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After all the activities and fun we had as a family, I curated all the moments into a photo album. This album serves as a tangible, sentimental memory dedicated to this exciting escape day, with hopes for many more to come. I hope this album inspires others to spend more quality time with their families away from their digital devices and build everlasting memories.

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This is a nature sensory box inspired by my daily nature walks, crafted using an old shoe box. The overall idea of this experiment was to create a nature escape through the use of playing with the 5 senses. I aimed to highlight the beauty of nature and provide a immersive environment through nature sounds and a variety of flowers and plants. From lavender to jasmine, the box blasts with a beautiful aura of nature. I did have a failed experiment upon trying to embed leaves using white paint, inspired by the hair oil packaging. Nevertheless, I removed the paint off and proceeded to have my family members interact with the box, to which they felt a sense of escape and a peaceful atmosphere.

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Routines and Meaning in Life: Does Activity Content or Context Matter?

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Routines and Meaning in Life: Does Activity Content or Context Matter?

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The study looks into the connection between habitual behaviour and a feeling of meaning in life (MIL). It specifically investigates whether this link is influenced by the routine behaviours' content and the contextual elements present in the environment.

With 190 individuals in total, two experience sampling investigations were carried out, observing more than 3,000 events. The results show that, even when other significant elements of the activities, including relationships and goals, are taken into consideration, there is a positive correlation between the extent to which people participate in everyday activities and their brief experience of MIL.

Furthermore, despite the disruptions brought on by the pandemic, Study 2, which was carried out during the COVID-19 outbreak, discovered even greater correlations between routine involvement and MIL. Even after adjusting for variables like anxiety, mood, and perceived chaos, this association remained significant.

Overall, the study indicates that routines have a special influence on people's sense of purpose in life, outweighing the significance of the activities themselves and holding true in a variety of situations.

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Do smart phones bring us closer? A family life and family vacation perspective

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Do smart phones bring us closer? A family life and family vacation perspective

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This study investigates into how family connection during regular and vacation times is impacted by smartphones. Through the use of qualitative approaches, it investigates how families perceive and employ smartphones. Findings indicate that cell phones can both strengthen and weaken relationships. Also, negative consequences are mitigated by effective management, which includes setting guidelines and giving priority to quality time. Families value quality time spent together over smartphone use, even when on vacation.

Overall the study highlights the nuanced relationship between smartphone technology and family bonding suggesting that conscious efforts to manage smartphone use can mitigate negative impacts and maintain strong family connections.

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Recommended Citation

Kennedy-Eden, Heather, Do smart phones bring us closer? A family life and family vacation perspective, Doctor of Philosophy thesis, School of Management, Operations and Marketing, University of Wollongong, 2014. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/4264

Abstract

Relationships developed in families are crucial because these bonds play an integral part in how individuals learn to function and interact in society throughout their life. In the past, these family bonds were strengthened by spending leisure time together and participating in activities as a family. Currently, however, smart phone technology constitutes potential threats to family time and face-to-face interaction that are essential to bonding. Use of smart phones provides opportunities for individual entertainment, connecting on social media, checking in at work, and spending time together physically yet being emotionally separated on devices, which could disrupt quality time spent with family members. However, using smart phones also offers new ways for family members to communicate and share experiences which provides alternative means for bonding among family members.

This research sought to find out if smart phones positively or negatively affected bonding in the daily life of traditional families and to see if these behaviours affected bonding in a vacation environment. This study looked at this issue from a systems theory perspective, conceptualizing families as open, self-regulating social systems with the smart phone being a sociotechnical system within the family system to create a Sociotechnical Family System.

This research involved three objectives. The first objective was to discover perceptions of smart phone technology by family members. The second objective was to examine if and how traditional families negotiate and regulate smart phone use within the family system. The third objective was to understand whether the context of the vacation environment changed the way the family system functioned with technology.

Qualitative methods were used to attain the data for this research because thick descriptions and rich data were desired to understand the complexities of family systems. The first stage of the research involved one-on-one interviews with persons living in Australia and the United States of America. Their feelings and emotions connected to smart phone technology and usage were discussed in these interviews. The second and third stage of this research involved family group interviews comprised of families who contained a married couple with a mother and father at the core of the family. The second stage interviews included talking about how they used the smart phone within their family in daily life, what feelings they had about smart phones, and rules or guidelines established in reference to their technology use. The third stage topic was the same except the context of the family environment was changed from daily life to family vacation.

Individual interviews were audio recorded and family interviews were audio and video recorded so that nuances in gestures, speech, and family dynamics could also be noted. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically coded by the researcher using Transana software. A research notebook was used to record any immediate feelings and thoughts at the conclusion of an interview. A philosophical hermeneutic approach was used so there was a constant resifting of the data as new themes emerged. This allowed the researcher to understand the actions of the individuals and families and the meaning behind their actions.

The research demonstrates that smart phones can positively and negatively affect bonding. Some families used their smart phones to send texts of endearment to show love and support throughout the day. Others would video chat and play games together on their smart phones. While these were positive influences on bonding, ultimately smart phones are a distraction and, therefore, do interfere with family bonding. With a conscious and concerted effort, however, these negative consequences from smart phone use can be mitigated. Some families were better at balancing smart phone usage so that it did not interfere with family. Those families shared the following traits: both parents were engaged in their children's lives as a team, families were busy but not chaotic, the families shared positive memorable experiences together, they established some technology-free time together as a family, there was transparency and trust in their technology usage, and there were clearly established rules that were enforced but flexible.

The context of the family environment also played a factor in family bonding. Although smart phone technology was used often on family vacation, there was still a focus on spending quality time with family members and on creating memories.

Work and other responsibilities were frequently a part of vacation, but the main emphasis was still on family time. Often smart phones were checked during downtimes when family members felt bonding was not a primary focus.

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Do smart phones bring us closer? A family life and family vacation perspective

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Relationships developed in families are crucial because these bonds play an integral part in how individuals learn to function and interact in society throughout their life. In the past, these family bonds were strengthened by spending leisure time together and participating in activities as a family.

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Habits in everyday life: thought, emotion, and action. J Pers Soc Psychol, 83, 1281-1297

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Habits in everyday life: thought, emotion, and action. J Pers Soc Psychol, 83, 1281-1297

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This study goes into the differences between habitual and non habitual behaviour, focusing on the accompanying thoughts and emotions. This study explores the distinctions between behaviour that is habitual and behaviour that is not, emphasising its associated feelings and thoughts. It investigates how habitual behaviour, when carried out consistently in predictable environments, causes people to reflect about unrelated issues, implying that they are doing it without conscious thought.

Nonhabitual behaviour, on the other hand, requires conscious thought to direct behaviour since it occurs less frequently or in different situations and causes thoughts that correspond with the actions. The study also emphasises the benefits of habits for self-regulation, demonstrating that habitual behaviour is linked to reduced stress levels when compared to nonhabitual behaviour. In general, the study sheds light on the mental processes and emotional states that underlies both habitual and nonhabitual behaviour.

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To Get High or to Get Out? Examining the Link between Addictive Behaviors and Escapism - PubMed

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To Get High or to Get Out? Examining the Link between Addictive Behaviors and Escapism - PubMed

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This study uses a dataset of 2,285 respondents in Finland to investigate the association between addictive behaviours and escapism. The term "escapism," which refers to the desire to escape reality, has been found to be strongly correlated with drug, alcohol, and smoking use, but not with gambling. In addition, the relationship between problematic alcohol use and life satisfaction is moderated by escapism, suggesting that problem drinking motivated by escapism is associated with a lower quality of life.

These results demonstrate that escapism is a reliable indicator of substance use and suggest towards its function as a trigger, a motivator, and an enhancer of addictive behaviours, especially alcohol intake. In order to address addictive behaviours and enhance general well-being, it is essential to comprehend the impact of escapism on addiction.

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To Get High or to Get Out? Examining the Link between Addictive Behaviors and Escapism - PubMed

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Background: Escapism is a tendency to seek escape and distraction from reality or real-life problems. Past research regards escapism as a negative inducement that leads to adverse consequences when combined with substance use and other addictive activities. Existing knowledge on escapism’s co …

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Why does nature enhance psychological well-being? A Self-Determination account

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Why does nature enhance psychological well-being? A Self-Determination account

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This study uses the Self-Determination Theory to examine the beneficial effects of nature exposure on our psychological well-being. It implies that exposure to natural settings satisfies fundamental psychological requirements including relatedness, competence, and autonomy, which raises positive affect, life satisfaction, and a sense of purpose.

Studies conducted in the lab and in the field have repeatedly shown that people who are exposed to natural surroundings have better levels of psychological well-being than people who are not. In addition, these impacts are controlled by the satisfaction of psychological needs, pointing to the mechanisms through which nature promotes psychological well-being.

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Why does nature enhance psychological well-being?A Self-Determination account

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This research proposes a novel account for the established benefits of nature on psychological well-being from the perspective of Self-Determination T...

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This ted talk animation delves into why it's hard to break a habit. The narrator first introduces a common form of a habit which is nail-biting, explaining that many people have tried multiple methods to break their nail-biting and other behaviours, but they still struggle. Habits are behavioural actions performed regularly, that are involuntarily triggered by specific situations or feelings. These habits form because they are beneficial, such as reducing anxiety, and trigger the release of dopamine, which reinforces the behaviour. Over time, environmental cues alone can have the power to subconsciously form habits over time.

The narrator explains that habits are difficult to break since they frequently skip the decision making process, and whilst  not all habits are bad, some eventually lose their usefulness. Effective strategies to break habits involve knowing what causes a habit and altering routines.

Also, shifting environment, such as relocating or beginning a new job, can break regular routines and encourage the formation of new habits. Habit reversal is mentioned which is reversing a bad habit with a less dangerous one, and is effective. For instance, the narrator states when you're worried, use a fidget toy rather than biting your nails. In this process, self-compassion and patience are essential.

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How to strengthen family relationships - #familymh5aday | Rosie and Claire Erasmus | TEDxNorwichED

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How to strengthen family relationships - #familymh5aday | Rosie and Claire Erasmus | TEDxNorwichED

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The speaker emphasises how crucial it is for families to maintain a balance between mental and physical health. The speaker places a strong emphasis on self-care, highlighting mental well-being, frequent exercise, and a balanced diet. The point of digital gadgets is brought up, explaining that it can cause families to become alienated from one another, which contributes to loneliness, a serious problem in the UK. According to statistics, British families only spend 49 minutes a day together, leaving many of their children feeling abandoned.

