Photo courtesy of Erica Steeves on Unsplash

I'm going to be 100% honest, although I do try to avoid using my phone, tablet, or laptop too much within the first hour or two of waking up in the morning, and an hour or so before bed, I'm still on them pretty much all day. I'll admit it, I'm a little too attached to my electronic devices and I should probably cut back my use a little more; especially as I can't fathom going very long without them. Although I do have quite a few activities that I enjoy that require no Wi-Fi, mostly for when the internet is down or I need a very short break from it, some of them actually still involve a screen! A lot of the things that I enjoy the most, make me the happiest, and that even relax me the most involve some sort of electronic device with a screen; whether it's my phone, tablet, laptop, or the TV. So although it's never a bad idea to put the phone down or to log off and enjoy the fresh air, a little "me time" spent using your tech in a positive way isn't a horrible thing either. 

We all know that the digital world can easily become negative, stressful, and just plain toxic, as it exposes you even more to the negativity in the world, but there is also a positive side to the digital world as well; I've already discussed both the best and worst ways social media has impacted my life before. It's also way too easy to become sedentary when you're too connected to your digital devices as well, one of my worst mood-killing habits. I could go on and on about the negatives about living in this digital world; even as a tech lover, I'm not oblivious to the negative effects it can have, but I also see the positive side to it as well. So how can one go about using their digital devices in a positive way, and even use them for self-care? I have quite a few ideas.

Photo courtesy of Marion Michele on Unsplash

With this week being Asexual Awareness Week, I might as well come right out and say it; I'm on the asexual spectrum! To be a little more specific, I identify the most with demisexuality, which essentially means that I typically don't usually experience sexual attraction, but I might if I form a strong emotional connection to someone. Also, I'd like to clarify that this is not the same thing as abstinence or celibacy; this is just one of many misconceptions about asexuality. Asexuality is a sexual orientation, not a personal or lifestyle choice, such as abstinence; and although many asexuals may choose not to have sex (or just don't care to), many asexuals do have (and even enjoy) sex, even in the absence of sexual attraction.

By the way, before I go any further, I'd also like to note that sexual attraction and romantic attraction are not the same things. You can be asexual and not experience sexual attraction, but still experience romantic attraction; and be of any romantic orientation, such as heteroromantic, homoromantic, biromantic, panromantic, or even aromantic. By the way, you can also be aromantic (or any subset of aromatic), but not be asexual, and be of any sexual orientation. I could go on and on, but I literally can not speak for everyone on the ace or aro spectrum, as there are many ways to experience asexuality and/or aromanticism. I can, however, speak from my own experiences.

Photo courtesy of Vladislav Muslakov on Unsplash

Bad habits are so easy to get into, yet can be very hard to break out of. Seriously though, although they say it takes 21 days or even more to form a habit, it seems that a bad habit can form or resurface in a matter of just a couple of days if you're not careful. But if you're anything like me, and you know that what you do drastically affects your mood, your productivity, and just about everything else about how you're feeling; sometimes that's motivation enough to tackle a bad habit. Easier said than done, I know, as sometimes slipping back into one bad habit can cause a domino effect and bring back multiple others; but personally, I find that by focusing on tackling one bad habit, it makes tackling most of the others seem natural and effortless as my mood improves. I know this isn't always the case for everyone, but this often the case for me, especially as most of my bad habits are related in some way. 

That being said though, I know for a fact that my habits have a direct impact on how I'm feeling; I also know that letting even just one of them slide can cause a domino effect and bring about the others if I allow it to go unchecked for too long. The good news is, I've pretty much pinpointed the habits that make me feel like absolute poo, and I pretty much know exactly how to fix them. Sometimes the solution isn't easy, especially when I'm not exactly feeling the best, but sometimes just knowing where to start, or knowing where I can start small, can be motivation enough to lift myself back up from a bad habit and get my shit together; so I don't feel like shit.