There is so much I love about this post, Michael. Welcome back. Where shall I begin with what resonates for me?
1) I love that you even took this break and that you observed your thoughts and investigated how those thoughts made you feel.
2) THIS: "I want to consciously choose when to invite in the noise of the internet and when to block it out; instead, of my internet consumption being this unconscious habit that I have no real control over." YES!
3) and I love that you want to "make sense of that monk"😁
I will be sending out a post soon about a young woman who is a Zen priest whose writing I've recently discovered, who I think you'd really enjoy reading too. This is her vow: My main vow as a Zen priest is to take away fear, most of all through the quality of my presence and who I am.♥️🙏🕊️
For reading, for pointing out what resonated with you (I had a feeling number 3 would be right up your alley), and for alerting me to both this Zen priest and that skate book (through Instagram). It is all very much appreciated and it is, as always, a pleasure to read your comments and engage with you thought the internet in this way — the noise isn’t all bad, after all :)
Welcome back, Michael - I hope that you can continue engaging without the overload. I am so interested in trying this kind of break, too, it seems like it would be so useful, even as a few times a year practice. What did you do about people calling or texting you? Did you have any parameters for managing that?
And I didn’t know you’d unsubscribed to me - I turned off those notifications because it’s such a downer - so I didn’t know until you re-subscribed and I said, oh yay, Michael’s back, and good in him for unsubscribing to give himself another layer of a break! Glad you are back and thanks for sharing how it went for you :)
Yes, I definitely think having a break is good, and I’m certainly planing to do it again. I thought maybe every April, I’d do it, ‘abstinence April’ I’ll call it. Either that or shorter ones. If your thinking about having a break I’d definitely encourage it.
Yes, unfortunately I still had to use my phone for calls and msgs etc etc., but, for ages now, I’ve had my phone on both silent and do not disturb, so I get to it when I’m ready. This doesn’t always bode well with my girlfriend but lucky for me, she’s accomodating.
And yes, the unsubscribe/resubscribe thing was essentially a symptom of my technological ineptitude haha
Welcome back! You already know how I feel about all of this and I'm happy that you were able to take some time away. Those breaks are so important. Loved Love Loved this: "I want to consciously choose when to invite in the noise of the internet and when to block it out; instead, of my internet consumption being this unconscious habit that I have no real control over."
I do my daily walks in silence, those walks make me a better human and it is my favorite part of the day. What a weird existence! Making sure we take time away from these mini computers we carry around...I'll always find the tech life we live wildly strange.
It still surprises me sometimes just how invigorating going for walks really are.
And I know right!? This tech life has always been a bit much for me, I feel like people our age (I imagine you must be pretty close to me in age... I’m 32) are the last generation who grew up just before all the tech really took hold. And I still find myself pining for those before time when everything was simpler.
Thank you for sharing this! I also had a break but mine was unintended due to modem failure resulting in no internet and because I had changed to streaming after cancelling cable I also had no television. My kids old 5in one still had CDs loaded in the tray so I spent the days listening to music from 20 years ago while reading books, it was like a vacation from the awful and I highly recommend it for anyone overwhelmed with state of the world. Our device addiction is real, it's harmful to our mental well-being, it makes me sad for the generations that haven't known anything else.
An unintended break, although probably a pain in the butt, is still a good way to get a break.
And listening to some twenty year old music must’ve been cool! A bit of nostalgia for sure.
Yeah totally, I think the device addiction is only getting worse and I think a part of what makes it so bad is — unlike many other addictions — almost everyone is hooked, which makes pulling ourselves free even harder.
And I know right!? I’m so thankful to have had a phone free childhood.
Another unintended break occurred yesterday in the form of a 16 hour power outage, this time I was deprived of the music option that had really uplifted the previous break, sometimes my refusal to have a smart phone has disadvantages but overall I think my mental health is better off!
Commenting on this EXCELLENT post feels a bit like saying "Come on man, just have this one drink with me" or "One little line won't hurt, we are at a party" or "I hate to smoke alone you know that".... BUT all of us who have tried this experiment have learnt something valuable. Us oldies remember life without phones but we still got massively hooked. The last detox I did I remember thinking I won't ever get like that again and guess what..... yeah, that is addiction isn't it. Good grief. Just keep observing, keep looking at yourself and enjoying the unique experiment. You are the scientist and the laboratory and a life time of experimenting on yourself is actually a lot of fun.
p.s. I DID notice when you unsubscribed. I sobbed for days. In the small pond of my world it is noticeable when a big fish goes missing.... oooo, that sounds like something a monk might say!
Hahaha you’re luring me back in with your talk of of just one hit, April hahaha.
Yeah there is definitely an addictive element to this whole phone/internet thing and it spins me out. But the break was good and there will be more in the future. Like a spring cleaning thing, but for the mind.