In order to counter this, the speaker presents the "family mental health five a day" strategy:

Giving: Spend time with family, give them compliments, and lend a hand.
Resting: Make sure you get enough rest to prevent burnout.
Energising: Keep up healthy sleep habits and engage in physical activities as a family.
Appreciating: Observe and value ordinary moments as well as nature.
Attempting new things: Promote education and new experiences together.

The speaker concludes by strengthening family ties, fostering communication, and offering assistance, these initiatives seek to enhance general wellbeing.

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How to strengthen family relationships - #familymh5aday | Rosie and Claire Erasmus | TEDxNorwichED

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Disconnect to reconnect: Take a break | Jordan Wylie | TEDxBargateED

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Disconnect to reconnect: Take a break | Jordan Wylie | TEDxBargateED

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This is an interesting talk in which the speaker discusses social media's addictive qualities and detrimental effects, sharing personal experiences and a tragic story of online bullying that resulted in suicide. He draws attention to how uncontrolled platforms take advantage of people for financial gain, drawing a parallel between social media addiction and substance abuse. He also argues in favour of moderation and highlights the need of putting in-person relationships and mental health first.

Wylie mentions his own break from social media and encourages others to do the same, emphasising the advantages of cutting back on screen time and taking back control of one's life. The speaker concludes stressing calls for change in societal norms that prioritise meaningful activities, over social media fame, highlighting the significance of taking breaks to prevent being engrossed in online media.

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Disconnect to reconnect: Take a break | Jordan Wylie | TEDxBargateED

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What Is the Importance of Family Bonding #MarriedToATherapist

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What Is the Importance of Family Bonding #MarriedToATherapist

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This video explores the intrinsic human need for love and connection, whilst examining the value of family relationships. It discusses how different coping mechanisms arise when this need isn't met, which frequently result in the search of fake love. The speaker offers personal experiences of resolving conflicts among various families and according to each member's needs.

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What Is the Importance of Family Bonding #MarriedToATherapist

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Smartphone Detox: Why It's Critical To Disconnect In Our Digital World

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Smartphone Detox: Why It's Critical To Disconnect In Our Digital World

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The video uses data and professional viewpoints to demonstrate the widespread issue of smartphone addiction. The frequency with which people check their phones on a daily basis is highlighted, expressing worries about addiction among adults and teenagers.

Concerns about the impact on mental health are discussed with experts drawing comparisons between smartphone addiction and other addictive behaviours. The video highlights the need of identifying and treating addiction while offering tips for reducing phone use, such as monitoring apps.

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Smartphone Detox: Why It's Critical To Disconnect In Our Digital World

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Addiction to Technology is Ruining Lives - Simon Sinek on Inside Quest

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Addiction to Technology is Ruining Lives - Simon Sinek on Inside Quest

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The video explains how using a phone or social media account causes dopamine to be released, which can cause addictive behaviours that are similar to substance  abuse. It draws attention to the fact that there are no age limitations on digital gadgets and the risks they may present, especially to teenagers.

The speaker draws comparisons between alcoholism and social media addiction, emphasises the value of building strong, meaningful relationships and creating stress-reduction strategies. The video suggests, in order to avoid negative consequences in their life, viewers should acknowledge and deal with their reliance on digital gadgets, addressing that  an imbalance in social media usage can cause depression and hinder social connections.

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Addiction to Technology is Ruining Lives - Simon Sinek on Inside Quest

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Your mom was right. It's that damn phone.

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Your mom was right. It's that damn phone.

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The video explores the issue of morning doves disappearing from people's perceptions, even if they are still around. It addresses childhood experiences as well as the sense of surprise and imagination that seem to fade with age and increased reliance on digital media. The speaker talks about the distinction between creation and consumption, highlighting how consuming an excessive amount of online content can hinder creativity and curiosity.

By comparing the search for novelty in online content with imaginative play during childhood, the video encourages viewers to reconnect with their inner sense of wonder by putting an end to digital distractions, embracing childish curiosity and experimentation in the real world. In the end, it highlights the significance of viewing life as a playground for creativity and exploration.

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Your mom was right. It's that damn phone.

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ATOMIC HABITS - Tiny Changes that Create Remarkable Results - James Clear

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ATOMIC HABITS - Tiny Changes that Create Remarkable Results - James Clear

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This video focuses on how important habits are in directing our life and achieving our goals. In considering the fact that habits are mostly under our control and can have a significant impact on our achievement, it addresses how luck, genetics, and uncertainty greatly influence our success. To successfully accomplish our goals, the speaker emphasises the significance of concentrating on the things we can control, such as our habits.

He further emphasises the significance of developing tiny habits that support our intended identities and describes how habits are like votes for the kind of person we want to become. Additionally, the video offers helpful advice on how to develop positive habits, such as optimising our environment, scaling habits down, and mastering entry points. James Clear's book "Atomic Habits" is suggested at the end for more information on the development of habits.

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ATOMIC HABITS - Tiny Changes that Create Remarkable Results - James Clear

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This video discusses the mental health benefits of having a routine covering 3 main points such as:

Taking charge of your sleep cycle: By encouraging healthier sleep cycles, routines help reduce the symptoms of mental illnesses and insomnia.

Being aware of expectations: It is simpler to actively work towards combating the thoughts and symptoms of mental health illnesses like bipolar disorder, addiction, and depression if one is prepared and knows what to expect.

Taking extra time off: Creating a routine makes it possible to set aside time for enjoyment, relaxation, and rest, all of which are beneficial to our mental health. Even though routines aren't always perfect, planning time for entertainment makes it more likely that you'll have it most days.

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How Habits Can Change Your Life (and Your Brain)

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How Habits Can Change Your Life (and Your Brain)

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The article talks about the influence that habits have on behaviour. It starts with a story of Claude C. Hopkins, who effectively sold toothpaste by utilising the neuroscience of habits. The narrator states, a trigger, a behaviour, and a reward are the three main components of a habit, and looks at how recurrent actions create fresh pathways in the brain that become habits.

The author emphasises that although harmful habits might be challenging to eliminate, the brain is adaptable and can alter with effort and repetition. The video highlights the role that curiosity plays in fostering human development and transformation, and encourages viewers to replace unhealthy habits with healthier ones.

Overall, it serves as an example of how people may make positive changes in their life by learning about the science of habits.

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How Habits Can Change Your Life (and Your Brain)

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This video advocates for breaking out of routines as essential for personal growth and happiness and explores various benefits such as: improves creativity and problem-solving abilities, builds cultural awareness through cross cultural interactions whether through food or people aiding in fostering empathy and understanding, stress reduction/better quality of life, and social connections which supports boosting confidence and reducing loneliness, further enriching life's experiences.

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The Power Of Routines - How Your Daily Routine Holds You Back From Your Dreams

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The Power Of Routines - How Your Daily Routine Holds You Back From Your Dreams

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This video by Leo emphasizes the power of positive routines in personal development. He begins by emphasising a Aristotle quote to show that excellence is a habit rather than just an act. Leo emphasises that daily routines that are consistent and in line with one's values and objectives, are the key to success and fulfilment. He also talks about the significance of making deliberate decisions every day to complete chores and the negative effects of not doing so, such as anxiety and unhappiness.

Leo contrasts negative habits that result in emotions of weakness and worry with positive routines that generate momentum and foster a sense of fearlessness and empowerment. He encourages the audience to develop their own uplifting routines and stresses the need of patience and perseverance in doing so, along with the necessity of structure for achieving personal development and fulfilment.

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The Power Of Routines - How Your Daily Routine Holds You Back From Your Dreams

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Alone together: how mobile devices have changed family time

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Alone together: how mobile devices have changed family time

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This article addresses concerns about the amount of time children spend on screens and its impact on health and well-being, with worries extending to how technology affects family relationships and face-to-face interactions. Sherry Turkle's concept of alone together is mentioned capturing the phenomenon of being physically near family members whilst engaged with devices instead of interacting with one another.

According to the research mentioned in the article, even while families are spending more time together at home, the quality of this time may be declining due to the prevalence of mobile gadgets. Frequently interfering with in-person relationships during meals and other occasions, devices can reduce the sense of togetherness within the family. However, when used for activities like group games with the family or contacting relatives, there's a chance that gadgets could even enhance family time. To fully comprehend the effects of mobile device use on family life, the writers suggest more research is required.

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There is now widespread concern about the amount of time children spend staring at screens - with many people worried about the negative impacts mobile devices might have on health and well-being.

Concerns have also been raised about the influence of technological change on relationships and face-to-face interactions. Sherry Turkle, a professor of the social studies of science, came up with the famous term " alone together " - which is also the name of her book. "Alone together" captures this idea of spending time on devices to the neglect of interacting with those who are physically nearby.

Many people believe that technological changes have had a detrimental impact on the time family members spend together - with "alone together" time colonising family life. Yet, to date, very few studies have actually been done in this area.

Our new research looks to change this, by providing the first real insight into how technology has impacted the way families spend their time in the UK. To do this, we analysed time diaries collected by parents and children aged eight to 16 years-old in 2000 and then again in 2015 - a period that has witnessed rapid technological change.

More time at home and alone

Contrary to expectations, we found that children spent more time around their parents in 2015 than in 2000. This equates to just over half an hour extra a day (347 minutes per day in 2000 and 379 minutes in 2015). Notably, all of this additional time near parents was spent at home.

This was a surprising finding. But looking closer, we found that children reported they were "alone" during all of this additional time at home with their parents. In this sense then, "alone together" time has increased.

Our analysis also showed some relatively small changes in time for shared family activities, with contemporary families spending less time watching TV and more time on leisure activities and family meals. But the overall time spent in shared activities has remained the same.

Our data shows that mobile device use cuts across all aspects of family time. We found that children and parents both spent approximately the same amount of time (around 90 minutes) using mobile devices when together.

We found all these patterns to be particularly pronounced among young people aged 14 to 16. Young people in this group spent around one hour more at home "alone" with their parents in 2015 than in 2000. Mobile device use when near their parents was also more frequent and heavily concentrated.

Lack of quality time?

Academics have long noted the capacity for technology to bring families together at home. And while our research does seem to indicate this could be the case, this increase in time at home may also be associated with other issues such as the parent's concerns for their children's safety. Research in the US finds similar patterns of change - with teens spending less time outside the home away from their parents.

There is increasing evidence that the mere presence of a phone negatively affects face-to-face interactions. This may go some way then to explain parents' perceptions of decreasing family cohesion and time together with their children, reported in earlier studies.

Indeed, we found that both children and parents were using mobile devices during family meals, television viewing, and other activities. So even though this was for a relatively small amount of time, it may have a disproportionate impact on the quality of this time for family members.

