Screen Time Reduction Project

I have an addiction to technology. Who doesn't these days?! I hope to make use of this faith-building/sharing medium to document my attempts, successes, and probable failures at trying to reduce the amount of time I have a screen in front of my face. I wondered, at first,  how a blog would help. Well, first, I don't really blog. Second, I feel like this is a different medium than I'm usually used to going on.  Thirdly, I have a lot to share -- mostly from others who have done the same thing that I'm trying to do and have been successful.

Before I type more, I want to share some of the things that are really great about the internet, television, and anything with a screen. I grew up in an era where parents plopped their children in front of the TV, which served as a baby sitter, so I have a long history of having a screen in my face. But, I'm trying to list good things:

1. The ability to connect with people  -- Those who are far away, people you haven't seen in years or decades, the ability to find lost people... there are so many people who I love having a connection with and the internet has made that blessing possible.

2. Free access to so much knowledge -- My favorite thing to do is to find free books on http://www.gutenberg.org/ and https://librivox.org/ that are in the public domain.  I love that I can learn a new skill using YouTube. There are classes and courses that aren't free. I've found that courses on dating, body language, confidence building, disagreeing professionally, lie detecting, and many more. One of my favorite websites is https://www.scienceofpeople.com/. Vanessa Van Edwards has created many videos and blogs that have helped me -- one that I would like to talk about specifically is related to the reason why I started this blog -- How to Do a Digital Detox: 3 Easy Steps for Success 

3. Access to tools for psychological healing -- This is an important area for me. I grew up in a very abusive environment. I love having access to an infinite number of sources for healing.


These are the biggest reasons why limiting my screen time or reducing it has been a challenge. I think it's an important step in my spiritual growth to cut down on my reliance on grabbing something with a screen to feel whole and healed. I want to have that within myself. I want to change my consciousness. I need to have the courage to connect with people face to face and not just digitally. And, I want to learn from real-life experiences. I can only progress to a certain point virtually. Then I have to change my physical life in order to really feel alive and well. I have more to say, but I'm going to save it for a future post.