Screen Fatigue

Screen Fatigue

For many people fortunate enough to be able to work from home these days, the pandemic has forced many of us onto screens unrelentingly. There is a particular kind of strain, both of the eyes, the mind, and the attention that comes from being visually focused with single point attention on a screen for hours at a time. There is also the momentum that tends to build up working on computers. In this practice, we think about specifically mitigating against some of these effects

Rest Your Eyes

Our eyes, ancestrally, did not spend 8 or more hours a day in single-point focus on a tiny screen. When we are typing, we are tracking a tiny point. When we are reading, same. In a conference call, our eyes are moving in a very constrained manner. So it is important to rest the eyes. On the learning platform, the practice of Staring Vacantly into the Distance addresses this physiologically. Softening the Gaze (wide-angle vision) a nature-awareness practice connected to tracking, is also important.

Get your attention out of your head

When we spend a great deal of time on a screen, our attention is in our eyes and our minds. So there is a great benefit to both resting attention, and getting it settled in the hands, or in the feet. Any practice on the model where you Use Your Hands is useful for this. For bringing attention to the feet, try Grounding or Barefoot Shoes.

Nourish the eyes themselves

Close them. Let them rest. The Ayurvedic practice of netra basti is an amazing way to do this.

Slow Down

Part of what is often insidious about being on a computer is that it moves us into an accelerated speed. This momentum is often sympathetic (fight or flight in nature). It can therefore be a useful practice to intentionally slow down while you are using technology. If you are able to type faster than you ordinarily talk, this can be accelerating. A simple antidote is to speak the words you are typing aloud. This keeps you at a steady pace.