"In daily life, we're bombarded by sensations: sights, sounds, smells, physical sensations, fantasies and memories, hopes and dreams, fears and realities, duties and responsibilities, everything from the fact of our mortality to the need to buy some toilet paper. This bombardment overstimulates us and we become reactive. Saturated by experience, we lose sight of who we are... A red light is not just a red light, it's all of the times I have been late."
In the beginning of 2020 I turned off all the notifications on my devices and by May I gave up using the phone (to be fair, I was forced to do it after accidentally dropping it in the bucket of water). The hardest part so far has been those "emergency" scenarios: meeting up with someone, sending a quick update, finding directions. Solution: I do my best at clarifying the minor details ahead of time and advise people that they can't reach me once I'm out. The best part was hands down - reduced stress. I haven't recorded over and over an insta stories, automatically reached for the phone when it vibrates only to see a silly email, or got upset when distracted from an important task.
Some may have found this decision unnecessary or inconvenient - - and I get it. What I have to say for myself is that I'm much happier, much more grounded and present, and hopefully less reactive.
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Happy New Year, dear friends and Family! May 2021 be a happy year filled with gratitude, joy and prosperity.
Yours truly,
Slothful Yoga.
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