I’m resting on the recliner. Without realizing it, I pick up the phone. Unlock the screen and click on the email app. It’s almost as if some entity had taken over my body. I know there’s no new email or text. The phone has no alerts, but something inside of me is searching. If I open the app, maybe an email will pop up? Maybe someone is trying to reach me? Maybe I’ll feel important?
I put down the phone more disappointed with myself than the fact that I didn’t get a message. I’m on vacation. Nothing important needs to be done. I should be able to detach from technology.
In his TEDx Talk, Chris Bailey says that we are not just living in a world of distractions competing for our attention, but we have trained our brains to crave distraction. We need to do more than get rid of the distractions, we need to reset our brains! For sugar addiction, you can get off sweets for 2 weeks and reset your taste buds. After 2 weeks, everything tastes sweet again, and you won’t crave as much. The same works for our brain addicted to distractions.
I’m not so much a proponent of Chris Bailey’s technique of boring myself, but I do find that meditation is a effective technique to find balance. At first, it does seem like doing something boring. It requires disconnecting from technology and distractions… and learning to focus again.
I set the time… I take a moment and focus on my breath… a breathing meditation. I open my eyes and enjoy the butterflies flittering around the bushes outside the window. On this vacation, I work at capturing the moment (not on my phone), but savoring the experience of having nothing to do so that the sense of peace soaks into my cells.
Start with just 5 minutes a day. Find a meditation technique that works for you.
… Ok, I gotta get up and do something now. Stay tuned for the next blog.
Watch TED Talk by Chris Bailey, How to Get Your Brain to Focus
Books by Chris Bailey
