I’m a whole week into my media cleanse and it’s been great for my mental health. I almost hate to admit it because I never thought my scrolling was that excessive. Okay, lately it had felt excessive, hence the cleanse. But normally I wouldn’t have called myself terminally online. But the change was so stark and immediate that now I worry I was so zombified by the internet I’d stopped even noticing.
And the difference has been stark. With no social media and no TV/streaming everything has slowed way down. I suddenly have so much time to get chores and projects done. Nothing feels rushed. My body has calmed down and my imagination and intuition are speaking to me in ways they haven’t in years. Also, surprisingly, I’m burning a lot more calories. A few years ago I lost a bunch of weight and I use my smartwatch to keep track of calorie burn. I don’t feel like I’m exercising harder but I guess I’ve been up and about more this week looking for ways to entertain myself without my phone.
Of course, sometimes the anxiety hits hard in all this silence. Still no luck in the job search, our oven suddenly broke, my kid fell for an online scam and lost an uncomfortable amount of money. These are the anxious moments that send me to scrolling and without that, I have to use actual coping skills. Which are way better for me and more effective in the long run but they take more effort. When cheap distraction is just a click away, it’s hard to resist.
But I did resist. Yay for me! Instead of scrolling, I picked up some old projects. I started playing Sims 3 again (which is still staring at a screen, I guess, but in a more active and creative way). I finally got back to a card-by-card tarot study I started months ago. I kept putting it off because I didn’t have time to sit quietly and just contemplate a Tarot card. Seems pretty obvious now why I never had the time . . . I also started writing a little fiction again. Just little bits and bobs for myself at this point but maybe someday it will add up to a novel. I’ve always loved to write but I’ve never actually written a novel, not even a shitty one just for myself. Maybe with all this media-free time on my hands I’ll finally start one.
I’ve also been listening to a lot of music and working on the world’s simplest shawl. Seriously, I’m usually drawn to more complicated projects with lace or cables, stuff that stretches my skills a bit and claims my full attention. This is just a big triangle in garter stitch, which I’m finding very peaceful and meditative. Okay, right now it’s a small triangle in garter stitch. But it’s growing.
So that’s been week one. My original plan was four weeks of greatly reduced media and I’m off to a great start, ready for another week. Let’s hope I’m still feeling great about it next Sunday. Until then, I wish you tranquility and creativity.
Cauldron Comforts 