I’ve been on my computer and cell phone a lot lately, much more than I would like to be – planning, reading emails, grading, or scrolling. I am online for at least three to four hours a day. How can I avoid technology overload? How do I unplug and reconnect to the present moment? It just takes stepping out of the mundane, automatic default mode for at least a few moments daily, which is vital for our mental health.

The internet serves as a means of communication and connection, but in my experience, it is also energy-draining. The solution might seem cliché, but to me, it is nature. To truly take the time to stop and see the beauty in nature helps me to reconnect to my inner self. As the poet William Blake wrote, “To see the world in a grain of sand, or heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and heaven in an hour.” The idea is that if we can appreciate the beauty in our everyday environment, we can appreciate and perceive beauty in everything. In that way, we can become masters and curators of our perspective.

Let’s try a short exercise. For a moment, step away from the laptop, stretch your neck, arms, and shoulders, and look around to see if you can catch any glimpses of beauty. Do you see it in the sunlight coming through the window, in the kaleidoscope of colors in the flowers on your kitchen table? Now open the door to the outside. Can you see it in the grass, the trees, the birds, the way the sunlight falls on the leaves? Do you hear it in the tinkling of the wind chime or the elegant sound of stillness? If we make an effort to see beauty every day, the world opens up more and more, which makes finding that beauty easier. It’s good for the spirit and also helps cultivate a daily gratitude practice. 

Through mindfulness, we can transform our ordinary consciousness into a way of perceiving things in their purest, most essential form. We can bask in the present moment, accepting life as it comes. This is the antidote to technology overload for me. By reconnecting with nature frequently, we can recognize beauty and rest in awareness in the present moment.