Of course, in some cases, it is possible that mobile devices are in fact complementing family interactions. If, for example, family members use them for video streaming, to play group games or to contact other relatives. And further research on mobile device use and content is now necessary to help ascertain their full impact on daily life and move beyond commonly held negative assumptions.

But what is clear, is that although a rise in "alone together" time means families now spend more time at home, it is not necessarily in a way that feels like quality time.

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Alone together: how mobile devices have changed family time

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Children now spend more time at home and alone with their parents - new research.

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'We do not interact as a family': readers on how phones changed their children

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'We do not interact as a family': readers on how phones changed their children

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Following Madonna's statement that giving her kids phones "ended their relationship," the article presents parents' accounts of how mobile phones have affected their relationships with their kids. Through this parents have experienced both positive and negative outcomes: such as reduced family interaction, challenging to communicate, addiction, shifted priorities to bringing the relationship more closer, another form of communication, bringing families together.

Overall the responses highlight an unbiased point of view and a range of experiences bound to certain situations, from increased disconnection to improved communication, dependant on how it is managed within the family.

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'It's meant fewer dinners together'

Has giving my child a phone changed my relationship with them? It's meant fewer dinners together, and less inclination to share in conversation; greater irritability and less ability to self-regulate or find meaningful non-phone related activities to participate in. Many activities are done with the phone as meditating entity and spatial registry. The phone enhances the need for immediate mediation or gratification. Daniel, US

'It's exasperating and annoying'

There is less talking now, and I have to go to greater lengths to have a normal conversation and any possible eye contact. Even then, the attention span is short and the eyes go back to the phone. It's exasperating and annoying and sometimes I feel it pointless to even start a conversation, as it has become a futile exercise. Anonymous, UK

'We do not interact'

We do not interact as a family. Kevin, US

'I maintain strict control over the apps'

I gave my child a phone when she was 10, but maintain strict control over the apps on it - no YouTube, no social networking of any kind, and web browser limited to a small set of sites. She gets text messages, games, and a camera, which allows her to have fun, stay connected with her friends, and learn responsible use (no nude photos, ever). Notifications and the ringer automatically deactivate between bedtime and the end of school, so she gets to sleep without her phone going off all night like a Christmas tree.

Back in the day, I remember my big brother spending hours on our landline as a teenager. Some amount of that is healthy, in my honest opinion. Elizabeth, US

'My son is fairly addicted ... it's a shame'

When my older son turned 12, he was given a phone because he started having more autonomy. However, my ex, from whom I am happily divorced, gave our 10-year-old a phone at what I thought was far too young an age. I had to parent quite heavily around my 10-year-old's phone usage - no data, only wifi, block many things/numbers. My younger son is fairly addicted to it now at this point. It's a shame. Carmen, Canada

'We now communicate through text messages'

We stopped talking two weeks after my daughter got her phone. We now communicate through text messages and the odd Instagram post - even when we sit opposite each other at breakfast. John Sproule, UK

'My daughter's priorities have shifted'

My daughter's priorities and allegiances have shifted from family to pretty much everything not family since getting a phone. But then again, she's 14 and that is what's supposed to happen at that age. But it may not have happened to the same extent if not for the overwhelming presence of the smartphone. Pascal, US

'It has made things better'

Giving my child a phone has made things better - we text and email one another all day and we remain close. For us, the written word is an easier way to communicate than verbally. Laura Euler, US

'She has lost the ability to be present with us'

My relationship with my daughter has all but disappeared over the course of the last year as she increasingly engages in social interaction through her smartphone. She is 13, and like her friends, almost every contact, dialogue, and interaction is through the smartphone. She has lost the ability to be present with us. She is always distracted, and looking for the next opportunity to see what is sitting out in the digital ephemera - possibly validating her, or perhaps making her feel more salient.

It seems at times that she has lost the art of in-person conversation - the "Hello, how are you?" kind of thing. She's furtive, quiet and awkward when we have guests over. Mind you, she is a straight-A student. But I worry. John P, US

'Text gives you another way to communicate'

My child having phone is helpful. It is a tool that helps us communicate more often. For example, my teen can text me photos of their homework when it's done. They text me funny videos, quotes they like, photos. And I can do the same. Your voice can sound redundant as a parent, but text gives you another way to communicate. Cynthia, US

'We've managed to keep the phone problem small'

I gave my son a really cheap phone that won't do much. It looks like a smartphone but works really slowly, so he's not tempted to play on it or use it. We got away with this because right now, nobody at his school is too fussed about what kind of phone anyone has. As there's no peer pressure, we've managed to keep the phone problem very small. He does ask for an iPhone from time to time, but we're brushing it away successfully at the moment (he's 12). Nicola, UK

'No phones until age 16'

If I could do it over again, I would not give them phones until age 16. Pablo, US

'Her phone has brought us closer'

Some of our interactions can be more mutual - she has access to all sorts of interesting information which we process and explore together. Don't get me wrong, I am not a big fan of technology; I'd much rather she was accessing this information through books. But for my daughter, it has been one way in which she belongs with her peer group, among many ways in which she clearly does not. She is on it more than I would prefer, but she shows maturity and restraint a great deal of the time. She does not usually use social media apps, noting that they make her feel bad.

I feel very lucky. We talk frequently when she is away from home and stay in regular touch through text. In fact, and in spite of my concerns that it would be otherwise, her phone has brought us closer together and given her a chance to make her own decisions about how she wants to apportion her time and attention. Elizabeth West, US

'Ultimately, it's for the better'

I'm sure there used to be rows about phones at the dinner table when my kids were younger. Now that one of them works in San Francisco and the other periodically works or studies abroad, smartphones keep the daily conversation going - queries, comments, links, photos, recipes, music recommendations. There's also the occasional challenge, like my second son sending me six seconds of him singing a line and demanding I identify the song! So it's for the better, ultimately. Karen, UK
Submissions have been lightly edited for clarity

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'We do not interact as a family': readers on how phones changed their children

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Madonna said giving her children mobile phones 'ended their relationship'. We asked parents to share their own experiences

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Why Too Much Cell Phone Usage Can Hurt Your Family Relationships

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Why Too Much Cell Phone Usage Can Hurt Your Family Relationships

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Cell phone use, although very useful for communication, over usage of cell phones can have a negative effect on wellbeing and social connections. A term "Phubbing" (phone snubbing) is mentioned which is a major problem, where people prioritise their phones over people who are physically there, destroying relationships and family ties. Studies demonstrate how this behaviour, particularly in romantic relationships, can result in emotions of abandonment and depression.

Addiction to cell phones is becoming a widespread problem, with negative effects on safety and mental health, including an elevated risk of motor vehicle crashes. Overuse can also lower overall quality time and take away from important family relationships. Children in particular suffer more than adults because they imitate adult behaviour, which could affect their social and creative abilities.

To lessen these consequences, experts advise establishing boundaries, such as phone-free times during family dinners or bedtime, and getting assistance if phone use becomes out of control. By prioritising in-person communication, it can enhance mental health and maintain the integrity of relationships.

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Why Too Much Cell Phone Usage Can Hurt Your Family Relationships

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Learn about the negative effects of phubbing, a term used to describe too much cell phone usage, which is a trend that’s on the rise.

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The Power of Habit | Jude Aburdan | TEDxSafirSchool

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The Power of Habit | Jude Aburdan | TEDxSafirSchool

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Jude Aburdan, a recent graduate of Istanbul Medical University's Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, discusses her experience from high school success to encountering failure in medical school. Jude was a high achiever who succeeded in a variety of activities yet, after failing her first exam in university, she experienced extreme self-doubt and depression, particularly because she was away from her supportive circle of friends and family. This turning point inspired her to create new habits that would help her overcome obstacles and succeed academically.

Realising her need to change her habits, she used new study techniques, altered her diet, did stress-relieving yoga, surrounded herself with supportive friends and positive self talk.  Central to her success, she mentions Charles Duhigg's "The Power of Habit" the habit loop and key factors such as: the cue, routine, and reward. By forming productive habits, Jude restored her confidence and graduated top of the class.

She concludes in the talk that the audience should have faith in their own capacity for change, emphasising that while inspiration starts the process, habits maintain advancement and assist in overcoming life's challenges.

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The Power of Habit | Jude Aburdan | TEDxSafirSchool

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Change your Everyday Routine  | Samraat Jangam | TEDxYouth@Southlake

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Change your Everyday Routine  | Samraat Jangam | TEDxYouth@Southlake

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The speaker questions the conventional "template" for success, which involves completing a demanding life plan, such as  earning excellent grades, and graduating from prominent universities. He argues that because parents and society set expectations, people are already born with this template.

The speaker talks about his own experiences of feeling under continual pressure, memorising facts without fully understanding them, and experiencing fear and dissatisfaction while trying to fulfil these expectations. He spoke about a pivotal moment in his life, realising that straying from an expected path was essential for personal development and advice on not fearing failure.

By challenging and conquering this regimented way of thinking, the speaker became a better person overall, improving their academic, athletic, and personal life. He concludes by encouraging others to live truly and reject social norms, since doing so will enable individuals to live a fulfilling life reach your full potential.

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Change your Everyday Routine  | Samraat Jangam | TEDxYouth@Southlake

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Psychologist Kendra Cherry explores the significance of habits in health and well-being, highlighting their role in achieving goals. Cherry discusses the time required to form habits as well as factors that influence habit formation such as: personality, behaviour complexity, and lifestyle. She further explains the benefits of forming habits, tips for building new habits, breaking bad habits, and concluding on the idea of consistency, focus and commitment in habits formation to positively enhance your well-being.

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Building a habit takes time, but it can vary for each person depending on a number of factors. Learn how long it takes to make something a habit.

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The Power Of Good Habits: Quick Changes, Impressive Results

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The Power Of Good Habits: Quick Changes, Impressive Results

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The article explores into the significant impact that habits have on our lives, highlighting how they shape our decisions, actions, and ultimately, who we are. It starts by characterising habits as repetitive decisions and behaviours that function subconsciously and make up a large percentage of our everyday activities. The concept of the "habit loop" is presented, which consists of cues, routines, and rewards and is essential for comprehending and modifying habits.

The article further mentions what good habits are, breaking bad habits, and the idea of reframing our environments. The writer concludes that habits shape our identity, and encourages readers to recognize the power of habits in crafting the life they desire.

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Human behaviour is a curious thing. Why do we do what we do? Often, it boils down to habits. These automated, repetitive behaviours define our days, shape our lives, and determine our futures. Yet, for something so impactful, we spend little time understanding and harnessing the power of habits. Whether you want to foster positive habits like exercising regularly, or break detrimental ones like excessive snacking, a deep understanding of habit formation can be your most potent tool.

What are Habits?

