Wild Worlands: Screen Detox

I’m not sure if it’s the change of seasons, or just a new season of life, but I’ve been struggling recently. My depression and anxiety have reared their ugly heads and come back with a vengeance. Lets be honest, being a human is hard right now. I wake up every morning tired and irritated, grab my phone for some kind of connection with half awake eyes and end up debilitated by the complexities of life.

Then I start to doubt my abilities to human. Am I doing enough for my children? I should exercise more and eat better. My homeschooling doesn’t look that cute and organized and plastic-free. How can we reduce our carbon footprint? Wait, California is on fire? There’s still a refugee crisis in Syria? They found Hepatitis A in my frozen berries? Did we decided to get that vaccine for the kids or not….

Last week I had enough and decided to make the changes I can to improve my anxiety. So I put the TV in the closet, hid the iPad and unplugged the modem. It may sound extreme (and maybe it is) but for now it is necessary. If it’s available, I cannot keep myself accountable to balance screen time. And when I don’t lead by example the kids beg for shows until I give in. So we spend the majority of our days watching separate screens and arguing with one another because our bodies, minds and souls have received little nourishment.

I’ve always made the excuse to keep the screens out, on and in hand because I run my business from home and if I’m not connected 100% of the time I might miss a client or a question. Then I remembered, businesses existed before the internet and smart phones and facebook. Sure my business may suffer a little bit from having restricted business hours but thats OK. My soul, my mind, my body and my family can no longer be the ones that hurt.

The kids don’t love my latest “experiment” but once we get past the initial morning pleas for screen time they settle in to our new routine pretty well. There have been more hugs, more books, more creative play, more time spent together in harmony than ever before and my afternoon anxiety and anger have started to lift.

The kids asked if they could learn how to be photographers and I dug out my first Canon for them to use. We went out in the cold and snuggled in blankets and they each took turns directing us into different places and poses and captured things that are important to them. It was so fun to watch them explore the world and try to figure out how to create their own vision. Turns out these are some of favorite photos ever taken on the Rebel! When I look at them I know this is what is important, these are my people and we’re all going to be ok.