Detoxing

This is part of the decoration on my cute little flat. I had bought those little pieces in a store a while ago and thought, since the shelf’s color fits perfectly, to place them on the very top of said shelf. To get at least A BIT of a beach-y feeling in here. (That being said, a bit less than three weeks and I am outta here for a bit, beach bumming galore, heck yeah!)

What does this have to do with detoxing, you ask?

Let me elaborate on that for a bit …

A while ago, I realized all of a sudden that I was super tired, and not just because I hadn’t slept too well and because of the godawful heatwave we currently have to endure (forecast says 40°C / 104°F are possible next week … YIKES and how about NO??). I was contemplating this state of (mild) exhaustion for a bit and then it dawned on me. The solution was right in front of my damn eyes and well, it was so obvious that I hadn’t even realized it at first, like, you know, not seeing the forest because the trees kept getting in my way?

It’s what’s going on in the world these days. The over-saturation of the news that spread even faster nowadays because of social media. The way we’re constantly connected and almost inseparable from smartphones, and the Internet. Don’t get me wrong, I love chatting with friends from all over the world, most of which I met online or years ago along the way. To be frank, I had mostly joined Facebook (and later on also Twitter) to keep in touch. To share stories, photos, anecdotes and all that jazz. It was literally all fun and games, but as of recent, it starts wearing me out more and more. Not just because of a certain current US President, but also of the verbal attacks among people, people who are screaming into their respective echo chambers and I noticed that it starts affecting my mental health as well.

I remember back in the day when the most annoying thing on FB were invitations to play some games, as in, someone would send you a request to join them for whichever game they were playing on FB. I at times politely asked to please stop sending me those requests, and likewise, I simply scrolled by when I saw heaps of those games on my Timeline. Ignoring those was a relatively easy task as opposed to the bickering, the language used nowadays to defame others, the “Us vs Them” and what-have-you. It has gotten to the point where I start feeling uncomfortable just to be on FB.

Sure, there are still lots of other things I enjoy, like many groups I am a member of, or pages of sports teams or bands I follow. But there are also the toxic parts which can trigger. Or simply EXHAUST me. I had a similar situation last year when I was suffering from extreme fatigue, I did have FB on in the background, the tab was open, but I was only idling about on there. I had too much shit going on in my own life to be actively engaging with people on there. Not saying I went “ghost”, but I was overwhelmed with my personal, real life, and there was no room for additional drama whatsoever.

I am at a similar point right now.

Which is why I did some detoxing this week.

Some time ago, I had found this super-gorgeous, 1,000 pieces jigsaw puzzle with a, you guessed it, maritime theme which I simply HAD TO have. So far, it had been sitting in its box on a shelf, but then, and also in the addition of suffering from the heatwave, I decided to open the box and start with the puzzle. I unfolded the special puzzle mat I have, tore the plastic bag which contained the pieces open, emptied those into the box, and just started. My phone was next to me, yes, but … I was SO immersed in my puzzle that I simply ignored my phone for the time being. There was NO ACTUAL NEED to be connected for a while. I had figuratively pulled the plug for some hours and you know what? It felt really GOOD not to be constantly, obsessively checking FB and Twitter or Whatsapp. I was completely AT PEACE for a while.

Just like I am at peace when I am at the ocean to watch and listen to the waves.

It was absolutely amazing and …quiet, almost. No music, either, just me and the 1,000 pieces which were waiting to be put together. I have noticed this before, in my old place, how CALMING a jigsaw puzzle or any kind of creativity can be. Which is also why I am a great fan of adult coloring books (although I haven’t really been coloring any in a while, but you get the point).

What I am saying is: detoxing, unplugging for a while does wonders. Slowing down and doing something entirely contrary to this fast-paced world we live in these days helped me to at least for a bit recharge the batteries. So whenever you feel you can’t really stand the hectic of social media, the news and everything connected with this – shut off the computer, put your phone away for a while. Do something completely else. Go for a walk in nature. Grab a good book. Be creative. Do whatever you need to distance yourself. It will help.

The finished puzzle, you ask? Here:

Gonna fix it using the special jigsaw puzzle glue I have and purchase a nice frame for it. 🙂 Will definitely look nice in my maritime decoration, right?