Habits are the recurrent choices we make and activities we undertake daily, often operating in the background of our consciousness.

These routine behaviors, as noted by researchers at Duke University, constitute roughly 40% of our daily actions. With such a significant portion of our day dictated by these habitual patterns, it's evident that they play a pivotal role in shaping our lives. The current state of various facets of our lives, be it our physical health, emotional well-being, or overall success, is an aggregate of our habits. Consequently, the activities we consistently engage in, the thoughts we frequently entertain, and the decisions we routinely make coalesce to mold our identity, beliefs, and overall persona. This underscores the significance of habits in our lives: they aren't just actions, but they are the building blocks of our very being.

Recognising and refining these habits is central to any transformative journey, be it in terms of productivity, physical strength, or personal well-being. By harnessing the power of effective habits, we hold the key to profound life alterations.

Understanding Habits: The Habit Loop

Every habit, good or bad, follows a three-part cycle called the "habit loop," which consists of:

Cue: A trigger that initiates the behaviour.

Routine: The behaviour or action itself.

Reward: The benefit gained from doing the behaviour.

Cue: Feeling bored or getting a notification.

Routine: Scrolling through social media.

Reward: The dopamine rush from seeing something new or getting a 'like'.

Recognising this loop is the first step towards manipulating it to your advantage.

Debunking the 21-Day Myth

Navigating through the vast ocean of information available online can sometimes lead to anchoring onto misleading data points. The widespread belief that it takes merely 21 days to form a habit is a prime example. Such misconceptions, largely peddled without concrete evidence, are responsible for the disillusionment many face when their three-week mark arrives without tangible change. Enter Dr. Phillippa Lally.

Her research shattered this myth, illustrating that the average period to form a new habit is around 66 days, but this could range anywhere between 18 to 254 days depending on the complexity of the habit. So, while adopting the routine of daily flossing might take less time, embarking on a rigorous exercise regimen could require a more extended commitment. The essence, however, remains the same: persistence and repetition. The path to forming a habit isn't a sprint but a marathon, and with continued effort, the task gets easier, requiring less cognitive strain.

What are Good Habits?

Good habits are behaviours and routines that offer positive benefits to our physical, emotional, and mental well-being. They often align with broader societal values and health recommendations, leading to improved quality of life, increased life expectancy, and a general sense of happiness and satisfaction. When we engage in good habits, we're not just promoting our immediate well-being; we're setting a foundation for a healthier future. By understanding the reasons these habits are deemed 'good,' we can be more motivated to incorporate them into our daily lives.

Building Good Habits

In the journey of personal development and self-improvement, building good habits stands as a cornerstone. Habits, once formed, become the autopilot programs of our lives, influencing our actions, decisions, and ultimately, our results. But how do we transition from mere intentions to sustainable, long-lasting habits? Here lies the art and science of habit formation. With the right strategies and a mindful approach, you can pave the way for beneficial behaviors that stand the test of time. Below are proven steps to help you lay the foundation for habits that enrich and elevate your life.
Start Small
One of the biggest mistakes people make is trying to make significant changes too quickly. Start with manageable tasks. If you want to exercise, begin with 10 minutes a day rather than an hour.
Stack Habits
Attach the new habit to an existing one. If you want to read more, do it after a daily task like brushing your teeth. This is known as habit stacking.
Set Clear Intentions
Instead of vague resolutions like "I'll eat healthily," set specific goals like "I'll eat a fruit every morning."
Stay Consistent
The more you repeat an action, the more ingrained it becomes. Focus on consistency rather than intensity. It's better to do less every day than a lot occasionally.
Accountability
Share your goals with friends or join a group with similar objectives. The external pressure can be motivating.
Celebrate Small Wins
Every time you stick to your new habit, celebrate. This can reinforce the behavior, making you more likely to repeat it.

What are Bad Habits?

Bad habits, on the other hand, are those behaviours which, though they might offer immediate gratification, have negative implications for our physical, mental, or emotional health in the long run. These habits often conflict with expert recommendations for optimal health and can lead to a decline in life quality. Engaging in bad habits can also lead to long-term repercussions like chronic diseases, reduced life expectancy, or mental health challenges. Recognising these habits and understanding their adverse effects is crucial in making informed decisions about our lifestyle.

Breaking Bad Habits

Each of us, at various stages in our lives, confronts habits that no longer serve our best interests. These entrenched patterns of behaviour, often forged over many years, can prove challenging to disrupt. However, with conscious effort, informed strategies, and a dash of perseverance, it's entirely possible to break free from these unwelcome routines. Unshackling oneself from detrimental habits not only paves the way for personal growth but also fosters a renewed sense of freedom and self-efficacy. Here's a roadmap to guide you as you embark on the journey to dismantle those undesired habits and reclaim control of your life.
Identify the Cue and Reward
If you want to break a habit, you need to deconstruct the habit loop. By identifying and understanding the cues and rewards, you can start to shift the routine.
Replace the Routine
You can't eliminate a bad habit; you can only change it. Replace the negative routine with a positive one. If you eat when you're stressed, try going for a walk instead.
Gradual Change
Just as with building habits, start small. Reduce the frequency or intensity of the habit step by step.
Mindful Awareness
Often, we fall into bad habits mindlessly. Being aware and catching yourself before you indulge in the habit can be beneficial. Mindfulness and meditation can help in enhancing this awareness.
Avoid Triggers
If certain places, times, or people trigger your bad habits, try to avoid them or prepare yourself mentally when encountering them.
Seek Support
Share your goal of breaking a bad habit with a friend or join a support group. Talking about it can provide clarity, and external support can offer motivation.

The Role of Environment in Shaping Our Habits

It's often said that we are products of our environment, and this holds especially true when it comes to habits. The spaces we inhabit, the people we associate with, and the objects we keep close play a subtle yet constant role in our choices. As we traverse our daily routines, our environment acts like a silent nudge, guiding us towards specific behaviours, either reinforcing our habits or challenging them.
The Power of Temptations
If you ever wondered why a diet fails when your pantry is stocked with cookies or why a digital detox seems impossible with your phone within arm's reach, you've already glimpsed the compelling role environment plays. Temptations and triggers, when easily accessible, make resisting negative habits an uphill battle.
Facilitating Positive Habits
Conversely, an environment structured to support positive actions can make habit formation feel like cruising downstream. It creates a path of least resistance, making it easier for us to adopt and stick to beneficial routines.

Strategies to Reframe Your Environment
Make Good Habits Easy and Bad Habits Hard
Simplify the process of adopting positive habits. For example, if your goal is to eat healthier, place a bowl of fresh fruits on the kitchen counter where you'll see them often, while relegating junk food to a less accessible spot or eliminating them altogether.
Optimise Your Surroundings
Keep the tools you need for positive habits within easy reach. Want to embrace the habit of reading before bed? Position a book on your bedside table, making it the first thing you see when you retire for the night. On the other hand, if you're looking to reduce screen time, consider placing your TV remote in a drawer or instituting device-free zones in your home.
Cultivate a Supportive Social Circle
People around us can serve as catalysts or deterrents for our habits. Surrounding yourself with those who share or respect your positive goals can create a reinforcing environment. If you're aiming to jog every morning, finding a partner can make the commitment stickier.
Re-evaluate and Adjust Regularly
As you evolve, your needs and goals might change. Periodically assess your environment to ensure it remains in alignment with your current objectives.

In essence, curating an environment conducive to your goals sets the stage for success, making it far easier to foster good habits and distance yourself from undesired ones.

Dealing with Relapses: Embracing the Ebbs and Flows

The path of personal growth, especially when it comes to habit formation, is seldom linear. Like navigating a landscape with its peaks and valleys, there will be moments of immense progress, followed by periods where old habits resurface. Relapses, though disheartening, are a natural part of this journey. What sets the trajectory for success, however, is not the absence of these setbacks but the resilience in addressing and learning from them.
Understanding the Nature of Relapses
Contrary to the guilt they often evoke, relapses are not indicative of weak willpower or a lack of commitment. They can be triggered by various factors, from a change in environment to emotional stresses. Recognising this can reduce the self-blame and make the process of recovery more constructive.
Reframing Relapses as Learning Opportunities
Each relapse carries with it valuable insights. Instead of viewing them as failures, treat them as feedback. What caused the slip? Was it a specific trigger, a particular time of day, or a sudden change in routine? By analysing the situation, you can glean insights that can fortify your strategies moving forward.
Avoiding the Spiral of Negativity
One of the biggest pitfalls after a relapse is the "what-the-hell effect"-a mindset where one thinks, "I've already broken my streak, so why not continue?" This can lead to further indulgence in the undesired habit. It's crucial to recognise this pattern and halt it in its tracks. Remember, every moment offers a fresh start.
Picking Up and Moving Forward
After a relapse, the emphasis should be on recovery and resumption. Revisit your goals, remind yourself of your motivations, and recalibrate if needed. Maybe it's time to tweak your approach, seek additional support, or adjust your environment.
Seeking Support
Sharing your experience with a trusted friend or mentor can provide both emotional relief and practical advice. They might offer a perspective you hadn't considered or simply provide the encouragement you need to get back on track.

In essence, dealing with relapses requires a mix of compassion for oneself, a keen analytical eye, and an unwavering commitment to one's goals. With these in hand, each setback can be transformed into a stepping stone towards lasting positive change.

All Habits Articles
5 Essential Steps for Developing Healthy Habits in 2023 New Year, New You: 10 Transformative Habits to Adopt in 2023
Best Books on Habits
Atomic Habits by James Clear
"Atomic Habits," penned by James Clear, provides a transformative outlook on the power of small changes. As an authority on habit formation, Clear showcases a systematic approach that assists readers in cultivating good habits while eradicating the undesirable ones, ultimately leading to extraordinary outcomes.

Central to Clear's approach is the belief that habitual difficulties don't stem from the individual but from flawed systems. Rather than aspiring to reach our lofty goals, we often stumble to the quality of our systems. Thus, improving these systems can dramatically change our trajectory.

