c o n s u m p t I o n

Consumption is not just about what we put into our bodies but about all that we take in. We are as a whole overstimulated daily. 50 years ago people would not experience as much stimulation in their entire lives as we do in a single day. We are constantly inundated with media, violence, war, statistics, and disembodied communication. We take in so much noise from our urban environments, from advertising, from the news, and the humming of electronics around us.

I don't spend much time on Facebook anymore except to post events, share happenings and let's be honest watch the Dodo videos (I can't help it). Even that short time can lead to me getting caught up in the feed. And, I was on there the other day and came across a post from someone I used to work with. She was talking about how she couldn't sleep cause she had just watched a video of a man attacking a dog of which she went into detail and I thought.... why are you sharing this? Does this change what happened? Do you just want someone to commiserate with you? How does this add value to your life or anyone else's? Yes, in some ways we need to be informed. We definitely need to know what's going on around election time, or so that we can attend a rally on an issue that's important to us, or volunteer with an organization that is working towards healing some element of dis-ease in the world. Absolutely. But where is the line? Are we staying aware to how our consumption is affecting us? Do we balance it out.

I love dark TV shows. But I know when to take a break. I didn't start the Handmaid's Tale (don't get me started on the finale) until it had been out for over a year because when it first aired I knew I wasn't in the right headspace for it. There have been studies of people miraculously getting better when they surrounded themselves with positive energy and stuck to comedies. Seriously, that happens. My homepage for my browser has always been NPR but recently I changed it because even that brief moment of seeing headlines is sometimes triggering on days when I'm less able. I spend more time on Instagram which I have curated to be a kind of inspiration board. I feel good being on it and if I come across more than one post from someone that doesn't nourish me, I delete them. It may sound cold but I'm regulating my consumption. It's not my space for friends necessarily but I follow accounts that inspire and that cultivate good vibes. Even subscribing to an actual Newspaper, one closest to an unbiased truth as you can get, that you hold in your hands, that you balance out the negative with some travel and leisure or Sunday comics, would atleast slow down the swallowing up of information.

In a Reset with clients, if they are in any way anxious, depressed or overwhelmed, one of the first tasks I give them is disconnecting from the news for the next 40 days. If they can't totally disconnect then they are to at least limit it to 30 minutes at lunchtime rather than bookending their day. I have been putting my phone away for at least an hour before bed and not touching it for as long as possible when I get up in the morning (a minimum half hour, though today I made it three!). Just this small change can have big effects. We need to pay attention to how we feel when we scroll through the news or social media. Ofcourse there is a time to be tuned in, to be aware, to not turn away. And also, we need a break. We need technology detoxes. We need quiet. We need to make choices about what and how we consume. We need time with our feet on the Earth listening to the sounds of a river or the ocean. We need deep conversations over dinner rather than staring into screens. We need boundaries. How do you regulate your consumption?

ARTWORK:JoAnn Verburg