5.30 pm
Before: How I used to live?
- I knew more what was going on in the world of media than what was going on in my husband´s head.
- TV was on at our home even though no one was watching it. And I wasted my time for browsing Internet for no reason.
Changes: What changes I´ve made to my life since I started to pay more attention to my wellbeing and simplify my life?
- Keeping TV open the whole evening and browsing Internet for nothing were bad habits for me. After recognizing these behavior patterns I´ve learned consciously to change them. I´ve learned ways to rest and relax without my TV, Macbook, Ipad or Iphone. I´ve also weaned myself off media by having news breaks and living without TV.
- Using a lot of time on media has also been a way to run a way from my problems, difficult emotions and anxiety. I´ve learned to find the real reasons behind my anxiety and how to get rid of them. I´ve learned to process my feelings, face my problems, talk about the difficult emotions and accept all emotions.
- I´ve learned to set concrete and mental boundaries for being in front of the screen. Nowadays TV is open at our home only if there really is something that we want to watch. We´ve found how much is enjoyable and what just makes us more tired and numb. I´ve learned that reseting my brain by watching TV occasionally does good for me, but it’s bad if I watch it every night. I now see clearly that the real life is the most important thing. I don´t need to know everything and be attached to social media 24/7.
- I felt the bad effects of too much screen time long before I made anything about it. I´ve learned to put plans into action. I´ve learned to stop making excuses and taken responsibility of my behavior.
- I´ve learned to observe myself better. It can happen easily and unnoticed that I find myself spending more time with my Iphone than my family because of my work. Or if I´m tired and stressed out I might watch TV even thought there´s nothing worth to watch. The more often I recognize this, the better I can prevent it from happening. And the better I am at making the best out of media.
After: What kind of positive effects I´ve noticed now that I´ve been able to get closer to Living Simply.
- I’m more mindful: Less time with media, more time in real life. And also more possibilities to be present in your real life and live a mindful life.
- I feel that my life is in my hands: The ability to set healthy boundaries is crucial for your wellbeing. Because I can now better control my ways of using media, I can also better control what´s happening in my life. And how I use my time. All that has a very positive effect on my self-esteem and wellbeing in general.
- Our family talks more with each other: Less time in front of media devices, more time for face-to-face communication.
- Media takes care of my wellbeing: I enjoy more my way of using media nowadays. I’m not having too much and I’ve learned to make the best out of it. I can use media for the good of my wellbeing. When you have less quantity, you can get more quality. That´s how it just goes! With everything.
Next time you can read about the meaning of outdoor activities for the family life.
Click to read the On the way to Simple Living: Intro.
Read all posts from my post series called On the way to Simple Living.
