Something is nudging you to make a change in your relationship to your screens and social media. Maybe it’s your kids saying you never pay attention to them. Maybe it's that heavy, jittery feeling you have after comparing yourself to other people on Instagram. Maybe it’s that you keep waking up exhausted from binge-watching Below Deck well into the nighttime hours.
How you behave is a response to something in your experience. In the above examples, you’re taking some kind of action to make yourself feel better. Well done! Without meaning to, though, you have chosen actions that provide immediate relief and that don’t really contribute to your well-being. Whomp, whomp. We want our external actions to align with our internal values and to benefit us long-term.
Among our society’s collective worst habits is leaning on technology in ways that displace healthy practices and/or interfere with our relationships. That intention to spend a few minutes in a more mindful state (ironically) evaporates when you find the toxic social media app before the soothing meditation one. A lunch with a friend can be ruined by a quick check of your text messages or a notification on the smartwatch. Pulling out of what is in front of you and forcing your attention to be splintered.
However, technology can also improve our lives. We can intentionally behave in line with our values and take action using technology. Research tells us that listening to music reduces stress, no matter if we access that music online. Maybe you and your kids are cultivating a love of reading by choosing books to read together through an online library. You could be using online tools to volunteer for a candidate or issue that is up for a vote in 2022.
Through this month long offering we will focus on how to make better choices around screen time and our values. This event is our kick off before we dive in on May 1st so that we can set ourselves up for to move through the month’s activities, arriving at the end of May with the feelings + behaviors that we desire.