Earlier today, I left the house with my partner for a walk. A few minutes in, I realized I’d left my phone at home. I decided to sit with the discomfort of it- I didn’t need to contact anyone, I wasn’t planning on going somewhere I had to show my vaccine card, and the walk wasn’t too far from my house. It felt odd at first- but I quickly forgot about it as we chatted and enjoyed looking around the neighbourhood and exploring a park.
My partner made his way to school and I headed back home alone. Usually when I walk, I’ll be listening to music, a podcast, or call a friend or family member back in Winnipeg to catch up. I’ll still notice things about my surroundings, but at a lesser extent since my brain is inevitably distracted.
During this walk, I was able to see the mountain range-something that truly amazes me every time I see it, especially being from Manitoba. I found myself being more aware of my surroundings, feeling incredibly grateful for where I was and what an amazing warm day it was. I took notice of the houses more, the trees, the plants.
While I walked home, my mind began to wander a bit. I started thinking about some of the ingredients I had in my pantry- I’m very into home cooking and baking. Usually I just follow recipes with small modifications – but I actually thought of a delicious dessert I could make with a few things I already had on hand. If I was distracted by a podcast or checking an email that just came in, I don’t know if I would have come up with the idea.
I’m glad I went on an unplugged walk- it’s really valuable and I felt great when I got back home. Absolutely something I’ll continue doing. Connecting to teaching, I think that if I can model this type of disconnecting from your phone it could be really beneficial for students. Connecting to our psychology class, it could really be important for students to see a role model like a teacher showing how important it is to get away from a phone. In my placement seminar, I’m doing an inquiry project on how student wellness can be practiced in the classroom. I think that incorporating unplugging could be an important part of this- although it would definitely have to be done in a specific way as students are so tied to their phones. I do appreciate the use of technology in the classroom, but I also want to try and enable students to be aware of their habits and try and break negative habits and patterns.
