Disconnecting to Reconnect

It's not the first time I've logged off of social media, removed the apps from my phone, and taken a break, but this month feels different to me. I made my family watch The Social Dilemma recently (it's on Netflix and if you haven't seen it yet, I would highly recommend it). It's disconcerting, scary even, to see what the algorithms are doing to our brains. I tell myself that I'm on social media to connect with people I can't see (which is nearly everyone during a pandemic), to keep up to date with happenings in the world, and to market my work. But when I log on to post something, an image or story or notification will catch my eye and WHOOSH I'm sucked in. I can feel my brain being re-wired, I become less creative, less able to think clearly, it takes me longer to get things done. If you would like to read more about it here are a couple of resources I enjoyed: What Social Media Does to Your Brain ; Jane Clapp's interview on Liberated Being, How Social Media is Changing Us

​So, I took the leap and logged off for the month of April. It takes some time to rewire the brain back to normality. For the first few days it felt like something was missing. I'd taken the apps off my phone, so when I picked up my phone (out of habit) there was nothing to look at. It was disorienting. I decided to subscribe to the local newspaper, print edition. Now it comes every morning, and I sit and eat breakfast while turning the too-big pages, scanning the local news, reading articles, and doing the daily Sudoku (yes, they still put those in the paper each day).  I'm not kept there longer by algorithms sending pop ups and notifications, changing the feed to ensnare me. The last page of the newspaper is always the last page, and if I don't finish it in one sitting, it's waiting for me when I return, instead of disappearing into the ever-changing feed.

After about a week something happened — my brain lit up in a way I haven't felt in a while. I had new ideas bashing around, inspiration, and mental energy to work on things. Without the vampiric draw social media had had on my soul, my spirit was able to soar. I've unplugged from the internet and plugged back into Source, disconnected from the internet and reconnected with myself and the world.

I know that I'm only half-way through the month, but Jane Clapp and I have already booked a new webinar for May 20, entitled "The Intersection of Functional Breathing and the Unconscious Psyche." It's an extension of "Traumatic Stress & the Breath" (which is coming again in June). If you are curious about the June webinar series, or if you've already taken it, join us in May for a preview of where our ever-expanding work connects and overlaps.

With another half-month left to go I'm excited to see the changes that occur, the new things I can grow, the connections that I make, while being unplugged. Join me?