One of the RSS feeds I’m subscribed to is some bookstore blog in the U.S., and their latest book review offered a panacea to my recent technology stress.
Technological advancements are supposed to make life easier, but there are times when it causes more frustration than comfort. This happens when files don’t effin’ attach, the Internet connection flows like molasses, or when Skype keeps on disconnecting in the middle of an important conversation.
The least I could do is fill my chest with air, pound on the table, and scream the F word, while putting up a calm front online. It doesn’t help either if your phone is not getting any signal and some messages are not getting through. Hello hello, 21st century. HELL oh.
Oh wait, there’s more. This blog got hacked the other day, spreading worms in my database (thanks Avira for protecting my laptop) so the boyfriend had to delete the entire content and upload the backup database. We rarely chat these days and our emails have been solely about bandwidth (which keeps on exceeding), servers, file management, back-end scripts, viruses/ worms, CSS style, and apps.
Then came a back rub in the summary of Why Meditate? Working with Thoughts and Emotions by Matthieu Ricard
We can just sit comfortably, relaxing our shoulders while keeping our spine straight “like a pile of gold coins,” in lotus or half lotus position, hands resting palms up, chin tucked, tongue comfortable against the soft palate, eyes open or half closed and directed downward. And then stay there, just like that for up to 20 minutes focusing the mind on one’s breath or some insight.
Committing to such a practice on a daily basis, he says, not only benefits the person meditating but also the greater community of humankind. When we love ourselves and accept ourselves from a quieter gentler state of being, we are able to project that compassion and gentleness into the world at large. When we meditate we are not retreating to a remote place alone with our ego, we are expanding and shifting and opening to new possibilities, new ways of seeing ourselves and the world.
You will benefit from my clearer, more focused mind and we will engage in more compassionate, baggage free relationships by just dedicating a few moments a day to our well being. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?
It does. It felt good, too.
Sometimes, I stand and leave my desk, make myself some coffee, read a page in a book, or stretch. How about you? How do you cope with tech stress?
I agree, sometimes this is definitely needed, a little break from what we now call ‘reality’. Which is ironically just virtual reality, which is not as fulfilling as being with people face-to- face. I also try to ‘meditate’, but instead of sitting, I find lying in a bed is more relaxing because I’m sitting all day at a computer! So it looks like I’m taking a nap, but in reality I just give myself 10 minutes to think, or not think, to just be. Sometimes finding those real life interactions also helps, if only for a little ‘tea-time’. Looks like… Read more »
Hi, Laura! thanks for dropping by..
Tea time! Right, I think that’s as relaxing as meditation, plus you get real interaction and less stress because there’s no threat of disconnection.
They say lying down may be as refreshing as a sleep because your heart takes it slow as your body takes no pressure.