If you’ve started a mediation practice you’ll now recognise that meditation is \u201csimple but not easy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You’ll also have hopefully started to get the intuition that it is worth sticking to this practice. The more this becomes a habit, the more it\u2019ll stay with you during the day, and the more it stays with you during the day, the more you’ll notice the benefits of having more equanimity, more balance and less reactiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today I\u2019d just like to really quickly cast a glance at a topic that is very dear to my heart, and that\u2019s smartphones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unless you\u2019re super-human you\u2019ll have felt the same pull that I feel \u2013 and that millions, no \u2013 billions \u2013 of people feel every day. That\u2019s the little tug of addiction, the \u201cjust pick me up, look at me, oo, shiny\u201d that emanates from this little rectangle of plastic. I won\u2019t go into the studies now \u2013 we\u2019ve all heard of them, the little bursts of dopamine, the fact that even having one of these gadgets in the room<\/em>. let alone in your hand, is enough to distract\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly, not everything about smartphones is terrible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But. They can also become\u00a0the single most mindless thing you own<\/em>. Browsing in that way we all know so well \u2013 endless (doom)scrolling, not really seeing, not really hearing, not really focusing on the other things around us (the kids, the tv, your food, your partner\u2026) \u2013 this is about as opposite an activity to mindfulness as you can possibly get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many ways you can counter this. I\u2019m not going to use too much of this blog encouraging you to change your smartphone habits in radical ways, but here are just two quick ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Firstly: try being without it, and use your growing mindfulness practice to really notice how you feel when you are parted from your phone. Go out without it, and notice your relief or discomfort \u2013 don\u2019t judge these feelings, just notice them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondly: when you do settle down with your phone or tablet \u2013 or any other screen! \u2013 do this mindfully. It\u2019s almost as if you\u2019re setting aside \u201csome mindless browsing time\u201d, but knowing that you\u2019re doing this, by focusing on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try these practices \u2013 and again I emphasise working on them without judgement, and with as much kindness and compassion as you can \u2013 just to notice more about how you feel in this particular aspect of your normal waking life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you’ve started a mediation practice you’ll now recognise that meditation is \u201csimple but not easy\u201d. You’ll also have hopefully started to get the intuition that it is worth sticking to this practice. The more this becomes a habit, the more it\u2019ll stay with you during the day, and the more it stays with you … <\/p>\n