Dolce Fare Niente
When we hear the word “detox” often extremes like juice cleanses and fasting spring to mind. But what about taking a digital detox to really connect fully to the world and people around you? My take on wellness is that is should always be about positivity. A positive addition that will nudge out a negative or non beneficial habit.
For me on the biggest game changers has been starting yoga on a Saturday morning at 8am. Now I am not going to sit here and bang on about all the benefits of yoga, of which there are many. This new little positive addition has created a mini Friday night detox for me but in an unorthodox way. Rather than saying to myself I can no longer drink wine and eat crisps and stay up late watching tv and feeling hard done by and deprived and restricted, now I have a little Aperol Spritz and our traditional Friday night pizza early. We all cook and sit and eat and share together. This is a non negotiable in our house – together on Friday night. That fills up my cup. That makes me feel well. I have rested, connected and savoured and I feel well. Then I go to bed early ( ish), I am up early, at the beach for 8am and I savour and protect my 1 hour of reset with Emer and our group at yoga. I am recalibrated and engerized and ready and able to enjoy the family busy-ness of the Saturday to come.#noregrets
There are so many small little incremental things we can do to support our wellness. One of those that is small but with big possibilities and rewards is a little digital detox. I spent 4 hours yesterday cleaning my front door, potting up new Spring flower wicker baskets and raking leaves.
Honestly when I say it is the simple things sometimes it really is.
Here are some simple ideas for you to kickstart some well-deserved rest and time away from the screens
1. Clock Out: Take a time-out from your phone and put it on Do not Disturb mode. It’s amazing how much pressure and anxiety our phones can give us. Try to have a time each week where you and your family all unplug and instead, enjoy the time together.
2. Treat Yourself: Take yourself on a date rather than scrolling through Instagram for hours. It doesn’t have to be big! Go for a walk and listen to a podcast, take yourself or meet a friend for some cake and coffee, or just walk around your city and browse your local shops. Or,go big… if you can afford to do it, a special treat feels great sometimes. Have a think, is their any vouchers hanging around you can cash in…. go to a spa and indulge in a massage or try a new treatment – or even have a spa day at home!
3. Take a cue from the Italians – Dolce fare niente: The phrase dolce fare niente is a more of a way of life than anything else. The Italians know how to enjoy life famously well, hence the term that can loosely be translated to “the sweetness of doing nothing”. So, take a cue from Italians and don’t make intense, jam-packed weekend plans. Instead, ease into the day and rather than spending the weekend watching Netflix, meet some friends for a long, leisurely lunch, take the time to really enjoy cooking a beautiful meal and savour the whole evening, and go for a walk on Sunday to connect with nature and your family.
4. Not Board: You, bored? Never. Our brains are conditioned now to be in constant contact with entertainment from social media. But why not pull out some old-fashioned board games and get together a group to play?
5. Read more: How often have you had the thought, “I wish I had more time to read!” In reality, maybe if we really analyse our time, we do have the time to read – we just instead reach for our phones. Try to make a ritual out of reading. Have fun choosing new books and even think about starting a book club. You’ll find reading so much more fulfilling and fun (I promise!) than mindless scrolling through TikTok.
