how to be aware in an unaware world

Author: Josh Avery

Detoxes
“There may be no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you there’s no place you’ll find a better connection.”
A connection with nature, ourselves, and the universe should not be underestimated. The breath of the wild is the same breath in our lungs.
Our uninterrupted connection with nature means an intentional disconnection from the distractions and motions, the fickle affairs of men.
Digital detoxing is defined as purposefully taking time and attention away from screens (Yes, even the work computer screen) so that we can purposefully direct time and attention towards nature, by ourselves, with loved ones, doing anything, or doing nothing.
“Detoxing” from our addicting digital devices is a way to focus on real-life social interactions and connections without distractions.
By forgoing digital devices, for a sustained period of time, we can let go of the stress that stems from that constant connectivity.
Reflection
Our brains are a tricky place to navigate as it is, throw in the bombarding, unregulated stream of social media posts, likes, comments, texts, emails, ads, and alerts, and you have an impossibly confusing maze in your mind.
The average U.S. adult spends around 11 hours each day listening to, watching, reading, interacting with, or being distracted by digital media.
That leaves roughly 5 hours each day away from devices and screens (and boy do those 5 precious hours go by quickly).
The excessive amount of dopamine that our devices channel into our brain leads to an excessive amount of stress hormones (known to be one of the leading causes of aging and cellular degeneration).
In other words, reduce the screen time and increase the nature and community time and you can reduce the stress hormones and increase the amount of time in nature with those you love.
In other, other words, there is a direct relationship between our time spent with technology and our stress levels.
One study found that 70% of participants checked social media on their phones while in bed, which dramatically increased their levels of anxiety, insomnia, sleep duration, and yes, stress.
Hand in hand with mindfulness, more time spent using digital technologies was linked to increased symptoms of ADHD and conduct disorder, as well as worse self-regulation.
Another study suggested that the advent of the internet on smartphones influenced overall job satisfaction, job stress, and feelings of overwork (checking emails well past getting off work).
Comparison can be the thief of joy, and detoxing from our social media connections can be a good way to focus on what’s important in our lives without comparing ourselves to others.
Constant connectivity via our vibrant, viscous phones can feed the fear of missing out or FOMO.
Every time we see an Instagram or TikTok post about someone else’s wonderful and adventurous life, it causes and crazy drop in dopamine, leaving us with feelings of discontent and depression.
We might also find ourselves overcommitting to social events and gatherings out of the fear that we’ll be left out of the experience.
FOMO in our digital lives leads to the infatuation of constantly checking our devices out of fear that we will miss an important text, DM, or post.
Doing a digital detox is one of the most impactful ways to set limits and reduce our fear of missing out. The key is to do it in a way that doesn’t leave us unintentionally stressed and just want to throw our phones off the Golden Gate Bridge.
Now, I know this is a hard pill to swallow, and I totally agree that many apps and websites can teach us a more mindful and intentional approach to life.
This process is often more about recognizing the patterns in our relationship with our devices and setting boundaries in a way that benefit, rather than harm, our emotional and mental health.
Encouragement
Once or twice a week, I try my best to practice digital detoxing by going to a park or forest I’m familiar with driving to so I don’t need GPS to get there. All I bring is a hammock, a good book, some snacks, and an open mind.
Each evening, a sacred time to read and set the mind up for deep rest, I will leave my phone and computer in the living room (my Fitbit will wake me up).
Also, through daily meditation practice, I can catch myself pretty quickly when I’ve been caught in rumination or FOMO or doom scrolling or any other side effect
When I find my mind wandering to all the replies and tasks in my digital life (as it inevitably will), I will simply write them down as they come.
No matter the length of our digital detox, a little goes a long way. We are able to create the opposite habit of putting away the phone, coming back to the present, and appreciating nature as it asks us to.
Links
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October 6, 2023
Consumerism
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
– Napoleon Hill
This quote is a stark reminder that the mind is one powerful tool. Bend it one way or another and it can do anything within the confines of modern physics.
For a personal example, I once set off to test and understand my level of discomfort and contentment by becoming a full-blown minimalist and living out of a backpack for at least one year.
Reflection
I reflected a good way into my minimalist self-discovery journey:
Over eight months and thousands of miles later, I now own under thirty items, including a great car that gets me all around this gorgeous country.
My next stop is Ecuador to visit a rekindled friendship from elementary school and explore the many volcanos, caves, and jungles that Ecuador offers.
After that, I will spend some time with dear family and friends in DC before jumping across the pond, as they say in England, to Portugal, and eventually all of southern Spain.
At each spare bedroom or couch, hostel dorm room, or campsite, I let go of something else. Whether it be an article of clothing or a gadget I barely use.
As such, I get to a place of intention, where what I own provides a real sense of purpose and is therefore deeply valued.
But even when something provides both those things now doesn’t mean it will provide it later. That’s when I let go.
What the mind of man can conceive and believe is incredible, and can be quite helpful and constructive.
Take harvesting for example: Farmers work day and night in the field, toiling with their hands and dragging their feet to produce a bountiful and abundant harvest. Through the process, the farmer grows proud of their work and because of it understands the earth and its provisions in great detail.
On the other hand, what the mind of man can conceive and believe is equally incredible, and can be greedy, gluttonous, and costly.
During the Industrial Revolution, man was working towards a future that was better and faster than the previous generation. This conception is called consumerism and it’s factually unsustainable.
