January nights, I think, must be made for candlelight, comfy snacks, and a good book. (Or, for the extroverts out there, a small cozy gathering of friends for a game night or movie marathon.)
I opted for the former last night. In need of relaxation after an unexpectedly busy day, I lit a candle, grabbed a book, and hoped hygge would work its magic.
I read for a bit but found myself frequently shifting in my chair, unable to unwind. Though the atmosphere was indeed soothing, I observed that the candlelight alone wasn’t enough to calm my restless mind.
And then I powered down my phone.
Frankly I don’t know why I don’t do this more often. When I do, immediately a weight lifts off my chest and my soul opens up. This openness triggers a literal deep breath as my body instinctually responds to fill the expanded space.
This palpable sense of release never happens when I take lesser measures (ex. airplane mode, DND) to disconnect. Only powering down completely delivers true rest.
Thus it begs the question: if the reward is so reliably gratifying, why don’t I power down more often? The answer, I think, is varied. Firstly, like most of us, I’m one gradient away from my adolescent self, mired in the constant anxiety of FOMO. “What if I miss something important?” I worry.
Secondly, we have all become tethered to our phones the way chain smokers are to their cigarettes. I won’t belabor the reasons behind this since they are well-documented and distributed (through films like The Social Dilemma, for example), but suffice to say, neuroscience is at play.
These are not insignificant reasons to resist powering down. And yet, given our rise in anxiety and depression, it’s worth experimenting with its merits nonetheless.
As for myself, though I did not include anything related to screentime or phone usage in my January bullet journal pages, I think I’ll add a small notation to power down more often this month. The risk is low, the reward is high, and that’s a satisfactory formula for the start of any year.