By amalgamating insights from diverse fields like biology, psychology, and neuroscience, Clear simplifies intricate concepts into actionable steps. Throughout the book, readers are regaled with real-life tales of individuals from varied professions, from Olympic champions to top-tier comedians, who harnessed the science of habits to reach unparalleled excellence.
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
This bestselling book delves into the science of habit formation, examining why habits exist and how they can be changed. Duhigg uncovers the loop of cue, routine, and reward, and provides insight on how understanding this loop can impact personal and organisational habits.
Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg, Ph.D.
BJ Fogg, a behavioral scientist, presents his evidence-based approach to creating and adapting habits. He argues that the key to lasting change doesn't hinge on willpower but on the power of tiny habits and their ability to lead to transformative changes.
Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits by Gretchen Rubin
Rubin explores the subject of habits through a personal lens, detailing her experiments in modifying her own habits. Through her journey, she decodes the structure of habits and provides readers with practical strategies for implementing and sustaining them.
Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick by Wendy Wood
As a psychologist, Wood dives deep into the research surrounding habits. She explains why habits form, the intricate processes behind them, and how understanding these mechanisms can empower individuals to leverage habits to their advantage.
Habit Stacking: 127 Small Changes to Improve Your Health, Wealth, and Happiness by S.J. Scott
Scott offers a unique approach by focusing on the power of stacking small habits together, instead of making massive changes. This book provides practical steps for incorporating multiple minor habits into your daily routine to achieve significant life improvements.

In Conclusion

Habits are more than just repetitive behaviours. They're a manifestation of our identity. Every time you choose to stick to a good habit or resist a bad one, you're casting a vote for the kind of person you want to be.

Harness the power of habits. Understand them, respect them, and most importantly, shape them to craft the life you desire. Remember, while habits can be your greatest enemy, they can also be your strongest ally. Choose them wisely.

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The Power Of Good Habits: Quick Changes, Impressive Results

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Human behaviour is a curious thing. Why do we do what we do? Often, it boils down to habits.

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Want to Reconnect to What Really Matters? Try Breaking Your Routine

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Want to Reconnect to What Really Matters? Try Breaking Your Routine

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In this blog, the author reflects on the importance of routines and the need to occasionally break them. She emphasizes that whilst scheduled breaks are essential for productivity, unstructured breaks that disrupt routines prompt reflection on personal values as well as allowing individuals to reassess their goals and priorities.

The author advocates for embracing inconvenient impulses and engaging in activities that align with personal values, even if they disrupt productivity. She concludes that by taking genuine breaks from routines fosters a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

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Want to Reconnect to What Really Matters? Try Breaking Your Routine

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Routines help us harness our energy and direct it toward our goals. But if you’re not working toward a goal you care about, what’s the point?

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PhD Lisa Firestone delves into the importance of breaking routines, and whilst routines can provide structure and productivity, strictly following it can lead to a sense of monotony and disconnection from our feelings and experiences. This habitual behaviour can actually place us on autopilot in the sense that we miss out on more in life, continuing to explain that breaking routines introduces excitement in our lives.

When it comes to small activities like varying daily activities, these can reconnect us with our innate feeling of curiosity and wonder, and by embracing new experiences we can feel more alive, and engaged with our surroundings.

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Having a routine isn't necessarily a bad thing. It can help you stay organized, be productive, or even, according to some researchers, find meaning. Certain studies have associated family routines with parenting competence and marital satisfaction. However, not all routines are created equal, and failing to examine or alter our habits can have a limiting or deadening effect on our lives.

A big reason for this is that habitual behavior, by nature, can cut us off from feeling. Moving through a series of them can set us on autopilot throughout our day, which can lead us to lose touch with ourselves and our immediate experience-be it sensory or emotional. For example, scrolling through our phone on our morning train commute can seem pretty innocuous, but we may be missing out on sights, sounds, or even smells that would enliven us in some way, inspire a specific feeling, or spark our imagination. Similarly, the list of items we pressure ourselves to include in our evening routine may be taking up time we could use to connect with loved ones.

Whatever our personal habit patterns may be, it's worth considering the ways in which they may be cutting us off from a more vital way of engaging with the world. A particular routine may make us feel more secure or unchallenged, muting some of our fears around uncertainty. However, it may also be closing us off to our sense of awe, curiosity, or excitement. This is because whenever we attempt to use anything-be it a substance or a rigid pattern of behavior-to numb a negative emotion, we often inadvertently also shut out our more profound, positive ones.

A common side effect of our routinized attempts to tune out is boredom. Think about how you feel on a day of vacation versus how you feel in the middle of a typical day at home. Usually, there is novelty associated with travel that's invigorating. And while there is a sense of freedom and lack of obligation, there is also a complete shift to our routine. Instead of how will we tackle this day by new experiences and uncertainty.

In truth, it's possible to uphold this same sense of adventure on any given day of our lives. There are tangible ways to strike a balance between making our daily life feel calm and stable and opening ourselves up to new and energizing experiences. The first step is to ask ourselves, are we really experiencing our lives or are we just going through the motions? We can start to look at patterns in our behavior that have become rote or even rigid ways of thinking that are bringing down our energy and cutting us off from a feeling of liveliness.

It may be helpful to make a list of activities we engage in that leave us feeling lifeless. For many of us, turning to technology-our phones or streaming TV-can be addictively numbing. However, habits that cut us off have been around for a lot longer than our devices, so it's also important to consider even seemingly harmless activities, such as a specific place we always go to eat or a certain way we have to get ready for bed. If we have trouble identifying these behaviors in ourselves, a good rule of thumb is that we can often tell how compulsive the action is by how anxious we feel when we vary from it.

Once we have a sense of some of the routines we're willing to switch up, we can start to take action. This doesn't need to be anything monumental. We can start by mixing up the order of things, trying a new restaurant, or taking a different route to work.

As we experiment with this exercise, we can start to think bigger. We may explore what it would mean to break out of a fixed identity or a role we impose upon ourselves. For example, if we feel pressure to be the quiet, agreeable one, we can try speaking up and suggesting more ideas. If we often feel a need to control where we pick up dinner or where we go out on a date night, letting go and seeing what happens can completely shift our experience. Small as they may seem, making these kinds of changes can make us anxious. However, they also often wake us up in ways we really don't expect.

This is because when we fall into routine, we're often choosing a pattern of behavior that feels self-protective and familiar. These patterns are built on old adaptations we made to feel safe in our early environment. As children, we built up defenses to protect ourselves from the ways we were hurt. We may have needed to feel self-sufficient, pseudo-independent, and organized to exist in a household that felt chaotic and unstable to us. To protect ourselves from anxiety and pain, we subconsciously designed a set of structured behaviors to help us navigate the world. The trouble is, as our worlds and lives change, and we become independent adults who are no longer victims of our circumstances, we remain stuck in our ways. At this point, our self-protective defenses start to hurt rather than help us.

When we stay defended in our lives and rigid in our routines, we often lose a child's sense of wonder about the world. However, we can reconnect with this feeling by being willing to explore. This exploration doesn't need to be limited to a vacation or special occasion but can be connected to every day. We can explore in our own city, be freer in our relationships, or be more open to variation in our morning routine. Each day, we can make it a point to celebrate our sense of choice.

The truth: No day or moment will be the same as any other. Yet, seeking out and actively choosing novelty helps us feel more alive, engaged, and attuned to ourselves and others. This may mean doing something as simple as spontaneously hugging our partner rather than hurrying past them or doing something silly with our kid rather than sending them off to clean their room. It may mean picking up a new hobby or putting down our phone.

Whatever the action may be, it's important to check in with ourselves and see how these new choices make us feel. We can do what Dr. Daniel Siegel calls sifting through our experience, considering any sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts that arise. As we do this, we may feel anxious, but over time, we will slowly reconnect with who we are. We will start to know more deeply what we enjoy, what matters to us, and quite simply, what makes us come alive.

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Seeking out and actively choosing novelty helps us feel more alive, engaged, and attuned to ourselves and others.

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The Importance of Maintaining Structure and Routine During Stressful Times

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The Importance of Maintaining Structure and Routine During Stressful Times

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Psychologist Kendra Cherry delves into the importance of maintaining a daily routine, especially during times of stress and uncertainty, going into the benefits of routines, how to manage your routine effectively and explaining that whilst routines should be personalized, it's important to remain flexible and not stress. She states that establishing routines takes time and practice just like new habits but it can significantly enhance mental health and a sense of control.

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Key Takeaways

Some people love to have a solid daily routine, while others shudder at the thought of having a predictable schedule. During times of great stress, however, maintaining structure and routine can help you feel more organized and in control.

Having a routine can be helpful at any time, particularly if you are trying to establish healthy habits, but these routines can be particularly important when aspects of your life feel uncertain.

The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically altered many people's normal routines, which makes it that much harder to cope with the stress that people are feeling.

Press Play for Advice On Creating Good Habits

A Sudden Lack of Structure

Many people are either working from home or faced with the prospect of an unknown period of unemployment. Those working at home may quickly discover that the constant isolation and lack of a normal schedule can be mentally taxing.

Rachel Goldman, PhD

A lack of structure and routine can actually exacerbate feelings of distress and make you pay more attention to the source of your problems. As Rachel Goldman, PhD, a psychologist and clinical assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine, explains: "If people don't have structure and are sitting around with less to focus on, then they also probably will find themselves thinking about the stressful situation more, which can also lead to additional stress and anxiety."

One way to get out of this cycle that promotes ruminating over the source of your stress is to maintain some structure and routine throughout your day.

The Benefits of Having a Routine

Research has consistently shown that routines can play an important role in mental health. One study, for example, found that routines could help people better manage stress and anxiety.

Having a regular routine can help you:

Lower stress levels

Form good daily habits

Take better care of your health

Feel more productive

Feel more focused

Getting necessary tasks out of the way can also help you find more time for healthy behaviors like exercise and leave you more time to enjoy fun activities and hobbies.

Focus on Things You Can Control

Managing your own behaviors can help you feel more in control of the situation. Goldman recommends focusing on the things that are within your power to control.

Rachel Goldman, PhD

The key is to create a routine that adds structure and a sense of predictability to your day. Of course, your schedule may change somewhat depending on the day of the week, but sticking to a basic structure for when you will wake, eat, work, do activities, and sleep can help you feel less stressed out and more organized.

Structuring your day also ensures that you accomplish those basic tasks that must be done, which will leave you with the time to schedule in other things that you want or need to accomplish.

Follow a Routine That Supports Your Health

There are some things that you can make a part of your daily routine to help manage stress levels. These include:

Staying active and getting regular daily exercise

Making sure that you are well-rested

Eating healthy meals on a regular schedule

Setting realistic goals

Trying to stay positive

Preparing for challenges but not ruminating on things you can't control

Staying in touch with friends and family members

Setting aside time for activities that you enjoy

Of course, the situation you personally are coping with can also affect how easy or hard it is to stick to a daily routine. Stay-at-home orders due to COVID-19 have left many people with blank schedules, which can be a daunting prospect. It's important to find things to fill your time so you don't end up engaging in unhelpful or unhealthy behaviors.

Make Your List

One helpful activity is to make a list of the things that you normally do during the day. Include everything from work to meal preparation to household chores. Once you have an idea of the basic tasks you need to accomplish, you can start creating a general outline for what you might need to accomplish each day to stay on track.

