living happily in the age of technology: things I learnt from Matt Haig’s ‘Notes on a Nervous Planet’
When I decided to bring this writing space back into existence, I was feeling inspired by a book I’d finished reading: Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig. I found it in a charity shop in February, and it’s all about wellbeing in the time of social media, technology, and life’s faster pace. I wish I had read it as soon as I bought it- it’s one of those books you’ll keep a close hold of.
Refreshing, wise and hopeful, it resonated with how I wish to live my life, and steps I’ve started taking to preserve good self-awareness and wellbeing. I wish to talk about some of the most important takeaways (for me at this point in my life).
First is the overriding point Matt Haig makes: taking a step back from living life through a screen, disconnected from the world and who we truly are as humans. He calls it ‘life overload’, and in contrast, the importance of minimalism, of taking a step back and distancing ourselves from the demands of our phones, notifications, and the spell technology has cast over things.
In today’s world, we’ve normalised the amount of time we spend on our phones each day, scrolling, checking, comparing. It’s more important than ever to break away from the norm we’ve set, to retain our humanity and enjoy life’s simple pleasures. This can be as simple as taking a walk outside, keeping our phones in our pocket, so the brain can have a rest and just enjoy its surroundings.
No matter the way of the world, we should slow down, tune into how we’re truly feeling, and be our own friend, caring for what we need- whether it’s fresh air, space, self-reflection, or a screen break. I wish to try and keep this awareness in how my body and mind is feeling, tuning into what I need and what will help me feel calm and contented. So far I’ve discovered that taking a walk, reading, going to a calm coffee shop, changing scenery, journalling and trying out yoga are ways to do that. So I try and recognise them and make time for them.
Haig points out that the world is faster than it ever has been- from travel times to the speed of the online space. So we’ve become impatient, rushed singular copies of our social world- we expect quick results, productivity, and we unconsciously put less value on rest, sleep, ‘non-productive’ things that are actually really important.
He talks about sleep in a way I needed to hear. We crave distraction, he says, but sleep is sacred. It’s the opposite of distraction, of doing, of craving the next thing. We should embrace and enjoy rest as one of life’s greatest gifts- the time out from doing, allowing us to breathe, to dream, to escape for a while. It’s a way to take focus away from what we are doing, to what we are being- to help us feel more relaxed and contented.
Since I started reading before bed, instead of sticking to a screen, it’s helped me to slow down my pace, my breathing, and introduce a state of slowness and rest. But it doesn’t have to be reading to induce a state of rest after a day of doing- maybe drinking herbal tea, listening to guided meditation, anything to get the heart rate down and initiate calm.
Haig talks about the importance of mindfully cutting down screen time, putting time into activities that aren’t on screens, that allow us to enjoy some pure fun, play and slowness. Sitting in sunlight, dancing about the house, embracing creativity, caring for the plants, stretching, making music, people watching, cooking, being in water- anything to be in tune with the senses and truly feel alive. As after all, as Haig says, we’ve been given the gift of life, of existing in this world of natural beauty and joy and abundance. We need to embrace it while we’re here.
This reminder is golden, and I wish to remember it. Of course, we get distracted with life’s challenges and distractions, but as long as we embrace our human-ness, and take time to remember what truly matters in life, and what makes us happy and relaxed and content, we won’t be stuck in a robotic routine.
I thought I’d share a few essential parts of the book’s message, and what it made me think about- I encourage you to give it a read, to enjoy the full message and allow it to act as a reminder of life’s true meaning. It’s been an empowering, inspiring, crucial read for me- I love connecting to someone else’s thoughts and expressions in this way, taking something away that I needed to hear. I underlined so many words of wisdom, that I can come back to and be reminded of, anytime I need to re-center and put my sense of contentment and joy of living first.
