Jacqueline of BLISS IN IMAGES:
I’ve discovered that the single most important ingredient in both falling asleep and waking feeling relaxed, is unplugging from the computer (and all forms of roaming on it) at least an hour before going to bed. So I’ve banned myself from late-night usage. This is a tough one, because like anything habitual, it requires a shift in mindset and self-talk. Along with this, I’ve been enforcing a regular bedtime by setting an alarm to make that happen. Apparently I need to get tough with myself. The upshot of this is that I’ve noticed a profound difference in my well-being when I’ve been book-reading instead of laptop-reading before sleep. For me, having a browser open invites jumping wildly from one tab to another, and late at night, it all becomes one large sink hole. The hour becomes far too late and I wake not only to an alarm set for 6:15 am, but a surge of anxiety—my thoughts simply haven’t switched off. My mind is far more stilled when the pages of a book are my only focus. No matter what anyone says, the fact remains that you can’t curl up with an e-reader or laptop, at least not in the way that a book provides comfort. And I’ve tried …
It’s exactly the way I felt when technology dominates too much of my life. It gets to the point when unplugging from everything and putting them away is a constant struggle. I have the irresistible urge to satisfy those cravings for bite-size feeds.
When it’s time for bed, my mind would still be constantly scanning the horizon for something new, for something seemingly important. There’s never a good time to tune-out because there’s always the sensation of missing out on something worthwhile.
I’ve since set myself a target of at least shutting off the computer 30 minutes before I turn in. The half hour or so would be spent cuddling in bed, with either a kindle or a physical magazine. The feeling of flipping the pages is extremely comforting.
I know I’m not alone in experiencing the influx of technology that is invading our personal space. Moving forward, I hope to be more aware of my surrounding and spending more time appreciating “the moment”.