While its important to get the essentials done, be sure to find things that you can look forward to, whether it's watching a favorite television show or calling up a friend. Making these little rewards a part of your routine can help you stay upbeat and focused when you are working on a task that you might not enjoy as much.

Find What Works for You

Is it better to have a structured daily schedule or just a general to-do list for the day? Some people might thrive with a highly structured daily schedule that outlines activities in specific blocks of time, while others might do well with a loose list of things they need to get done in the day.

How do you decide which approach is right for you? Consider your motivations as well as what you need to get done. "If it is something that is of high importance and needs to get done on a specific day, then scheduling it into your routine and carving out that time may be necessary to make sure it gets accomplished," Goldman recommends.

In other words, deliberately schedule a specific time to take care of those high priority tasks. Knowing that you have that time set aside for those tasks will leave you free to focus on using the rest of your time effectively. Goldman also suggests that it may be helpful to schedule things that you may not be motivated to do.

Rachel Goldman, PhD

Knowing that you need to do those tasks at a certain time on a certain day will help keep you on track and hopefully overcome the urge to just keep putting them off.

Remember It Takes Time and Practice

Just like trying to create a new habit, starting and sticking to a new routine takes some time and effort. You know yourself best, so if something doesn't seem to be working, try tweaking your schedule to make it work for your needs.

Goldman recommends paying attention to how you feel throughout the day in order to determine what times of day you are the most productive. "If you feel like each day you feel unmotivated and lethargic at a certain time, then that is a sign that you may need a mental break at that time," she says.

When you find yourself in those moments, think about what you might need to feel better and get motivated. That might mean that you need to take a break, go for a walk, have a snack, or spend some time working on a hobby.

"Plans don't always go as planned, though, so remember to be kind to yourself," says Goldman. "This is not the time to put extra pressure and expectations on yourself. It's not easy to create new routines, or add structure to a day, when our lives feel completely disrupted and turned upside down, so it may take some time to get used to this "new" routine and be able to feel accomplished."

What This Means For You

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.

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The Importance of Maintaining Structure and Routine During Stressful Times

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Some people love to have a solid daily routine, while others shudder at the thought of having a predictable schedule. During times of great stress, however, maintaining structure and routine can help you feel more organized and in control.

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This article emphasizes the psychological benefits of establishing daily and weekly routines, to reduce stress, and improve your overall well-being. It begins to point out how morning decisions can cause stress, suggesting these issues can be minimized by setting routines and schedules in advance. It also further provides the benefits of setting routines, benefits for families, importance of routines in specific challenges and tips for creating and sticking to a routine.

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Learn more how creating routines and schedules can be good for your mental health.

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Why Family Gathering is More Important Than Ever

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Why Family Gathering is More Important Than Ever

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The concept of family gathering alongside the benefits and ways to spend more time together are covered in this article. The writer first discusses the contradiction of technology which despite its intended purpose to simplify our lives, often times adds to our stress and busyness, essentially making it difficult to spend quality more time together as a family.

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Technology was meant to be a way to make our lives easier and less stressful, however, it seems like with every passing year, it really only adds to our list of to-dos. Before you know it, your days are filled with tasks and it's hard to find the time to spend with our family. However, being a part of an informal or formal family gathering (such as around any significant holiday), can have a host of health benefits we're only starting to explore. This can be anything from a simple family tradition, to well-planned-out getaways. Gathering together is more than just coming together to catch up, and we'll prove it to you. Humans are social creatures and without a deep level of connection, we often feel disconnected, stressed, overworked, and even irritable, aggressive, or downright depressed.

So, what can we do to combat this as we head into 2020? One of the biggest ways we can put our family unions first is through being more intentional about how we spend our time. Not only will it help your family members, but it will impact your mental and physical health as well. Here are just a few of the ways you'll feel the effects of spending some quality family time together:

1. Helps you decompress - Look, life is stressful no matter who you are. Whether you have a job or need to find one, or even starting or running your own business - you will have your set of stressors that press down on you. Taking the time for holiday family time (or any time) can help you decompress and detox from going overboard and turning into a complete workaholic. Taking downtime to connect with those we really love releases your endorphins and makes you feel good, and we all want that, right?

2. Improves your mindset - If you're not happy, what's all of this for? When you feel connected to your family through regular gatherings and family time, your mindset improves and it's easier to embrace your joy. When you step away from work and environmental stresses to just be with those you love most, you naturally slide into a place of gratitude and that organically gets you in a better mindset. Interestingly, the American Society of Aging has noted that seniors who have strong familial ties and good social networks even have better episodic memory, cognitive function, and overall better brain health.

3. Rekindles connection & strengthens bonds - During our stressful, busy times of the year, it's easy to let your family time slide. That's why holiday gatherings can be so important. It's a social reminder that it's time to set all that aside and regroup. In this simple action, it helps us to rekindle our connection with our immediate and extended family members so you don't lose touch in this fast-paced world. It also strengthens those familial ties and makes your bond together even stronger.

4. Lowers blood pressure - Need an easy way to improve your cardiovascular health? Research suggests you should spend more time together as a family. Stress causes a host of negative effects on the mind and body, but when you have a place you can turn to talk about your problems, it gives you a healthy way to relieve that stress. A study by the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that people who leaned on their strong family ties to discuss their difficult times and stressors had a lower pulse, lower blood pressure, and overall better cardiovascular health.

5. Improves academic success for children - When kids feel connected to their family, their self-esteem improves, along with their mindset. This, in turn, translates into better grades because they feel like they are safe and secure, while also having someone they can turn to when things like particular school lessons or social situations get more difficult. As little as twenty minutes a day can significantly improve your child's grades and overall well being. Remember, when kids get good grades, this sets them up to feel like they have the ability to succeed at anything they do.

6. Models parenting and interpersonal skills - Every interaction you have with your kids impacts who they will become. When kids have good role models and parents who interact with them, they learn how to communicate, work together, the skills for conflict resolution, and yes-even how to parent their own kids when the time comes. Knowing this can help ground us when we think about how our interactions with them will affect the way they operate in their own lives. If you don't like the way your parents were with you, then it's up to you to be the change you want to see in your kids.

7. Less chance to spiral downward - Risk-taking behaviors, like alcohol and drug abuse, have a much more difficult time being a part of a child's life when they're busy spending quality time with their family.

8. Negates anger, aggression, and violence - Regardless if you're an adult or a kid, spending time with a supportive family member can decrease anger, aggression, and depression. When we feel connected and supported, the chance of crime and violence also decreases. Teenagers are prone to anger issues, simply because of the social pressure and sheer amount of hormones flushing through their bodies. However, adolescents who have a close relationship with their family are less likely to engage in violent acts or turn to self-inflicted harm.

9. Fills emotional cups - As emotional beings, we need a way to fill our emotional cups in a way that's productive and supportive for us. Family time and gathers help us to fill those cups with things like gratitude, creativity, connection, inspiration, and love-rather than allowing the lower octaves of emotion, such as fear, anxiety, or hurt to rule the roost.

5 Easy Ways to Spend More Family Time Together

Even in this hyper-busy world, it's both easy and important to engage in family time. Your family's psychological well-being and connection is up to you. Lean on each other to cope with stress and feel loved. Here are a few ways you can spend more quality time with your family.

1. Be affectionate - Whether you see them every day or only at a holiday gathering, let your loved one know they're important to you. A hug, smile, and even listening intently to whatever they're telling you can go a long way. Find a way to let them know without a doubt you appreciate them in your life.

2. Read together - If you have little kids, sit down before bedtime and read a book or two. As your kids get older, pick a time where you gather in the living room and read together-even if it's different books. If you don't have kids at all in the home, connect by creating a "book group" of family members where you read and discuss the same book over a good meal.

3. Family meals - This one is obvious for holiday gatherings, as most of us spend our quality time hovering over the buffet table, but this one also applies every day of the week. In your immediate family, make sure you all site down during at least one meal (typically supper). If you live alone, pick a day a week where you meet up with a friend or family member to reconnect and enjoy a good meal.

4. Get your giggle on - Do you know how many endorphins are released when you laugh? A ton! Not only that, but the effects of laughter have even shown that they can burn more calories and give your heart a boost. So, why not do something totally silly? Tell jokes, watch funny films, or just be goofballs together. The laughter will make you feel both happy and connected afterwards.

5. Get outside - Spending time in nature on its own is a big boost to a person's health. Imagine what it will do for you if you also spend it with your family! Go for a bike ride, walk, a hike in the park, or kayaking on the river. Turn the sprinkler on and run through it. Get out for a cross-country ski morning or snowmobiling during the winter months. Whatever it is, enjoy the time outside with those you love. Your family and your health with thank you.

Despite our busy lives, it's more important than ever to consciously make the effort to spend time with those we love. When we do, we improve our physical and mental health, all while strengthening our family bonds. At the end of the day, that's really what's most important anyway. Whether you're reading this at a time of year when family gatherings are top-of-mind, or when you simply need a reminder to be intentional about your family time, we hope you found this information valuable. Your family needs you as much as you need them-not the work you do. The best way to influence the world is to start at home.

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Why Family Gathering is More Important Than Ever

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Don't let your family time slide. Spending quality time with the ones you love has a myriad of health benefits, both mental and physical, and it will help you feel more connected in this world. Click here to learn more:

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This article explores the fundamental role of family love in personal development and well-being. It first highlights the unconditional love often first experienced from immediate family members, which aids in forming the basis for secure attachments and influencing future relationships. These secure attachments will lead to higher social functioning, resilience and the ability to form healthy relationships later on in life.

The writer then goes on to explain the benefits of family love, estrangement from family members, the pandemics impact on family, and tips for maintaining these family bonds.

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Learn how to create and sustain this type of love.

What Is Family Love?

The first love you ever know often comes from your mother and your immediate family members. This unconditional love seeks nothing in return. Those loving times you remember cuddling with your parents, playing ball with your brother in the backyard, or getting ice cream down the street with your grandmother aren't just cherished memories.

Family love psychologically grounds you and provides you a framework for future relationships. It enables you to form secure attachments. Securely attached children feel safe and cared for. If you had secure bonds, your parents were likely responsive and fulfilled your needs when you were young.

Having positive attachments and feeling cared for by your loved ones leads to higher social functioning later on. A child with secure attachments also can more easily form healthy ties with others when they grow up and throughout their future.

Benefits of Family Love

The advantages mentioned above regarding the fostering of secure attachments and higher social functioning aren't the only ones accrued by stable family relationships. When you feel safe, protected, and cared for during those crucial early years, you have a good framework for the world. The future outlook seems bright.

