Technology and rest
When do you really stop?
You might finish work, sit down on the couch and pick up your phone. You might watch something, check a few messages or scroll for a while before going to bed. It can feel like you're resting.
Yet I wonder what happens to our attention when technology comes with us into our quieter moments.
When resting means looking at a screen
There is nothing unusual about watching something or scrolling when we want to relax. Sometimes it's exactly what we feel like doing.
Yet looking at a screen can keep our attention busy, even when our body is resting. We move from one thing to the next, taking in information, reading, watching and responding.
We may be sitting still without really having a quiet moment.
When there is always something else
Our phones give us plenty of ways to fill the spaces between things.
We can check a message while waiting for the kettle, look at something while lying in bed or scroll for a few minutes before getting up in the morning. There is rarely a moment when we have nothing to look at.
Sometimes I wonder whether we have become so used to having something there that an empty moment can feel a little strange.
When our attention follows us
Rest can be more than stopping work.
It might be sitting outside, having a cup of tea, going for a walk, talking with someone or simply doing nothing for a while. Our attention might naturally drift towards our thoughts, the sounds around us or whatever happens to catch our eye.
We don't have to fill every moment.
Making room for a different kind of rest
We don't need to give up technology to rest.
Sometimes watching a film, listening to music or talking to someone online is exactly how we want to spend our time. Perhaps it is simply worth noticing what kind of rest we are looking for.
Do we want something to hold our attention? Or do we want a little space where nothing needs our attention at all?
What does rest feel like?
Technology has given us more ways to relax, but it has also given us more things to look at, listen to and respond to.
There is a difference between stopping what we're doing and actually giving our attention a chance to rest.
I wonder what you might notice the next time you sit down to rest, and whether your attention is resting too.