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One of the things which we noticed when we first moved to the Dordogne was that, in general, the locals are much less fixated on their mobile phones than has become so normalised in other parts of the world.  In restaurants here families actually talk to each other when they are out together!  When walking around the local towns and villages, people are looking up and making eye contact with other people.  Most upcoming events are promoted through posters and flyers.  Rural France and the people who live here are much less ‘on-line’ than we had become used to and when we go back to Ireland or the UK now we really notice the difference.  In general, we observe that people there are much more stressed and that their energy is more fragmented.  Waiting for a plane home in Stansted airport a few weeks ago I noticed that about 95% of those in the queue were staring at digital devices instead of looking up and interacting with the world around them.

As someone who works on-line about 25 hours a week, living in the Dordogne has made me more aware of how negatively that had been affecting me.   When I have been on-line too much I notice my mind being very busy and distracted.  I watch how often during the day I check it for social media updates or messages.  I witness myself reacting to those messages and often being pulled away from the present moment.  I observe how much stress I can experience from words on a screen or when technology does not work for me.  On days when I am switched on for too many hours I feel my mental energy being over-stimulated and my physical and emotional energy being un-grounded.   If I am online after 9pm I notice that my sleep pattern is disrupted and it is much more difficult for me to sink into deep sleep. Continue reading “Disconnect to Reconnect”