And yes, I really like your idea of treating these things as science experiments. I actually thought about it the other day, it’s such a good way to approach this human experience we’re all having.
Ohhh no, a million apologies, April. It was a total accident, and a perfect example of my technological ineptitude. And you’re right that does sound like something a monk would say, well played. :)
I thought of you fondly while you were on break. I understand the need to detach from the world for a little while. Keep blocking the noise out! I'm glad for your return nonetheless!
Welcome back Michael! Hooray for consciously choosing what will most nurture you in the moment, whether that’s the noise or the silence, it’s the “consciously” that is key. I hope your return is abundant with childlike play…let that little guy lead the way!
Thank you for sharing this with us Michael. I recently took a short break, almost two weeks, while on vacation and it was delightful. Returning here, to Substack, seemed very intimidating. I think it’s because I care about it, and my relationships here, so much. I had to consciously remind myself why I am here in the first place, to recenter myself around that.
Your essay has reminded me to be more mindful in my tasks each day. I am usually in silence but that doesn’t mean I’m paying attention🥲
There’s a lot to love in here. I appreciate your narrated journey as it let me calibrate my own feelings. Where we align and differ fascinates me, but mostly I just enjoy the way your words have stuck with through the remainder of the day after I read this morning.
I think the part that caught me most was when you mentioned that pressure to “have something ready to post each fortnight” because it spoke to a difference between how I perceive you as a writer versus how you felt. Your generous spirit and wisdom never convey the stress you feel to convey those powerful feelings. That impresses me, but it also stings a little. I feel my best adhering to a regimented posting schedule; you do not. That’s okay; it adds a bit more to my appreciation for what you’ve shared.
That said, one thing that helps me avoid that pressure, I think, is maintaining my own second journal. Only two people have access to it, and that’s where I just write and process. I tell myself that I’m writing for those friends, but I’m really writing for me, for processing in a different way than I can do publicly. I do think the “That could be a post!” thought a lot, but it doesn’t consume me because I have that second place to let thoughts and feelings just be once or twice a week. It sounded like you arrived at a mindset like that, writing some just for you, which made me happy. It’s served me well, and I hope it becomes a part of your process if it continues to serve you.
Thank you, Michael. As always I really appreciate your thoughtful comment.
I also really appreciate what you said about my writing never conveying the stress of having something to post. I do my best to separate what I’m writing from any thoughts of where it’s going, who might read it, or when I expect it to be done, which probably helps with that. But it does depend on what I’m writing, this piece in particular was obviously intended for substack and I knew that while writing it, but there have been other pieces I’ve written that I didn’t plan to put on substack and I just ended up putting on them after the fact — that probably helps as well.
And to the posting schedule thing - for the first year of my substack use, I did like sticking to a fortnightly schedule, and I was happy to stick to it for the whole year, but I just found that feeling changed towards the end of that year because I wanted to allow myself more time to just play with pieces and see how they panned out, but I noticed the schedule made me less willing to play with my writing in that way, and I didn’t like that. But yeah, it’s an ever evolving thing.
And yes, I do have a journal I put more personal thoughts in and I do agree that does help.
It’s a really good capper for so many things to acknowledge that it’s an evolving thing. Because so are all of us, as writers and people, and adjustments to accommodate that are healthy.
Welcome back mate. Very timely post as I’ve also removed social media from my phone again today. There’s something very liberating about removing that need to fill every moment of boredom with passive consumption that lures with cheap dopamine but doesn’t fulfill.
Cool ME - some pundits are suggesting that this year - maybe next - there will be a Cyber Attack that will alter the inter-web making it a totally new animal - you are simply setting the trend - getting in early.
And yes, it feels like so much of this human experience is about shooting for balance and staying conscious while doing so — it’s a constant, but worthy, challenge. :)
We can't avoid the world but we still need some time off now and then. A silent welcome my friend.
Yes, the time off is so nourishing.
“A silent welcome” — I like that.
Thanks Fotini :)
There is so much I love about this post, Michael. Welcome back. Where shall I begin with what resonates for me?
1) I love that you even took this break and that you observed your thoughts and investigated how those thoughts made you feel.
2) THIS: "I want to consciously choose when to invite in the noise of the internet and when to block it out; instead, of my internet consumption being this unconscious habit that I have no real control over." YES!
3) and I love that you want to "make sense of that monk"😁
I will be sending out a post soon about a young woman who is a Zen priest whose writing I've recently discovered, who I think you'd really enjoy reading too. This is her vow: My main vow as a Zen priest is to take away fear, most of all through the quality of my presence and who I am.♥️🙏🕊️
Thank you, Camilla.
