(I love andy gilmore’s art soooo much)
This is a modern day conundrum. Likely you work on the Internet or use it as a major source of information…or both. There’s no escaping the online culture.
And the typical internet hangover starts with a binge of something…
A Facebook binge that can be prompted by anything from boredome to a social upset (modern day Internet-stalking) to a big news story…
A desire to solve a problem that prompts you dive deep into a black hole of information that sucks you into a vortex of links and more links and more Googling… and moer articles and links…
A simple want to see a You Tube video that slides into a parade of You Tube…
The emails that are relentless and keep you checking and checking and checking…
And suddenly, you feel weird.
Internet hangovers are : Blurry, restless, headachey, possibly preoccupied, not very present, a little floaty and decidedly not great. It can perpetuate itself with more work, more research, more Googling and more email madness…
…or you can break the cycle and feel far more connected to the day!
Here are some feng shui’d holistic ideas to get over an Internet hangover.
Break free of an Internet Hangover!
Start the day free of your phone. The first thing you see in the morning sets the tone for your day. If the first thing you reach fore is our phone to check your emails before you even get out of bed, you are setting yoursekf up for a day of virtunal living. Let it come later. Give yourself morning time to meditate, to start a new habit of stretching and taking an aromatherapy shower (peppermint essential oil in the shower is a fabulous re-set to your mind), or create your own morning ritual that has ZERO to do with the Internet.
I know you may have a job that requires you to be online all the time. It’s up to you to carve out even 15 morning minutes to get connected to real life before you throw your attention into a digital screen.
Spend more time outside. Even if you work crazy hours, nearly everyone has time for an outside break. Even in the super cold winter, a treck around a block can do much more to integrate your right and left brain than any amount of caffeine. Walking is both a creative rejuvenation jump-start for your brain and a great way to get grounded.
Take breaks every 50 minutes or so. If you want to have less hangovers, you have to have less binges. Set a timer and walk away from your computer (and phone, and tv and everything digital) every 50 minutes or so for at least 15 minutes. Research has shown that you will get more done in less time if you do this!
Check emails at set times every day. Checking emails like crazy will spin your brain. It’s a bad habit, as though every 20 minutes or hour we expect that we’ll be told thatour greatest wishes have been granted. Check email less. When you do check it, respond to and handle every single action required by every email you open. This way, email won’t own you.
Take a baking soda bath. Energetically speaking, too much Internet can impede on your glow of life force. What does this mean? You sort of get drained by putting too much attention into a glowing electric screen. A cup of baking soda in a hot bath can help you to re-set your energy field (that magnetism you feel shooting off of people who aren’t in a digital daze) and you will feel less of a pull to your computer screen.
Say no to news. By all means, stay informed, but limit this intensely. Unless you are a news reporter or a writer on culture, chances are you don’t need to click open news stories all day. Limit your news intake to a part of the day when it will not spin your mind.
Quit all electronic stuff 2 hours before bed. By all means this is the hardest one for me, since when I’m actually home at night I’m typically researching and designing things that keep me glued to a screen, but I know the side-effects of this very well. This is the biggest cause of Internet hangovers— letting the Internet into your pre-sleep mind. Let your pre-sleep mind be filled with dreamy thoughts, great music, a positive book to flip through and hold in yor hands… and not a blaring digital screen. This one step alone (which also encompasses shutting off the hypnotic TV in the bedroom) will help you to rejuvenate while you sleep while setting you up for a morning free of the hazy crazy feeling I call an Internet hangover!
Are you frequently in an Internet blur? How do you deal with it? Do you find certain times of day that suck you into the digital space? I’d love it of you could comment below (or email me- dana@fengshuidana.com) and let me know how an Internet hangover affects your day. The more we can get the best of technology and leave the rest, the more we can really evolve with all these tech breakthroughs rather than letting them take over!
xoxo Dana
P.S.: In time for Spring Cleaning (!) the Catalyst Camp FREE video series is coming to walk you through my feng shui’d de-cluttering methods that have sparked many’s a life revolution! You can sign up HERE to watch them as soon as they arrive!
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