In the Flow with Healing Waters

I am sitting trying to write this blog and my washer is playing a song.  It sounds like the ice cream truck from childhood and makes me smile until I realize it means I have to get up and change loads.  As I have been getting older, I am finding the endless amount of sensory input is becoming harder to process.  We are currently existing in a world of constant input.  The phone dings seem urgent, the computer screen calls, TV, noise, bright lights and humming of machinery all around us.  It feels like a long string of noisy demands.  While technology has offered us virtually everything at our fingertips and immediate gratification, it is also taxing on our nervous system.  You may find yourself feeling irritable, having frequent headaches, trouble sleeping and extra emotional responses to things you are seeing and hearing.  I also believe it brings negative emotions to the surface such as envy, self worth concerns and guilt.  How do we manage these constant interruptions and the effects on our system?

1.  Minimize usage.  Perhaps it’s just saying I will check my emails morning and evening, not throughout the day.  Prioritize finishing a task before checking the phone, it will help you feel less scattered.  Avoid comparing yourself to what you see online.  Turn the ice cream truck notification off!
2. Get out into nature.  Go outside and walk, tend gardens or flower pots, go swimming.  Just be outside without having your phone to take all the pictures.
3. Meditation.  I cannot stress enough how meditation will calm your system and its reactivity to all the input.  It is essential for your nervous system!
4. Spend time with animals.  There have been tons of studies on animals’ positive effects on humans’ emotions and nervous systems.  Even better, volunteer at an animal shelter or local event, giving back is good for your soul.
5. Just “be”.  This is just simply enjoying where you are and who you are with in the present moment.  

Technology is intertwined in our lives.  It is up to us to manage the negative effects and maximize the positive.  

“Technology should improve your life, not become your life.” -Billy Cox

In the flow,

Lisa