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by JKCalhoun 872 days ago
> Being present - Being in the Digitopian state usually means living on autopilot. Grabbing one thing after the other, trying to get through the day, distracting yourself at any negative emotion you face.

Yes, I've become aware that I am quite disconnected from "living in the moment" in a way that I was not when I was younger, a teenager.

I had begun to think that it was a result of getting older, taking on more responsibility (or just being more responsible, ha ha).

Losing my minimum wage job when I was in my teens, early 20's was not a huge deal. No mortgage but I did have rent — but if I couldn't make that there was probably a friend's mom's basement.

No kids then. No concerns about my health then. Friends to hang out with, commiserate with, bounce your problems off of.

It may still be "just growing up" but I suspect the degree to which I have supplanted the "running around" I did when I was young with browsing may be a big factor.

The author suggest meditation, walking, showering. I've showered daily since I was a teenager, started running daily (now walking) a decade ago.

Like flossing, meditation has come and gone with me. Perhaps I should do it regularly (and floss regularly).

Road trips seem to help me get back in touch with The Moment. No distractions...

Last Fall a high school friend and I rode the "Katy Trail" on our bikes for 6 days. Hauled camping gear, tents, stoves, water, food... It sucked right up until the moment we finished — and now I can't wait to do it again.

Reflecting on it, I think it recharged my soul and brought me back into The Moment for almost a week stretch.

3 comments

We do need long vacations to recover from modern day digitopia. Living in the US though doesn’t confer much such a priviledge. With an average of 2 weeks of vacation per year I don’t think it’s enough to have enough escape time to fully recover from it
You might be right, but the way people behave on vacations make me think even long vacations would help.
> Last Fall a high school friend and I rode the "Katy Trail" on our bikes for 6 days. Hauled camping gear, tents, stoves, water, food... It sucked right up until the moment we finished — and now I can't wait to do it again.

I don't even need to ride a trail for days, just spending more than an hour on the bike outside is plenty to return me to the 'right' state.

If you are going to do a context switch of this nature it’s best to do something random rather than routine. Sometimes the routine is the problem. Going for a walk every day may become a chore during winter but you feel obliged to do it because you feel like you should because of the routine you have developed. This is slave to the same thinking.

The only bit of advice I can give is spend more time with actual people in real life. That doesn’t necessarily mean close friends, just anyone you can connect with. Trade stories, ideas, experiences and importantly time with people. Be spontaneous and do things well outside your comfort zone.

Importantly though, turning off notifications and choosing when you interact with technology, not the other way round, is important.