Consumerism is both unsustainable for the planet and for human progress, it’s illogical and bewildering really.
And we are wasting such precious human talent on selling more and more and more junk.
I believe we have danced around the seriousness of consumerism for far too long just so we can lay in the comfortable piles of stuff a for little longer.
There is a tangible necessity to redefine capitalism so that it’s both beneficial for us and the planet.
How do we consciously consume without becoming overly dependent on products and their successors?
The company that immediately comes to mind is Apple. It’s a company that I have personally wasted money on my entire adult life.
Do I buy the newest iPhone? Do I upgrade to the newest AirPods? Do I wait until a newer version or do I buy it now?
The amount of time I spend contemplating Apple products and services is honestly ridiculous. My talent is wasted in rumination about a stupid new gadget or gizmo (as my dad calls them).
The fact is, Apple does make great products and services, but there is no need to upgrade every time a new version is released. Doing so costs so much hard-earned money, and more importantly, valuable time.
Apple is no different from any other company born out of capitalism, with majority shareholders, wealthy investors with lots of special interests, and a bottom line for unimpeded growth.
The questions we should be asking ourselves are:
“Does this product or service serve a purpose in my life right now?”
“Does this product or service work just fine in my life right now?”
If our answer is yes, then we can keep and use the product or service until it doesn’t serve a purpose in our lives anymore.
If our answer is no, then we can get creative, try a way to fix it, sell it, or give it to someone who would value it.
These two simple yet powerful questions remind us to come back to what matters, using our many products to fulfill us in some way, and then becoming resourceful in keeping our things in shape.
Another word for this is frugality: A prudent and sparing use or appropriation of anything.
In behavioral science, frugality has been defined as the tendency to acquire goods and services in a restrained manner, and resourceful use of already owned economic goods and services, to achieve a longer-term goal.
Encouragement
I know this all sounds daunting and difficult but it doesn’t need to be. All it takes is a little reflection, taking note of the things we own, and then deciding to keep them or not.
I encourage us to come back to the present moment, remembering that we already have everything we need to be happy and healthy.
And our capability to be happy and healthy is rooted in mindfulness.
Beyond this is desire, the wanting of the mind.
Remembering this will help alter our relationship with consumerism and clarify our needs.
Resources
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October 2, 2023
Action
“Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation, even so, does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.”
– Leonardo Da Vinci
By design, some people think more and some instinctively act more. The head and the heart are at play in every decision we make.
But no matter how we approach the Book of Life, we have to write the chapters ourselves, we have to take action for our character.
Whatever we call it, inaction, laziness, or sloth, the result is the same.
Our minds need attention, purpose, and pause to stay vigorous.
For instance, reading can bring vitality and imagination to a stagnant mind. Whereas movies, television, doom scrolling, and social media do little to engage our minds in an active, rigorous way and can actually be detrimental to the mind.
Practicing mindfulness involves being fully present in the moment, and paying attention to our thoughts and sensations without judgment.
The Book of Life represents the unfolding story before us, with each moment and experience being a page or chapter.
Mindfulness encourages us to live more fully and consciously, recognizing the significance of each moment in our life story.
Reflection
Even waking up earlier can be the catalyst to a bright, purposeful day, with time to set our intentions and focus our energy.
There are 5 things I try my best to do every single morning: Wake up at six (much harder than it sounds), take a cold shower, work out, meditate, and journal.
I know that after doing those five small things (in under an hour and a half), I have set myself up for a great day.
And I’m not alone. The happiest people on the planet have a morning routine (see the link at the bottom).
Routines require rigorous action. It doesn’t have to be a giant, exhausting action either, often the smallest choices make the biggest impact in the long run.
It’s kin to building a house brick by brick rather than plopping the whole structure down at once, each brick laid is a deliberate voice, ensuring quality and craftsmanship.
Every small action relies on another even smaller action to complete.
Complete? But that’s not the right word. Is anything ever really completed? Are we ever finished with something, no matter the size and detail?
There is continuous improvement, evaluation, and backtracking to every endeavor.
These small actions, like brushing our teeth, rely on even smaller actions, like buying toothpaste or a toothbrush, which relies on going to the store, which relies having the means and health to travel, which relies on the knowledge that brushing your teeth is good for you, which relies on the ability to comprehend that knowledge, which relies on working memory to store that knowledge, which relies on an intact brain to store that memory, which depends on, well, you get the point.
This reminds us to understand the complexity of the world we live in and the propensity to often take it for granted.
It also points to a fascinating topic that some people study their entire adult lives: behavior. If we are a collection of our daily choices, then doesn’t that give us so much possibility to affect our behavior?
There is little fluctuation in behavior when we are grounded in self-disciple and good-natured, daily choices.
The one thing that is a constant in life is that everything changes, and the observation of that change over time is called mindfulness.
A person’s practice of observation (meditation) is at the core of every action, no matter how small.
Encouragement
I encourage us to pick up a good book today and read for a while, maybe go on a long walk in the woods or paint aimlessly, draw something completely random, pick up an instrument, or play a challenging game!
No matter the choice of action, make sure to focus on the intentionality and to note as always how you feel in the process.
Links
Thank you deeply for your time and attention in reading this post, it is a rare gift these days. Feel free to comment, like, and share it. You can also support me by Buying Me A Coffee. Thank you in advance!
September 30, 2023