Lyrics: “Rivers” – Frank Turner, 2011
For reasons unknown quite a few of the “self care” podcasts I recently listened to, dealt with how our phones are messing with our brains and lives and everything. I paraphrase here, obviously. But basically it’s true and not really a new discovery. One things that stuck with me though from a chat with Cal Newport about his book “Slow Productivity” was the “phone as distraction” issue. It focused on the phone as means of distraction from thoughts and such Somehow this time it clicked for me, because I know I (too) often use my phone – and other media like TV shows and even books to an extent – as a distraction. But when he talked about how good it can be to really just be with your thought, I figured out why I distracted myself so much. Because for most of my life my mind was a worried and anxious place to be in. Lots of self-loathing, lots of negative self-talk… of course I did not wanted to be there.
I’m trying to be less on my phone and more in the moment, starting with this trip by very consciously not sharing it all each day on Instagram (which is the social media app I’m on the most these days). So, this trip: Scotland! Finally again. The first three days went fine, though not without hiccups, but I managed to deal with all of them so far, so no big deal.
Being behind the wheel in the UK felt familiar very quickly, the weather so far was…. Scottish (lots of rain, but also some nicer times) and my apartment in the depth of rural Perthshire is quite cozy. And when I say rural, I mean it. I see and hear cattle grazing from the window while I type this.
“Sightseeing” so far: The Kelpies (I mean, how can I now, when I fly into Edinburgh and have to drive west), Drummond Castle Gardens and a long drive up (and back) Cairngorms National Park for a guided summit walk (not from the ground, but the Mountain Railway Top Station). There will be more excursions over the next few days, depending on the weather and what I feel like doing and then it’s over to Dundee on the weekend. All in all I’ll try to be in front of screens (phone and computer) a bit less and just watch the amazing, constantly changing Scottish sky a bit more.
