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1177 || field guide to rotting (how to disconnect with intention)
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Disconnecting is an essential practice that I think a lot of us overlook the value of. For me, if I don’t take time to intentionally disconnect once in a while, my body will disconnect for me, without warning - in a way that is not easy to reconnect from. Of course, everyone’s experience with dissociation and disconnecting will be different. But - Here’s my personal field guide on how to rot with intention:
It’s better to set yourself up before you need it. Listen to your body. Don’t let yourself get desperate for a break. Make a list of meals and snacks that make you feel better, things to do, or watch, or listen to, or play to help get you off of your phone, or people you can reach out to - even if it feels uncomfortable.
A strategy that has worked for me is to imagine I am a kid with a cold, and then imagine how the best parental figure would take care of me to make me feel better. Think comfort foods, comfortable environments, and comfortable vibes.
If this is tough for you, remember that relaxation is an investment. Your brain is a vital organ that benefits from rest. Rest is productive. It may help to change the language around it and call it recovery rather than rest. I also remind myself often that it is an act of rebellion to indulge in rest. But if you feel guilty or ashamed, remind yourself that is societal conditioning talking and not something you need to validate.
Remember that it’s normal to want to disconnect from an overconnected world, and it can be healthy if we’re doing so with the knowledge that it’s not forever. That said, it is essential we address the need to escape at it’s core, in a healthy way. Needing to constantly detach and disconnect can be a sign of a deeper issue, such as anxiety, depression, dissociative disorder, and more, and it can lead to dangerous and unhealthy coping mechanisms like excessive screetime, and substance abuse. The real problem with chronic detachment is, like most things, the effects can be cyclical. These can further your feelings of despair/hopelessness and keep you from resetting - which is a natural part of the ebb and flow process of life.
You can and must disconnect once in a while, but don’t get too lost and forget that the feeling of reconnection after a well deserved break, is often the best part.
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