makes me feel peaceful? i'm not sure i remember any more :-(
i do have a particular meditative visualization that usually helps me relax, though:
i'm in a jet airliner at night, flying high above a layer of clouds far below. the lights inside the plane are dimmed, and everyone is asleep but me. i am surrounded by the muted sound of the plane - that unmistakeable combination of "pink noise" and a whistling, droning perfect fourth. the Moon is full, and the clouds are dazzling white against the midnight blue of the sky beneath me. they look solid enough to lie down on, or fluffy enough to eat with a spoon like whipped cream, although i know they're nothing but insubstantial vapor. i smile to think that these clouds, which are so dazzlingly beautiful from my location, are dark and depressing and rainy to the people beneath them - if they only knew! overhead, the stars are also very bright, with the familiar constellations seen from an unfamiliar angle. there's just me, and the sky...
no subject
Date: 2013-01-25 02:45 am (UTC)You know that saying that says "Courage isn't the absence of fear, courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyway"? Well strength isn't the absence of technology, in this case anyway! If it's hard for you then that's different to me.
I can't say it's trivially easy, but it's not /really/ hard. And it's not that I actually /want/ to be less connected anyway - I /want/ to feel more peaceful inside, and experience says that for me less connectivity is the best way to achieve that goal.
All so complex and interwoven ...
no subject
Date: 2013-01-25 05:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 12:40 am (UTC)Hugs & Love,
r
no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 08:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 09:44 am (UTC)But actually I meant in the study that inspired my experiment - it was on freshman college students.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 10:26 am (UTC)i just had to wait for technology to catch up with me ;-)
no subject
Date: 2013-01-22 12:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-22 04:19 pm (UTC)Things that make me peaceful:
I sometimes set a timer and meditate. And I knit. And I have a visual diary that I use as a scrapbook, and when I get the local newspaper or a free magazine, I'll flip through it and cut out anything that makes me happy, and paste those things in the book, working hard on not trying to 'do it right', just doing it. Then I can flip through the book and see nothing but things that make me smile. It's like Tumblr without the other people or the horrible interface. :D
Also, this year I've been doing morning pages a la Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. I don't know which is easier for you, typing or handwriting, or whether that'd be physically workable for you, but I've been doing mine by hand even though it hurts and looks horrible, because it is screen-free time and there is something pleasantly tactile about a nice paper journal that I can hold.
And probably not workable for you without assistance most days, but maybe it'll help someone else reading: cleaning and/or decluttering. The act of going through my stuff and getting rid of things. It's stressful at first, and I have to push through a fair bit of Do Not Want, but I feel so much lighter when I have less unwanted stuff in my life. It's an unconscious drain on my attention all the time, and if they gather dust it's probably a health hazard too.
Finally, not at all media free, but there's an app called Sleepmaker. It's a white noise generator specialising in rain sounds. You get to choose what type of rain, like "medium, into puddles" or "heavy against window", and there's a timer and it gets softer as it finishes. I love that for when I'm really anxious and/or need to go to sleep.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-25 02:48 am (UTC)Doing craft work is always peaceful for me, also gardening and well almost anything 'manual' to do really.
Unfortunately I can't handwrite much ... I only have a certain number amount of ability to move my wrist each day and I'd rather use it up on 20 mins of crochet than 20 mins of writing!
Decluttering is something that I bizarrely enjoy too - my house is pretty good anyway but I enjoy getting it just right and somehow when the environment looks peaceful it hmelps the inside of my head to feel much better too.
Hope to see you soon for crafting - what days would be best, if any?
no subject
Date: 2013-01-27 12:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-22 11:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-25 02:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-25 11:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-23 02:36 pm (UTC)Ours does. THere are those of us who can keep the brain from doing this-Kae, Craimar and Cedar among them-but yes, it does.
I try to make my bed aand things in the mornings-keep things of the bedroom floor, things like that so that (A) we don't trip over things, and (B) the brain doesn't feel like it has to do all the ghing omg right now when we get home.
I need to start incorporating some of these things into our life; I think it would help. I don't realize how caught up we get in a lot of fast paced things until I take a good look and go...wait, wtf?
Breathing helps us. Being aware of the breath coming in and going out, and reminding ourselves that it's not the end of the world if something doesn' go the way we want it-that goes for the little things, anyway.
-Phoenix
no subject
Date: 2013-01-25 02:50 am (UTC)Breathing helps lots for me too. Thanks for the suggestion.