From the Hart
It’s easy to get sucked into one of the worst habits of our age – constant distraction. So our columnist Miranda Hart has resolved to take a different approach and savour the moment
In October, I was waxing lyrical about loving the shorter autumnal days and preparing for a restful winter. I still very much stand by connecting with the seasons as much as I can – nature in winter reminds us that everything that blooms and bears fruit (as we all do in our own unique ways) needs a fallow time. A time to just be. A time to reevaluate and take stock, remember what’s important, notice where we’re overstretching ourselves, and rest. However, in recent weeks I’ve found that a little harder to do. I shall share why… otherwise it would be a very short, nay tantalising, column this month!
I’ve still been savouring the cosiness that winter can bring (duvet cocoon, anyone?) – and I hope you too have had some soothing times, my lovely reader chum – but recently, I’ve also noticed an agitation. I think it’s because I now rarely do one thing at a time. We have access to so much noise and stimulation; there’s always something to watch, listen to, read, learn, keep up with. If I have a bath, I now also watch some TV or use it as a time to reply to texts (which, with phone in hand, can perilously mean a scroll on Instagram that I don’t need or want, but my brain can’t stop my fingers pressing those buttons). If I go for a walk, I’ve got used to listening to or sending voice notes. And when doing my most precious of winter hobbies – all hail, Lego! – I’ve become accustomed to doing it while listening to a podcast.
It was this seemingly innocuous activity that proved my hypothesis. I found myself often going wrong with my Lego build (they are expert creations, I’m not doing the age 3+ versions) because I was concentrating on the podcast. And conversely, when I was concentrating hard on Lego (again, remember expert version!), I would often irritatingly have to rewind the podcast. The truth is, I was not being restful, nor was I enjoying or savouring either activity as much as I could.
Had the need to keep up with everything we have access to become ingrained in me? Was one thing not enough any more? Had I got sucked into one of the worst habits of our age – constant distraction? Of course, we often distract ourselves for very good reason. It’s hard to be still if we have a whirring mind we don’t want to hear, or emotions we don’t want to feel or a problem we don’t want to address. Access to a world of content at the touch of a button is a very useful way to avoi