Living in a warm environment that is surrounded by family love generates other benefits including:

You gain confidence and a high sense of self-esteem.

You learn conflict resolution skills.

You learn about communication and social interactions.

You have good physical health (thanks to home-cooked healthy meals, regular exercise and play, and early bedtimes).

You become more resilient and adaptable as you and your family surmount challenges.

You feel like you have support when you need it.

You feel a sense of stability and predictability based on routine.

You don't have to do anything to earn family love. You have it unconditionally-just for being born.

Your childhood experiences and growth are seen in a positive light.

You also decrease the possibility that you'll have mental health challenges in the future.

Recent Research

A 2019 study showed that adults with higher levels of positive childhood experiences had lower odds of depression and/or poor mental health and greater adult-reported social and emotional support.

Estrangement From Family Members

Perhaps you didn't have an idyllic childhood and your parents weren't good role models. You might have chosen to distance yourself from them by choice. Or in later years, you preferred to strike out in a different direction than the one you were expected to follow.

Thus, rather than have tension and discomfort, you opted not to spend time with family.

What If Effects of the Pandemic Negatively Impacted Your Family?

During COVID-19, family dynamics often shifted. As a result of spending more time together, let's face it. Many of us became frustrated with each other. Some relationships frayed. Unable to escape to movies or to meet friends, you might have even grown resentful of your brother playing his music too loud or your cousin eating your favorite cereal on a daily basis.

Consequently, you may feel depleted and, to be frank, less than enamored with these people. Many confess they are more alienated from family members now than before the pandemic, although the whole family still remains under the same roof or in the same apartment building.

Recent research from Penn State showed because family members were stuck together for more time than they were used to, people's overall well-being began to suffer.

Others of us lived and worked across the country from our family. We couldn't travel to visit them or perhaps we couldn't give much time to loved ones. Maybe we felt guilty. Maybe we were relieved.

Disagreements over politics, wearing masks, and getting the vaccine strained family relationships. Perhaps you feel there won't be a return to the way things were before the pandemic and that's okay.

You can cope with estranged relationships and make peace with them through family therapy or individual therapy.

If you didn't have a wonderful family experience growing up or don't have one now, you still have agency in creating another kind of family. Family love can be found whether it's based on bloodline relationships or not.

Creating Family Love With Friends

Family love can be built with a group outside of your family, such as your friendship circle. Rest assured you don't have to be extremely close to your parents or siblings or children to have familial love.

For many people, their close friends aren't just "like family,"they are family. The important thing is to have close, meaningful relationships as they sustain us.

According to a scientific review of about 150 studies that included 300,000 participants, people with strong social ties have a 50% better chance of survival than those with weaker ties. This is regardless of age, sex, or health status.

While we can maintain ties through texting or quick phone calls to just check in, you might want to devote more attention to these important relationships in your life. We need to remember that having these close relationships is a significant aspect of good health.

Tips for Sustaining Family Relationships

Let's focus on easy ways to maintain these bonds; they matter deeply. Here are additional ways to nurture family love and significant relationships:

Make spending time with loved ones a priority.

Play games online regularly.

Practice better listening skills.

Write letters and send via snail mail.

Set up a regular weekend hour to chat at length.

Travel to your loved one's home.

Eat meals together.

Cook together in person or virtually.

Set up a weekly happy hour.

Join an exercise or weight lifting class together.

Join a recreational sports team together.

Volunteer together for a charity you both admire.

Be sensitive and caring.

Tell your loved ones you love them.

Express your gratitude to them, which not only will make them happy but makes you happier.

Use non-verbal expressions like eye contact, smiles, and affectionate embraces.

Hugs are important as we need physical touch as human beings. In fact, during a warm and welcome hug, the hormone oxytocin is released, which slows down our heart rate, reduces stress, and lowers anxiety. In addition, the brain also releases endorphins that flood us with feelings of pleasure and happiness.

There are many benefits of belonging to a supportive family network. It's an integral part of physical and mental well-being. Begin to focus your time and attention on those you love. Soon you'll be creating fun times and happy memories.

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The first love you ever know often comes from your mother and your immediate family members. This unconditional love seeks nothing in return. Those loving times you remember cuddling with your parents, playing ball with your brother in the backyard, or getting ice cream down the street with your grandmother aren't just cherished memories.

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The Top Ten Benefits of Spending Time with Family | Highland Springs

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The Top Ten Benefits of Spending Time with Family | Highland Springs

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Having shifted from specifically video gaming to my new area of focus which is family escape, I wanted to gain insights into topics mentioned in my dissertation such as routines, habits and the importance of escaping and spending quality time together as a family. By exploring these aspects, it will help understand how activities and shared experiences can strengthen family bonds and promote positive well-being.

This article by Dr Todd Thatcher emphasizes the importance of spending time with family in enhancing mental and physical well-being, particularly in an era dominated by social media and screen time. It cites a Cigna study indicating that excessive social media use is a major risk factor for loneliness, highlighting the necessity of in-person interactions for developing meaningful relationships and reducing loneliness, with some of the benefits of family time mentioned such as: improving mental health, boosting self-confidence and lengthening life expectancy.

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The Top Ten Benefits of Spending Time with Family | Highland Springs

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The benefits of spending time with family are such a critical component of a full, meaningful life. Learn more about why spending time with family is important!

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The reviewer describes Ernest Cline's science fiction book "Ready Player One" as a brilliant example of resource he loves to reread and shows his profound appreciation for it. The narrative takes place in James Halliday's virtual reality environment, the OASIS, where Wade, the main character, sets out to find hidden Easter eggs and the ultimate prize.

The book is recommended by the reviewer for its captivating style, fascinating world, intriguing characters, and amusing plot. The OASIS is emphasised as an intriguing idea, providing a virtual haven with an abundance of options. The book, which has its roots in 80s nostalgia, is praised by the reviewer for its enticement, nostalgia, and ability to bring back memories of simpler times. The reviewer mentions that Ready Player One is rated as one of the most joyful, amusing, nostalgic, and entertaining books ever written.

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I like to re-read books that I've enjoyed, especially those that encapsulate everything I love about science fiction. by Ernest Cline is a shining example of this, and while I've read it a few times since its release in 2011 I had an overwhelming urge to re-read it again recently. So that's just what I did. I often find that when revisiting a book that I love I'm always a touch cautious about my expectations. Yes, I know the story and know it's going to be entertaining, but whether it will still captivate me like it has done in the past is a question that won't go away. Fortunately, Ready Player One has lost none of its charm for me, and the fact that I read this through in a handful of sittings (interrupted by that pesky thing called Real Life) tells me that re-reading a novel is often a thing of joy.

James Halliday is the creator of the OASIS, initially an MMORPG that has since turned into a bedrock of civilisation: a virtual reality world that everyone uses from an early age. From work to play, the OASIS has anything and everything that anyone could possibly want. When James Halliday dies and his will is announced to the world the OASIS takes on a new fervour to many - the search for Halliday's Easter eggs with the promise of the ultimate prize at the quest's end.

Wade lives in the real world but spends his time mostly in OASIS, attending a virtual school and hanging with his friends in specially created chatrooms. Wade is also a 'gunter', an egg-hunter, the main objective of which is to find Halliday's clues and win the legendary quest. However, Wade is but one person among millions who are also searching for the clues - some like himself work alone, others in clans working together to share the prize, and one big company hell-bent on inheriting the OASIS and turning it in to nothing more than a money making business, abandoning all that it was built for.

One day Wade finds the first piece of the puzzle, a piece that nobody else has found in the years since Halliday's death. Following this discovery the quest begins in earnest, others following him and tracking down the clues for themselves. When those that want the prize above all else turn nasty it has consequences in the real world, and the prize must be kept from their hands at any cost. With this the rush is on - who will get the keys, beat the quests, and find what the much-desired prize really is...

Ready Player One hits just about all the right spots for me as a reader. The story is entertaining, the characters interesting, the world in which it's set fascinating, and the prose makes you want to keep on reading. And reading. And reading. I had to force myself to put this book down when I had to, and for me that's exactly what I want in a novel. Wade, Aech, Art3mis - they fit perfectly into this story, are well fleshed out and seem to grow and evolve as the story progresses. It's fair to say that I found pretty much everything within Ready Player One to be exactly what I hoped.

One of the big things I liked about Ready Player One was the OASIS. Let's be frank, it's pretty much the pinnacle of entertainment. Imagine being able to escape to a virtual reality with thousands of worlds to explore, even more quests to take part in, and just an immense amount of stuff to do. Ready Player One touches on all the things I would be doing - questing, game playing, world building, taking part in classic movies, and many, many other things. Cline manages to make it interesting beyond these things with the technology working as you'd imagine and the virtual world what you'd expect. There really is no limit to his imagination.

With Halliday being an 80's kinda guy the novel is firmly rooted in that decade as far as the nostalgia, geekiness, and nerdisms go, and with his legacy up for grabs it makes perfect sense that so many people would embrace that era and study it to death. There are things here that go over my head for sure, but I'm geeked up enough to know a great deal of the references and enjoy them fully. The prose oozes charm and nostalgia, and once you start reading you'll find it nigh on impossible to put it down.

In summary, I loved Ready Player One. It took me back to my youth, brought back the memories of more innocent times. Many of the quotes you'll read about the book will say similar things, and for good reason: Ready Player One is the type of novel that doesn't come around very often. It may have a smaller target audience due to its central theme, but it's safe to say that Ready Player One is one of the most entertaining, enjoyable, funny and nostalgic books I have ever read. Highly recommended.

Publisher: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.co.uk
Author: http://www.ernestcline.com
April 2012, 384 Pages
Paperback, ISBN: 9780099560432
Review from purchased copy

© 2016 Mark Chitty

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I like to re-read books that I've enjoyed, especially those that encapsulate everything I love about science fiction. by Ernest Cline is a shining example of this, and while I've read it a few times since its release in 2011 I had an overwhelming urge to re-read it again recently.

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Alexithymia is a condition where people struggle to identify and express their emotions, often occurring with depression, autism and brain injuries.

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Alexithymia: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

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Alexithymia is a difficulty recognizing emotions, and is sometimes seen along with depression, autism, or brain injury, among other conditions.

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To enhance engagement and enjoyment throughout the workshop day, I will have a number of elements that will aid in this. The first of which a hand-made pot that will be used for the painting session containing different themes for the participants to choose from. Also, a basket containing things to draw alongside the whiteboard for the Pictionary game. For the losing team of each workshop, there is Yummy or Yucky jellybeans for them to spin and eat for added fun.