For reading, for pointing out what resonated with you (I had a feeling number 3 would be right up your alley), and for alerting me to both this Zen priest and that skate book (through Instagram). It is all very much appreciated and it is, as always, a pleasure to read your comments and engage with you thought the internet in this way — the noise isn’t all bad, after all :)
Welcome back, Michael - I hope that you can continue engaging without the overload. I am so interested in trying this kind of break, too, it seems like it would be so useful, even as a few times a year practice. What did you do about people calling or texting you? Did you have any parameters for managing that?
And I didn’t know you’d unsubscribed to me - I turned off those notifications because it’s such a downer - so I didn’t know until you re-subscribed and I said, oh yay, Michael’s back, and good in him for unsubscribing to give himself another layer of a break! Glad you are back and thanks for sharing how it went for you :)
Thank you, Robin. I hope so too haha.
Yes, I definitely think having a break is good, and I’m certainly planing to do it again. I thought maybe every April, I’d do it, ‘abstinence April’ I’ll call it. Either that or shorter ones. If your thinking about having a break I’d definitely encourage it.
Yes, unfortunately I still had to use my phone for calls and msgs etc etc., but, for ages now, I’ve had my phone on both silent and do not disturb, so I get to it when I’m ready. This doesn’t always bode well with my girlfriend but lucky for me, she’s accomodating.
And yes, the unsubscribe/resubscribe thing was essentially a symptom of my technological ineptitude haha
Thanks Robin :)
Welcome back! You already know how I feel about all of this and I'm happy that you were able to take some time away. Those breaks are so important. Loved Love Loved this: "I want to consciously choose when to invite in the noise of the internet and when to block it out; instead, of my internet consumption being this unconscious habit that I have no real control over."
I do my daily walks in silence, those walks make me a better human and it is my favorite part of the day. What a weird existence! Making sure we take time away from these mini computers we carry around...I'll always find the tech life we live wildly strange.
Yes, silent walks are the best!
It still surprises me sometimes just how invigorating going for walks really are.
And I know right!? This tech life has always been a bit much for me, I feel like people our age (I imagine you must be pretty close to me in age... I’m 32) are the last generation who grew up just before all the tech really took hold. And I still find myself pining for those before time when everything was simpler.
Thanks you, Jenovia :)
Thank you for sharing this! I also had a break but mine was unintended due to modem failure resulting in no internet and because I had changed to streaming after cancelling cable I also had no television. My kids old 5in one still had CDs loaded in the tray so I spent the days listening to music from 20 years ago while reading books, it was like a vacation from the awful and I highly recommend it for anyone overwhelmed with state of the world. Our device addiction is real, it's harmful to our mental well-being, it makes me sad for the generations that haven't known anything else.
Thank you for reading it Shire!
An unintended break, although probably a pain in the butt, is still a good way to get a break.
And listening to some twenty year old music must’ve been cool! A bit of nostalgia for sure.
Yeah totally, I think the device addiction is only getting worse and I think a part of what makes it so bad is — unlike many other addictions — almost everyone is hooked, which makes pulling ourselves free even harder.
And I know right!? I’m so thankful to have had a phone free childhood.
Thanks Shire :)
Another unintended break occurred yesterday in the form of a 16 hour power outage, this time I was deprived of the music option that had really uplifted the previous break, sometimes my refusal to have a smart phone has disadvantages but overall I think my mental health is better off!
Ohh no! A power outage certainly isn’t a welcome break.
Also, I didn’t realise you didn’t use a smart phone, much respect for that! :)
Commenting on this EXCELLENT post feels a bit like saying "Come on man, just have this one drink with me" or "One little line won't hurt, we are at a party" or "I hate to smoke alone you know that".... BUT all of us who have tried this experiment have learnt something valuable. Us oldies remember life without phones but we still got massively hooked. The last detox I did I remember thinking I won't ever get like that again and guess what..... yeah, that is addiction isn't it. Good grief. Just keep observing, keep looking at yourself and enjoying the unique experiment. You are the scientist and the laboratory and a life time of experimenting on yourself is actually a lot of fun.
p.s. I DID notice when you unsubscribed. I sobbed for days. In the small pond of my world it is noticeable when a big fish goes missing.... oooo, that sounds like something a monk might say!
Hahaha you’re luring me back in with your talk of of just one hit, April hahaha.
Yeah there is definitely an addictive element to this whole phone/internet thing and it spins me out. But the break was good and there will be more in the future. Like a spring cleaning thing, but for the mind.
And yes, I really like your idea of treating these things as science experiments. I actually thought about it the other day, it’s such a good way to approach this human experience we’re all having.
Ohhh no, a million apologies, April. It was a total accident, and a perfect example of my technological ineptitude. And you’re right that does sound like something a monk would say, well played. :)
Welcome back Michael. Great post. I'm glad you're here.
Thank you, Jon.
I really appreciate that.
I’m glad to be back and I’m glad this crazy internet thing put me in contact with you :)
I thought of you fondly while you were on break. I understand the need to detach from the world for a little while. Keep blocking the noise out! I'm glad for your return nonetheless!
