7 Ways to Find Breathing Space in a Cluttered World

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I've lived most of my life in the 20th century.  I was born long before the internet.  I didn't grow up with screens, except a small black-and-white TV that got five channels.  I was subjected to real-life social stressors, but not the added, invasive stress of social media.


Maybe that qualifies me to comment on what's changed.  After all, I remember things being different from what they are today.


coffee break



So overwhelming


Today we've normalized overconsumption.  We listen to podcasts while we walk the dog, click and scroll on social media in the bathroom, tune in to a newscast while we cook, and watch Netflix while we eat.


We allow almost no breathing space for our own thoughts, no openings to notice other people or the world around us.  It's as if we're terrified of stillness and quiet, and have to fill each moment with content and noise.  And then we complain about having no energy or motivation.


Is this the road we're going to continue on?  This loud, overwhelming, densely-packed life that drains us and makes us passive and uncreative?  I wouldn't wish this fruitless existence on anyone, and dread the thought of my grandsons falling into it and sacrificing their personalities, intelligence, and self-confidence.


Yet many of us choose this every day – and not just young people, either.





Take simple steps.


Let me suggest some simple steps to get a bit of breathing space in this noisy environment we've created.  Please try one, and then another.


1.  Don't sleep with a screen.

Apparently, many people take their phones to bed with them.  Opt out of this.  Put your phone on the night stand or in a charging station, and sleep alone (or with your significant other).  Nothing – I mean NOTHING – is happening on your phone that you need to check on in the middle of the night.


2.  Don't wake up with a screen.

Don't let your phone be the first thing you think of when you wake up, even if you reach for it to shut off the alarm.  Set it back down.  Get a drink of water, meditate or pray, do some stretches, read something inspiring, jump in the shower, fix a little breakfast and eat it, and THEN reach for your phone if you must.


3.  Don't eat with a screen.

Put phones away and turn the television off, just while you're eating.  Even if you're eating alone, why not pay more attention to what you're putting into your mouth?  Maybe you can sit near a window and watch what's happening outside.  If you're desperate to do more, why not put your fork down between bites and write in a gratitude journal?


And if you're eating with others, have a conversation!  If a topic comes up that you would normally Google for more information, wait.  Listen, and then use your own knowledge, experience, and intelligence to comment.  We used to do it all the time – remember?


4.  Reduce notifications.

Consider sending all calls to voice mail unless you get one from immediate family or an emergency contact.  Then plan to check voice mail three or four times during the day and return calls if necessary.  Do the same with texts and email notifications.  (While you're at it, unsubscribe from marketing emails.)  Fewer rings and dings means fewer interruptions when you're trying to get things done.  Your attention span will increase, your work will improve, and you'll feel more competent and much calmer.




5.  Declutter apps.

Remove 3-5 apps you used once and don't need.  Then take the plunge, and remove one app you use too often.


6.  Take a sabbatical.

One screen-free day per week would be a marvelous goal, but maybe you don't feel that's practical or even possible.  So try one weekend morning.  No phone, no TV, no computer until noon.  Or try one evening per week.  No phone, no TV, no computer from dinnertime until the next morning.  Or if you don't think you can manage either of those breaks, try 15 minutes.  Just 15 minutes!  You can see what you missed after 15 minutes.  (Be honest – was it really that important?)


7.  Just breathe.

I don't meditate (not formally, anyway), but sometimes I just breathe.  I sit in silence, maybe with my eyes closed, and I just breathe.  If I think of something, I may follow the chain of thought, but I don't try to organize it or make it "productive."  Not for a couple of minutes, anyway.


Taking a little time to breathe slows you down, calms you, brings you back to the present moment, and reminds you that you're alive.  You're an intelligent, talented being – not just an audience or a consumer of what someone else has thought or created.  Don't waste what you've been given.


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