Unplug to Tune In: A 20-Minute Tech Break
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It’s a blue-sky day. Crystal clear tropical waters are gently lapping the shore. A family of four has gathered at the water’s edge for their annual here-we-are-in-paradise family photo. And they are all lost in gazing. Not at the incredible view. Not at the camera.
They are each looking down, with eyes locked on the handheld electronic device of their choice. This image, on the July 23, 2012 issue of The New Yorker, tells it like it is for many of us.
In a recent article, Sitting Pretty in Your Comfort Zone, I underlined the importance of daily practice to step beyond the easy and familiar, as that is where real growth occurs. Our computers and mobile devices serve a good purpose, keeping us connected and current.
However, if we can’t unplug, taking a technology break from these marvelous pieces of ingenuity, to experience life directly through all our senses, our iWonders may limit us. They may become a kind of combination security blanket/mobile comfort zone creating enough distraction that we can’t fully experience what we are experiencing.
And if we can’t turn them off . . .
well, we may be missing a huge chunk of life!
Our brains grow with sensory stimulus from our eyes, ears, tongues, skin and noses. We are also able to discern fine differences in pressure, temperature, balance, movement and much more. The visual, auditory and tactile stimulus from these electronic devices can’t begin to do what a simple, unplugged 20-minute walk in a natural setting or even a city setting can do.
I am reminded of a book by Oliver Sacks: A Leg to Stand On (1984.) It has been several years since I read this book, so my memory may have added some embellishments. While hiking in Norway, Sacks had a run-in with an ornery bull. In his headlong flight to save his life, he fell, badly injuring his leg. His world contracted to a tiny hospital room.
While he was plagued with a bizarre neurological disconnection from his leg, he also became quite phobic about stepping back into the flow of his life. His doctor broke the pattern by having an assistant throw him in a swimming pool. A sensory surprise to say the least!
I’ve noticed this same contraction happening with people who live and work more or less in one room or two. Elders, the disabled and even people whose lives daily follow a predictable daily routine: home . . . car . . . work . . . car . . . home . . . car . . . work . . .
These people may be well fed food-wise, but their senses are starving for stimulus. They become fearful of the new, and hesitant to do what they really want to do.
The same is true for people who interface with life electronically. Though they have the world at their fingertips they are neglecting a huge part of their capacity as sensing beings.
I live in a town without cell service, where a Smartphone is just of no use. I don’t have an iPad, but I do spend a fair bit of time in front of my computer. I write, design promo copy, develop course materials and sometimes even get to my email. When a flesh and blood person comes in to the room to chat, I sometimes have a hard time pulling myself away from my computer screen.
This morning, before sitting down at my computer, I took a walk up a logging trail into the woods. The trail is steep. Slippery in places. A clear stream tumbles, bubbles and sings down the hillside. And this morning it was singing “halleluiah baby!”
Spring Beauties
Photo by William Needham
Near the top I found the first Spring Beauties of the season, peaking out of their leafy winter covers. These tiny, ephemeral, pinkish flowers are always the first wildflowers to announce that spring has finally come to New Hampshire. For real.
At the top of the hill I was rewarded by a panoramic 360° view of the lovely green hills that surround my town. I need to see in the distance. Daily. I need to walk on uneven ground. Feel the bark of a birch, a maple or oak. Listen to last year’s beech leaves still clinging to their branches and rattling in the breeze. Feel the sun warm my back as I climb. A sense-bath.
The only thing that is predictable about nature is its unpredictability. Always changing. Never static. When we witness that change, and when we truly notice it, we awaken our senses and our brains work better. We are more balanced and more resilient. We feel our aliveness. We are happier and inspired to take our place in life as the creative people we are.
You may not live in the country like I do, but make the effort to unplug. Take a technology break for at least twenty minutes each day to experience the nature that is near you. Visit your local park. No park nearby? Even a lively city street will do. Give yourself this gift. I promise, you will feel more tuned in and connected than ever before!
Celebrating your aliveness!
Eliza
Creatives’ Coach Eliza Bergeson is the author of The Yes! in Success: How To Be The Star You Are And Live The Life You Love.
She works her magic with creative individuals—entrepreneurs, speakers, writers, visual and performing artists; people who are ready to transform bright vision into gratifying outcomes in their businesses and their lives. If that sounds like you, visit her site, www.elizabergeson.com, for more FREE success-building resources.
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