Touch Grass!

I will admit. The people in my house spend a lot of time on screens. Sometimes it’s video games, sometimes is reading books, sometimes it’s homework, sometimes it’s video calls with friends. It’s a lot. I don’t have a big problem with it because of how our society is working now with office workers being “on screens” 8+ hours a day and kids being taught things in schools now with screens. Suppose we DIDN’T allow people to use screens. That would be a little odd. That being said, every once in a while, we do need to get out of the house and do things in the outside world. It could be anything to get away from your technology, but getting away from it occasionally is a good thing. In our house, we have a code word we use to get away from screens (this came from our daughter) where we say we need to “Touch grass.” This means getting out in the world and being away from screens for a while. If you feel like you need to “Touch Grass,” I have a few ideas for you.

1. Take a walk – Don’t get me wrong, I love my Peloton, and when I need proper exercise, I love jumping on my treadmill and going for a walk or a jog; what I’m talking about here is getting out in the world and just wandering around for a little bit. Depending on how I’m feeling that day, I may walk around listening to the sounds of the city I live in, and sometimes I’ll pop in my earbuds and listen to music or a book while I’m out and about. Sometimes, I even have a buddy walking along with me. I go on walks with a friend, and we chat about our lives and what’s going on and “try to solve the problems of the world.”
2. Get Away from the office for lunch – For those of us who work in an office, I think it’s particularly important to walk away for a little bit of the day. There is quite a bit of talk about how Children are getting too much screen time, but next to no one is saying the same thing for the grownups. I know that the trend used to be “eat lunch at your desk so you can work!!!!” but in my experience, it’s actually healthier to get away from your desk throughout the day. TO BE CLEAR: I’m a tech blogger, not a health expert AT ALL, but it is a practice that I started when I first started working in an office, and it has worked for me, so I’m just passing on my experience here.
3. Read a book – We talked about reading last week, but I’m in the groove here, so bear with me. Reading a book (particularly fiction, although I have been known to have a few non-fiction books around) is a great way to step out of your own life, even for a small period of time. I like reading because it takes me out of the responsible part of my life and takes me to strange new worlds where people are doing stuff that I never would be able to. Also, it takes my head away from my work for a while, which is a health bonus. DISCLAIMER: if you’re reading a book on a Kindle or some such device, that doesn’t count (at least in my mind) as a “Screen” because you can easily adjust the backlighting to a less abrasive setting.

To be clear, I’m not advising people to walk away from their screens entirely. Nowadays, when we all are on screens for this or that, it’s wildly impractical not to have SOME connection to technology. What I am suggesting, however, is that getting away from your tech every once and a while is a good thing. Getting out in the world, even for a short walk every day, can be quite helpful in making sure that you aren’t glued to your work screen 24/7. I’m sure there are tons of studies on the subject, but I think it’s important simply because it’s a great way to find balance in your life. So whether you’re getting some exercise, reading a book or hanging out with friends, make sure you go out occasionally and touch grass.

How do you disconnect?

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