Written by: Dannie De Novo, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
You undoubtedly have had more than one heated battle with your child or teen over their
obsessive use of technology. I have a six-year-old, and when I turn off the television or close the laptop, it’s like the world ended.
As a parent, you clearly see the need for your child to disengage at times from scrolling,
gaming, and surfing. But, as a parent do you recognize the equally important need to self-
remove yourself at times from technology?
Putting down your device can be hard. However, I happen to really like unplugging. Once you
can get yourself through that separation anxiety from your smartphone and over your initial
FOMO twitch, you probably will find that you get a lot out of unplugging. The benefits of doing so include reduction in stress and anxiety, better concentration, improved sleep, and decreased feelings of loneliness.
Unfortunately, for many of us, completely unplugging for prolonged periods of time isn’t practical or prudent. I have my own business, a lot of which is dependent on different forms of media. I also have a young daughter and not a lot of “down time.” So, I needed to come up with a different way to unplug more often without pulling the power cord. I found the answer in meditation.
I meditate every day. It has become a non-negotiable part of my day – more important than my coffee or cosmetics. It is a drug-free, cost-effective, and simple way to establish balance in your life and elevate your mood. It helps with creativity and innovation. It is connection without being digitally connected in that meditation is the best way to connect with yourself on a much higher plane than any media or technology could ever allow for. Feeling connected gives one a sense of deep purpose. It is your sense of purpose that leads to a sense of fulfillment.
Instead of forcefully encouraging you to turn off the tech entirely, I would rather encourage you to connect on a different level. So, here are three tips to help you learn the skill of meditation and hopefully incorporate it into your daily habits. You just have to remember “HUM.”
Step 1: H is for Hush
Yes, you need to find some quiet time.
I like to meditate as soon as I wake up. It’s quiet and there aren’t many distractions. When you wake up, get out of bed immediately. Don’t meditate while still in bed because you will just doze off again. Find a comfortable spot on the floor or in a chair, sit your butt down, and get to it.
Whatever you do, do NOT look at your phone before you start. You have been detoxing from
tech all night, so let yourself have an extra few free moments.
There are a couple of reasons why you should operate this way. First, if you meditate before
anything else, you know it will get done. Second, you won’t feel the pangs of tech separation
anxiety because you have been tech-free during your sleep. You can’t listen closely to what is
going on inside of you if there is a lot of other noise around you, so leave your tech in a different room!
Step 2: U is for “YOU”
Or, U is for understand yourself.
Generally, a lot of people mistakenly believe that meditation is about complete silence of the
mind or about removing your thoughts from your head entirely, but to me, meditation is more
about listening to what your thoughts and emotions are trying to tell you about yourself and your life.
Meditation is about connecting on a higher level and listening to your inner guidance. All day
long, we walk around listening to a bunch of voices inside our heads. Some of those voices
belong to us, and well, a lot of them don’t. How do you know which voice to listen to?
Meditation allows you to hear the true voice coming from your heart. When you first start
meditating, you might not hear that voice right away. It may feel that way for a while. But I
promise you, if you stick with it, eventually you will start to hear your heart’s guidance and you
will have the opportunity to reconnect with your true self.
Step 3: M is for Make it simple
Getting started with meditation is intimidating for some. For others, it seems silly. And for others still, they really just don’t know what to do or how to do it. However you feel about starting, keep it simple to start.
Light a candle and focus on the flame. This just gives your mind a bit of an aid to help it. Then
for 2 to 3 minutes, watch the candle and focus on your breath. Feel your chest and stomach rise and fall with each breath. Feel the rhythm of each heartbeat. That’s all you need to do—look at something and breathe for 2 minutes. That should be the easiest thing you do all day!
As you get better at focusing on your breath, you can increase the length of time for your
meditation, but it never has to be long. Ten minutes every day will give you a huge return on
your investment.
Try reconnecting with yourself. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose—including your smartphone. Once you get the hang of it, see if you can convince your kids to try it out. You can “disconnect” as a family.
Dannie De Novo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dannie De Novo is a happiness coach and international bestselling author. After having battled depression and anxiety for most of her early life, Dannie set out on a course to learn what true happiness was for her and for the sake of her baby girl. Now, Dannie regularly appears on ABC, Fox, NBC, and CBS TV news and talk shows as an expert on creating happiness, combating loneliness and depression, and managing anxiety. For more about Dannie De Novo, visit www.DannieDeNovo.com.
