Hello All,
I’ve just come back from a rather nice break in beautiful Iceland.
After all the news lately and outreach work Sophie and I have been involved in, it could not have been needed more!
Also, with a partner with a career path that will involve exams and training for the year and more ahead on top of work, a bit of QT was definitely on the agenda!
Here’s a little insight in my decision to digitally detox for the break and why it worked so wonderfully well!
Digitally detoxing (digi-tox, unplugging etc etc) is not new and certainly not a rocket science invention. Its results however, can be extremely powerful.
I’m not saying it works for everyone, and I could see how it works the other way too. But for me, it was bliss.
Being in another country helped, as it usually costs to have roaming on unless you have wifi connection.
When the boy and I arrived and settled into our cosy little hotel I could feel my emotions heightening. “Finnnnallly”. My heart and head gasped. I’d been going through an overwhelming amount of headspinning the days prior and up until the hour of departure for the trip. My thoughts here there and everywhere, anxieties up in the air and elements of confusion and even disorientation from it all.
We are connnntstantly bombarded with messages. I don’t just mean calls, texts, Whatsapp, FB, Instagram etc etc. I mean advertising. I mean ability to have your work email on your personal phone. I mean pictures, videos, news. Alongside #FOMO #FOGO hash tagging and needing to know information around the clock when it’s fresh. BOOM. No, thanks for my mini break. No, thanks 👍🏻
Switching off did me wonders and helped for a mindful holiday. I managed to just be with my partner me and him. Experiencing the outdoors. No TV. No communication apart from with the country I was in and the person I was with. Sounds a bit hippy lovey dovey but it really helped refresh my insides and my head had a good MOT.
Anxieties naturally relieved themselves and floated from my brain into the atmosphere. I wasn’t worried about who said what and who did that and what I have to do at work when I come back blah blah, this is my holiday. “Take a full holiday” I wanted for myself. That means from everything.
I was present. Not in the past. Not in the future. Present. Mindful living at its finest 👍🏻 I took deep breaths on walks and boat rides. Learned loads about the country I was in. I experienced life as it should be.
I guess the sad reality of it all is that I may have been able to master this on holiday (3 whole nights and 4 days wahey! 🙈), but some mindful enthusiasts have got this to a T in their everyday. I do have a sense of realism though and I’m not sure it’s entirely possible (for me, anyway or whether weirdly I’d want it to be…hmmm) and sometimes forward thinking or learning from the past can help us be more present.
What I am saying is – I feel a bit more like ‘Me’. Me without the constant drag of A&D like a looming shadow.
It also reminded me of one my favourite actions which is ‘single tasking’ that I long to create into a healthy habit – far more productive for me, and makes my experiences richer – just like mindfulness promotes.
Have a mindful day and maybe lifestyle if you can! Abs X 💗