Stephanie Carter, Registered Psychotherapist

I'm back! Although I was not able to completely unplug due to school and work responsibilities, I was definitely more mindful about the amount of time I was in front of a screen. I made sure to take breaks when my eyes felt strained and I filled my 'free time' with screenless activities. I went for walks with my pup, visited a close friend, sat in the sun and read a book for pleasure! I also dismantled my old brick fireplace in my home, which was both a physical and menta...l challenge (more on that later this week). There were times where I mindlessly looked at my social media or turned the TV on; however, when I realized this habitual behaviour, I engaged in a different activity, sometimes just sitting in silence. I was definitely able to see the benefits of reducing my screen time-- I will continue to challenge myself to less screen time even though this week is over! What about you? How was your screen-free week? Did you face any challenges? Notice any benefits?

I am looking forward to Screen-Free Week that starts tomorrow. Although I cannot completely unplug due to work and school, I am making a commitment to myself to include healthy activities in my week, like reading, walking my dog, and having meaningful conversations, to replace the time I would typically spend watching TV or browsing the internet. I'm excited to hear about your week once I return from this digital hiatus.

So true But in all seriousness, start to pay attention to how often you look at your phones when you are engaging in an enjoyable and exciting activity

Last Saturday, my partner and I took on the task of getting rid of our old brick fireplace as a first step in a renovation process. We did not realize the extent of this job... 9 hours of sledge hammering, prying, lifting buckets of brick and debris up the stairs, and several trips to the dump. Oh, and red dust EVERYWHERE that we had to clean up afterwards! As we were working that day, there were many times I wanted to give up. There were many thoughts of defeat and self-...doubt when the bricks were not coming off fast enough and my body was in pain. About half way through the task, I realized the power of my thoughts and the importance of mindfulness. The more negative, defeating thoughts that came into my mind, the more challenging it was. And ultimately, the fireplace was coming apart brick by brick, piece by piece, no matter what I was thinking. When I started to focus on the moment, make a plan for the next step (which brick to pry off), and speak to myself with more encouraging thoughts, the job became less cumbersome and seemed to go by quicker! I wanted to share this because there are many parallels with my fireplace and life. When we think too far ahead, we become overwhelmed with all the tasks of life and start to doubt ourselves in the process. Living in the moment and encouraging ourselves through the task at hand will allow us to move through life with more ease (even if the task is dirty, painful, and daunting). Brick by brick, we will reach our goals and feel proud and accomplished when we get there.

I'm back! Although I was not able to completely unplug due to school and work responsibilities, I was definitely more mindful about the amount of time I was in front of a screen. I made sure to take breaks when my eyes felt strained and I filled my 'free time' with screenless activities. I went for walks with my pup, visited a close friend, sat in the sun and read a book for pleasure! I also dismantled my old brick fireplace in my home, which was both a physical and menta...l challenge (more on that later this week). There were times where I mindlessly looked at my social media or turned the TV on; however, when I realized this habitual behaviour, I engaged in a different activity, sometimes just sitting in silence. I was definitely able to see the benefits of reducing my screen time-- I will continue to challenge myself to less screen time even though this week is over! What about you? How was your screen-free week? Did you face any challenges? Notice any benefits?

I am looking forward to Screen-Free Week that starts tomorrow. Although I cannot completely unplug due to work and school, I am making a commitment to myself to include healthy activities in my week, like reading, walking my dog, and having meaningful conversations, to replace the time I would typically spend watching TV or browsing the internet. I'm excited to hear about your week once I return from this digital hiatus.

Great video that explains the importance of exercise and reducing work/school, sleep, and screen time to only 23.5 hours per day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F5Sly9JQao

So true But in all seriousness, start to pay attention to how often you look at your phones when you are engaging in an enjoyable and exciting activity

Now that we know WHY we would reduce our screen time, here are some helpful ways of HOW to start to unplug!

Where do we start if we want to reduce our screen time? First, I think we need to know about the benefits. Less screen time can help us to be more mindful in our lives. That is great! But what is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the ability to live with intention and awareness of the present moment, without judgment or attachment to that present moment (Linehan, 2015). For example, lack of mindfulness in relation to screen time is spending an evening with your loved ones wh...ile watching television and never actually speaking to the people who you are 'spending time with'. Another example is going out for dinner with a friend and texting on your phone. In these examples, would you be fully aware of the present moment? Likely, not. Can you relate to these examples? I know that I can! Reducing screen time can increase your ability to fully engage with the activity or people around you in the present rather than focusing on devices that distract us from reality. See more

Screen-Free Week is from April 29th to May 5th! Considering the premise, I will not be posting on Facebook that week. So, in preparation for Screen-Free Week, I will be posting some helpful tips leading up to the 29th. I welcome all of you to challenge yourself to less screen time next week!

Happy Earth Day! Let's work together to make our planet a better place!

As we enter into a new week, I invite you to reflect upon what you need to be successful and grounded. How will you honour what you need and how can you pay it forward? The law of reciprocity is a powerful concept

When you feel hurt by someone's actions, the pain of the experience may lead you to retaliate or seek revenge for what was done to you. You may go as far as intentionally trying to hurt the person back- an eye for an eye. Although this may seem like a resolution, your pain will still remain and may even get worse. Instead, focus on accepting what is and recognize that the best way to heal is by looking forward.