A FORCED DETOX

Image Source: charlesdeluvio (Unsplash)

"One thing you want to pay attention to is your intake diet." - Leanne Horvath.

Earlier this summer, I completed advanced teacher training through Vira Bhava Yoga. A discussion centered around things that can affect the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual aspects of yourself. Leanne Horvath, instructor and owner of Vira Bhava, stated, "To maintain a state of balance (of the aspects as mentioned above), one thing you want to pay attention to is your intake diet." A question may arise, "What is an intake diet?"

Leanne explained that sources may be what you eat, breathe, read, and listen to. Most conversations during this instruction block focused on reading and listening, specifically regarding the internet and social media outlets, where many of us get instant access to the information superhighway. Name the outlet, and you can find many postings based on opinion rather than facts that most assuredly draw an emotional response from those with a counterview.

From there, we get stuck in the mind stuff and perseveration, which interferes with our ability to discern what is or is not true about what we absorb. An overactive mind can affect our sleep (when the body does its necessary repair work) and depress the immune system in the long term. We become susceptible to illness, do not want to eat, or exercise, may become depressed, etc. Everything relates to everything else (when one aspect of ourselves is unbalanced, it will affect all other layers). A way to remedy this situation is to examine the intake and detox (withdrawal) from the root cause.

In this post, I will discuss detoxing from the addictive world of the Internet, specifically social media outlets. When the Internet became available for public use in the early 1990s, we accessed it through desktop computers. As the years passed, laptops and tablets made it more convenient to search and scroll without sitting at a desk. Addictive behaviors escalated with the advent of the smartphone. Now, we can carry the World Wide Web into every public and private space without missing the latest updates. I took my phone with me everywhere I walked into my house—a relentless obsession until the forced detox.

Hurricane Helene roared through Western North Carolina in late September as a Tropical Storm. It destroyed cell towers and fiber optic cable, and suddenly, there was no internet or cell service. It no longer mattered where I carried my phone - no scrolling, no updates - just like that. We experienced several weeks of either intermittent or no service. As days passed, I became used to life without the Internet, which eased my stress levels and became freeing. I resolved that when normalcy returned, I would stay less attached to my phone and the endless scrolling. Easy to say, hard to do. All we can do is do our best, and that is enough.

To reiterate the words of Leanne Horvath, "Watch your intake." Your mind, body, and spirit will respond with kindness. Until next time -

Namaste,

Tim