With so much media and information being hurled at us every day, having time to detox from it all is increasingly critical to good mental and physical health. And while it is very rare to find a truly new spiritual tool, today I’m talking about one–the media-free day.
I encourage everyone reading this to have at least one day each week where they don’t do anything with media. That includes:
- Internet
- Television
- Radio
- Video games
- Music
- Movies
- Tablet
- Computer
- E-readers
- Phone
- and whatever other kind of media and/or technology tool is absorbing your attention
Now, this is a practical spiritual tool. So if you’re waiting to find out if you got the job or if your wife is going into delivery, you may move your media-free day so that you can use technology to handle those things. Things happen. Additionally, I always say that using the phone to actively meet up with friends in-person is just fine. Then, the phone is being used to facilitate engagement with people rather than wasting time and brain cells. And once arranged, the phone goes away.
After at least 24 hours free of media and technology, see how you feel. Journal about it. Compare how you felt before and after.
I usually feel pretty great, and I’ve had reports from my students of feeling calmer, less interested in media, happier, sleeping better, and other things.
Please remember that technology and media tend to be very stimulating. These experiences are brand new to our bodies. So regularly taking time to break from these things is important to our well-being.
For more topics on appreciating health and spiritual tools on the spiritual path, you can check out these posts:
Sugar Is a Major Health Concern
Dietary Shifts and Food Needs in the Spiritual Awakening Process