#12DaysofHygge Day 3: Unplugging + Staying Present
Despite being fully charged when I left the house yesterday, my phone battery depleted quite quickly. Right in the middle of a murals tour we were taking. And I didn’t have a charger of any sort on me. Boo-hoo, I know. But I’d had some timed posts planned for the blog and on Instagram. And I wanted to take pictures. Total first world problems.
But the universe was telling me something: put the phone away. The Brit’s phone battery was fine. So he took photos for me. And I actually enjoyed having an ‘unplugged’ rest of the day. It allowed me to fully focus on our guide and what she was saying, enjoying the day with him, and having a great time at VanDusen Gardens with some friends later in the evening. It was a fantastic day.
When I was reading The Little Book of Hygge, one of the things listed as a key of this Danish way of life was unplugging and being present. I am an excellent multi-tasker; it’s why I’m good at my day job as an executive assistant. But sometimes, the phone needs to get put away and it takes the battery going down to 4% – where it stayed at for 5(!) hours until I got home – for that to happen. (Ridiculous, I know.)
This really hit home for me today, not just because of my phone battery, but because of one of the murals we saw just off of Main Street:
How powerful is that?? My phone was already put away at this point (so a big thank you to my love for taking these photos!), but the message resonated. How could it not?
(I’ll be posting soon about this mural and the tour we took – stay tuned!)
As a yoga teacher, I guide my students into the present for focus on the mat so they can carry that with them into the rest of their day. As a yoga student, I work very hard to also do this for myself during my practice. But I sometimes forget that this needs to apply to my life off the mat. Particularly during such a busy time of year!
Do you take time to unplug? How do you stay present and calm during the holiday season? Share in the comments below!
If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.
~ Amit Ray
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