Are you overwhelmed by the amount of technology in your life? Do you feel like you’re constantly connected to the world and that it’s taking over your life? If so, you may be in need of a digital detox.
It’s raining in the UK. It rains all the time. We managed to get to the allotment once to sort out the paths (winter and spring lend themselves to the heavier jobs on the plot), but sunny days are ever so rare at the moment. The Birthday woodland walk we planned started in heavy rain and mud – it was a miracle that the weather cleared out by the time we had tea, and still, it was the wind that blew the candle on the cute little cake my friend brought for me.
How are you doing? After the New Year rush, things are starting to slow down for many of us. I strongly dislike mainstream trends, so now that most people have stopped talking about resolutions, I am just diving into the idea of change for wellbeing. What is health? What does it mean to be well? How do we rest, restore the balance and build up our capacity to not just function but also enjoy life? What does it mean to thrive? What does it mean to rest?
In this day and age, digital technologies are becoming more and more prevalent in our lives. From smartphones to laptops to digital assistants, we’re constantly surrounded by the latest and greatest advances in technology.
A very powerful way of starting a sentence in a compassionate voice is “I accept… (that I acted this way in this situation and I am able to forgive myself and learn from this, move forward)”. Not only that this way of looking at things feels actively comforting and supportive, but it also taps into a mindful observation of things as they are without self-judgement. And if you find it difficult to speak to yourself this way, pause and ask yourself: how can I talk to myself from the place of love, from my heart? Because compassion and compassionate journalling comes from our heart and helps us heal.
Another powerful way of starting a sentence in our personal journal is this: “It is understandable (that I acted this way considering…)”. This way, we can do what in psychology is called re-parenting – we can provide care, validation and comfort to our inner child. This feels good.
So how do we actually start with compassionate journalling? Here are our three tips. You can start your sentence with the following: “It makes sense (to me that… considering…)” and tap into your inner sense of compassion for others and for yourself.
Digital wellbeing is the practice of using technology in a healthy and balanced way. It’s about being mindful of the time spent online, understanding the potential risks of using digital devices and taking action to ensure positive digital experiences. Digital wellbeing can be achieved through setting healthy limits on device use, using digital devices with purpose, being mindful of online relationships, and promoting digital citizenship. With the right practices, digital wellbeing can help to create a positive digital environment and foster healthy relationships between individuals, their devices, and their digital world.
A compassionate voice protects us from the biases, projections and stories we tell ourselves about ourselves that come from others, from our past, and from our social context even. So to practice a little bit of mindfulness, to stay in the moment, to connect with our feelings simply as they are (without any additional narratives), can be pretty liberating. We learn and grow from mistakes. That is how we grow wiser. So try: “I choose to be present with this feeling, face it and explore it to learn from it.”
Self-compassion taps into our collective sense of humanity, which sounds basic, but is incredibly powerful – because it responds to our most inner fear of social isolation. So when you make a mistake or feel bad about something, try this approach: “Everyone makes mistakes, it’s what being human is all about.” Think about this seriously, can you operate from a place where this is your truth?