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Returning to the Real World From Technology Break


 My technology break lasted two weeks.  I wasn't one hundred percent technology free but as much as I possibly could be and still stay in touch with my family and make memories with those I was with.  I have been back to normal technology use for almost a full week and I thought that returning to the real world of connection would be like riding a bike.  Instead, I have found it generally positive since I missed some aspects of my technology but I also continue to find it challenging at times.  

The Positive

I mentioned in my last post that I forgot a few passwords and had many emails to sift through but on the whole, the world kept turning and wasn't the worse for having me escape for a time.  Easing back in was fairly simple after the first few days and I found myself in a routine for my workday and managed by work and home life well enough though with a varied schedule than before the break.  I love change and routine is something that I find boring so a shake-up of routine is refreshing.

I was happy to return to my Twitter and Pinterest accounts.  These are all fairly positive aspects of my life allowing me to keep in touch with family and friends and see photos of animals and landscapes around the world.  I know that this positivity from social media isn't everyone's experience but for me, I have plenty of "friends" who I have never met but I enjoy seeing their nature adventures and especially now, feel like I can mentally take a little mini-vacation when I see their surroundings.


As far as my work, I continue to feel very creative and look forward to editing my new nature photos and finding products that they would look good on in my Zazzle and RedBubble stores.  This burst of creativity was perhaps the most surprising result of coming back.  I know that writers and other creative workers go through slumps when they just don't feel it.  I didn't think that was my case before the technology break since I adore what I do but just perhaps that break allowed me to remember just how much I love to create.  Those aspects of creation and experimentation that I had taken for granted when I am immersed in it every day came flooding back.


The Negatives


I had always started my day reading the news over my tea rather than watching the sunrise which I greatly enjoyed over my break.  Waking to read the negativity of the news was the one thing that I was very happy to have out of my life during my break.  I didn't think that news first thing was something that was beneficial to me in general upon my return though being informed is a worthy goal.  I have no desire to live in an ignorant hole and so this week I have tried shifting to fifteen minutes of reading news right after lunch.  Middle of the day when I have had so many positives in my day and the rest of the day ahead of me sounded like a good plan.  This is a work in progress as I find the news leaving me in a bit of a negative mood for a short while after returning to work.  I need to work on pulling myself back to work by actively concentrating on all the positives in my life.  I am really not sure how to manage this but am open to any ideas and suggestions anyone might have.  



The mental clutter of technology is the one other aspect that I am having trouble adjusting to.  Constantly being available, in touch, and managing several forms of technology at one time to satisfy everyone is more tiring than I remember.  The noise of life has replaced the silence of nature, the peace of the morning and the time to let my mind wander.  Certainly, some of this clutter is simply the result of not being on vacation any longer yet as evenings draw in I can't deny just how out of touch I feel with the serenity of my break.  


I always thought that giving up almost all technology for such a long time was going to be difficult and that perhaps I was setting myself up for trouble by doing an all at once approach but found giving up technology fairly easy after the first few days.  One week back and I am thinking that perhaps I should have done a slow and steady approach to bringing back technology rather than the on and off switch method.   Do you have experience with technology-free breaks or returning to normal usage after a break?  Leave a comment and share your experience.

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