Thank you, Marinarena. That is very kind of you and I really appreciate you saying so. :)
Welcome back Michael! Hooray for consciously choosing what will most nurture you in the moment, whether that’s the noise or the silence, it’s the “consciously” that is key. I hope your return is abundant with childlike play…let that little guy lead the way!
Yes definitely, ‘consciously’ is key — a great little phrase to remember.
Thank you, Kimberly. :)
Thank you for sharing this with us Michael. I recently took a short break, almost two weeks, while on vacation and it was delightful. Returning here, to Substack, seemed very intimidating. I think it’s because I care about it, and my relationships here, so much. I had to consciously remind myself why I am here in the first place, to recenter myself around that.
Your essay has reminded me to be more mindful in my tasks each day. I am usually in silence but that doesn’t mean I’m paying attention🥲
Welcome back Buddy, may you go gently.
Yes, that’s a really good point — remembering why we’re here is a good North Star to help guide our use of this platform.
Haha, I know right!? Most of the time, I find it very hard to pay attention. It feels like a constant challenge, but I think it’s worth the effort.
Thank you, Donna :)
There’s a lot to love in here. I appreciate your narrated journey as it let me calibrate my own feelings. Where we align and differ fascinates me, but mostly I just enjoy the way your words have stuck with through the remainder of the day after I read this morning.
I think the part that caught me most was when you mentioned that pressure to “have something ready to post each fortnight” because it spoke to a difference between how I perceive you as a writer versus how you felt. Your generous spirit and wisdom never convey the stress you feel to convey those powerful feelings. That impresses me, but it also stings a little. I feel my best adhering to a regimented posting schedule; you do not. That’s okay; it adds a bit more to my appreciation for what you’ve shared.
That said, one thing that helps me avoid that pressure, I think, is maintaining my own second journal. Only two people have access to it, and that’s where I just write and process. I tell myself that I’m writing for those friends, but I’m really writing for me, for processing in a different way than I can do publicly. I do think the “That could be a post!” thought a lot, but it doesn’t consume me because I have that second place to let thoughts and feelings just be once or twice a week. It sounded like you arrived at a mindset like that, writing some just for you, which made me happy. It’s served me well, and I hope it becomes a part of your process if it continues to serve you.
Thank you, Michael. As always I really appreciate your thoughtful comment.
I also really appreciate what you said about my writing never conveying the stress of having something to post. I do my best to separate what I’m writing from any thoughts of where it’s going, who might read it, or when I expect it to be done, which probably helps with that. But it does depend on what I’m writing, this piece in particular was obviously intended for substack and I knew that while writing it, but there have been other pieces I’ve written that I didn’t plan to put on substack and I just ended up putting on them after the fact — that probably helps as well.
And to the posting schedule thing - for the first year of my substack use, I did like sticking to a fortnightly schedule, and I was happy to stick to it for the whole year, but I just found that feeling changed towards the end of that year because I wanted to allow myself more time to just play with pieces and see how they panned out, but I noticed the schedule made me less willing to play with my writing in that way, and I didn’t like that. But yeah, it’s an ever evolving thing.
And yes, I do have a journal I put more personal thoughts in and I do agree that does help.
Thanks Michael :)
It’s a really good capper for so many things to acknowledge that it’s an evolving thing. Because so are all of us, as writers and people, and adjustments to accommodate that are healthy.
Yeah exactly, it took a little while for me to notice the change and then adjust to it — but as you said it is a good capper.
Thanks Michael :)
My phone usage feels very called out after reading this 😅
Hahaha no call out intended my friend.
Thanks for reading :)
Welcome back mate. Very timely post as I’ve also removed social media from my phone again today. There’s something very liberating about removing that need to fill every moment of boredom with passive consumption that lures with cheap dopamine but doesn’t fulfill.
Well said, Hrvoje. I couldn’t agree more, ‘liberating’ is definitely the right word.
Enjoy your liberated time, friend. And thank you :)
Ah, wonderful reminder of the joys of unplugging! (But also: so glad you're back! :)
Yes, joys of unplugging — it’s so simple sometimes.
Thank you, Troy. Much appreciated my friend. :)
Cool ME - some pundits are suggesting that this year - maybe next - there will be a Cyber Attack that will alter the inter-web making it a totally new animal - you are simply setting the trend - getting in early.
Hmmm, I haven’t heard that one, how interesting. . .
Yes yes, I am known for my trend setting 😎 haha
Thanks Emmett :)
Glad to read your posts again, Michael! I like the idea of balance and reaching for it consciously.
Thank you, Priya.
I’m glad to be back reading your posts as well.
And yes, it feels like so much of this human experience is about shooting for balance and staying conscious while doing so — it’s a constant, but worthy, challenge. :)