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This article goes into highlighting the decline of deep conversations in today's fast-paced society. Peter G, who wrote the article, explains that inspired by British author Alain de Botton through his book titled "The Art of Travel" and hearing Botton designed a conversation pack, he bought it. These cards serve as a way to foster meaningful dialogues, addressing nine topics varying from travel, culture and taste, work and money, life and death etc.

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These are the instruction sheets I designed for my participants for the workshop day. Influenced by my visit to the cooking session, I wanted to adopt the style of a step-by step order, to ensure the participants can clearly follow the stages and understand what is expected. I made sure each instruction sheet featured the number of rounds in each activity, a brief description, and important notes at the bottom of the pages. To create a fun and engaging aesthetic, I opted to using colourful titles, using the Puffin display soft font for the titles and the Playfair display font for the base text.

I intentionally designed the instruction sheets tailored to match each activity as shown, ensuring that these instruction sheets are not only easy to follow, but also visually appealing, which will aid in enhancing the overall experience for the participants. Similarly, I created an invitation poster which I had sent out to the group chat, using elements from the workshops/games, and utilised 3 different fonts on a white background for easier readability.

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How to make wheel of fortune with fidget spinner

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This video explains who James Turell is, delving into how his art looks at human perception through light and space, initially using projectors on blank walls, now evolving with technological advances. Through his work, he transforms viewer experience by manipulating light using minimalism to alter perceptions of objects and spaces.

Turell's work is heavily influenced from the perception of psychology, exploring how vision and the brain interact, and he also uses optical illusions in his creations to further express this. The video states that Turell uses the idea of Plato parable of the cave to introduce the idea that reality is what we create for ourselves which I found fascinating and has connotations to escapism

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JAMES TURRELL : Why his art so captivating and mesmerizing ?

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This safe house which corresponds with the Operation Paydirt project, serves as a living testament of a house that had been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. This safehouse represented the project headquarters in stressing the need for a future free of lead poisoning. This transformed space is shown as a focal point for community engagement and education about lead contamination, reflecting the project's mission to create safe environments, especially for children, free from the dangers of lead pollution.

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Mel Chin who is a renowned conceptual and visual artist, bridges art and science to highlight social and environment injustices. In his project titled Operation Paydirt, launched in 2006, he involves the community as a form of a participatory experience in creating Fundred Dollar Bills, which is hand-drawn hundred-dollar bill interpretations. These serve as a way to raise awareness and drive policy change on lead poisoning. It mentions that this project which originated from post- Katrina in New Orleans, expanded nationally, promoting change and education through creative expression. Through this experience, participants are able to learn about environmental health, feel a sense of empowerment and contribute to advocacy efforts.

Mel Chin involves schools, community centres and public events that foster collective action in expressing the value of safe environments. BY involving the public in a transformative initiative in not only provides as sense of purpose but an emotional escape.

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MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Mel Chin, a prolific conceptual and visual artist, is known for bridging the distinct disciplines of art and science, and using creative expression to illuminate issues of social and environmental injustice. On Wednesday, Feb. 11, the MIT CoLab's Empathetic Aesthetics Program invited the 2014-2016 Mel King Community Fellow to engage a group of urban planning, architecture, and art students and practitioners in a conversation about the role of experimental and participatory art in urban transformation. Much of the discussion was centered around his ongoing community-engaged project, Operation Paydirt, which is the focus of his fellowship at MIT.

Initiated in 2006, Operation Paydirt invites children, families, and communities to imagine, express, and actualize a future free of childhood lead poisoning. Central to Operation Paydirt is the Fundred Dollar Bill Project, a creative campaign advancing public education, community engagement, and the use of arts to cultivate activism. Fundreds - original, hand-drawn interpretations of hundred dollar bills - have been contributed by nearly half a million community members to demonstrate the power and value of community expression for policy makers and the general public. Working closely with CoLab and MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Chin intends to continue to build and deliver capacity for activism around this important issue and apply this creativity towards policy change at the national level.

Operation Paydirt grew out of one of Chin's post-Hurricane Katrina visits to New Orleans, where many artists had gathered to help make meaning out of the crisis. His search to understand the scope of the disaster reconnected him with scientist Howard Mielke. Years before, Chin had conversations with the scientist about lead and soil contamination. Mielke had created a map of the city marked with red zones and numbers visualizing the extent of contamination. Chin asked what it really meant as far as people were concerned and Mielke responded that significant portions of New Orleans' childhood population were poisoned with lead before the storm.

In follow up conversations, Chin learned about the financial resources it would take to remediate the soil and solve the problem; the estimate was several hundred million dollars, but Chin wasn't intimidated. Instead, he began to formulate a creative solution: Operation Paydirt. He recounts, "a project like this is born out of being compelled to say, well, if we need a lot [of money], then we'll have to make it."

For participants, the experience of "making the money" is empowering; it creates a space for artistic expression, advocacy, and education around lead poisoning prevention. Chin notes that it is, "an experiment in creative democracy." The symbolism is rich; a trading of legal tender for creative tender. But, it is not all pretty. Lead severely impacts physical, emotional, and cognitive development. It decreases cognition, and leads to adverse health outcomes. High lead levels in blood have also been linked to criminal behavior. As Chin insisted at the MIT workshop, when much was being made of the symbolism by discussion participants, "we like the physicality of [hand-drawn currency] because we live in such an ephemeral world, [but] human creativity is certainly worth more than $100 over a lifetime. And, it is being endangered by consequences of environment."
Project expansion and evolution
Chin has learned many lessons since Operation Paydirt's inception. Chief amongst these is the importance of being open to expansion and evolution. With his infectious humor, Chin reflected, "I was cray cray when I thought [Operation Paydirt] would be done in a year." Indeed, the project has lasted for eight years with no signs of slowing down. The initial focus has expanded beyond soil remediation in New Orleans. An armored truck has driven cross country collecting Fundreds at schools in dozens of cities; lead prevention advocates and scientists have gotten on board; and now the project addresses lead poisoning prevention across a national landscape, with potential partnerships emerging in the cities of Houston and Cincinnati. Explaining how the project has been scaled up, Mel reflected, "Once you get into the public, once you have a drawing from a child from Idaho that believes things are going to change you have to be responsible, it's no longer just your dream."

The way Mel sees it, the expansion and evolution of the project has been required in order to take the "poetic attachments and move them into the pragmatic." Mel candidly shared that in order do this, he has had to both learn how to communicate with partners from other disciplines and deal with both his own and others' delusions. He explained, "When you come up with a project there is a certain poetry to it. And there is delusion. Then you realize after the first year it is scary! Things change, people change, projects change." As the project has grown, Mel has thought increasingly about his own role and responsibility in the effort, and the lasting impacts he would like to see. "When working on experimental projects, one important lesson is that you might need to evolve out of it," he reflects. Determining when and how to leave, however, is not always an easy balance to strike.
Valuing the process
While committed to and pleased with the way Operation Paydirt continues to move from the poetic to the pragmatic, Mel insists that, "it is all the in-betweens that matter." The success of Operation Paydirt can be defined by neither the initial artistic spectacle nor the delivery of Fundreds to Washington D.C. Its success lies in everything in between. From the fourth grader in Idaho who learned about the dangers of lead exposure, to the congressperson understanding the need for policy change, Operation Paydirt has already made a lasting impact by fostering empathy between those of vastly different backgrounds.

Chin argued near the end of his talk that, "engagement is a process of education, and you [first] have to be sensitized." Art has a unique role to play in this process of sensitization, shedding light on the sometimes-invisible problems we face as a society, and calling forth the creativity and voices of the community to address them.

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The poetics and pragmatics of participatory art

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Art, School of Architecture & Planning, MIT CoLab, Department of Urban Studies & Planning

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Lee Mingwei- Letter Writing Project 1998

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Lee Mingwei- Letter Writing Project 1998

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Lee Mingwei's The Letter Writing Project stood out to me as a profound participatory performance, blending personal and communal engagement. Similar to Candy Chang's approach, Mingwei uses this space to navigate his grief of his grandmother, whilst inviting others to contribute their emotions, write a letter to a deceased or absent loved one, express forgiveness apology or gratitude. The booths which contain opaque walls offer participants a space to escape reality itself, encouraging a intimate moment in the creation of personal messages.

In the space, participants are able to leave the letter unsealed for other visitors to read, or seal the letter with an address for the museum to post. From what I see, this environment fosters a sense of introspection, connection and allows individuals to express their feelings in a safe enclosed space. By intertwining personal healing with collective participation, his project transforms a simple act of writing into a powerful shared experience.

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For the feedback card, I opted for a more simple approach with the transliteration and a definition of escapism on the front. As for the fonts experimented, I first tested the Camera Obscura font but it didn't fit the aesthetic I was looking for, because of this, I opted for a font called Playfair Display for a more playful style. I also experimented using elements from the workshop instruction sheets, which I did particularly like, however, upon printing from home, the quality wasn't to standard.

For the back of the feedback card design, I included a blue border to compliment the purple for added effect, as well as text requesting the participants input on how the workshop provided them a way to escape reality and normal routine.

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This is an iteration of my previous phone box design, now using an existing shoe box. My aim with the outer appearance was to portray a dreamy ambience to represent the phones "sleeping" whilst turned off, using a combination of beige, blue and rose to successfully execute this. I did originally experiment with other colourways as shown, however, it didn't resonate with me. As for the original style of the box, I firstly separate each colour on the box, spreading it across using a paint roller to create a marble style effect, although, despite my best efforts the paint dried with unwanted white patch marks which I wasn't fond of. I then decided to combine the colours separately and use the paint roller to blend it together seamlessly enhance the appearance of the box.

To make this box more creative, I cut a slot inspired by the ATM card machine to allow the participants to place there phones in, with a padded material for extra effect. As for the top of the box I wanted to make it more engaging and introduced a glass panel to allow the participants to see their phones but not able to take them out, much like a teasing effect. Originally, I intended to seal the box shut and incorporate a door hinge for the participants to retrieve their phones at the end of the session, after solving a riddle. However, I decided not to follow up with the idea of sealing the box shut and the hinge.

For the box's interior design, I initially considered to use the brown material as shown, although, I ultimately opted for an all black interior to give the box a more dramatic and mysterious feel. With the name, I was more specific than my previous creation and called it Phone Pit. I feel this overall design balances practicality with a humorous and engaging element for the participants, and a successful outcome which I'm going to use for the workshop day.

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Lee Mingwei is an artist who is known for creating participatory art that transforms museum spaces into interactive environments. His projects emphasize a sense of care and personal connection, inviting public engagement through intimate actions such as mentioned in the article: immersive sound, writing letters, cooking together etc. Through his work, it is noticeable that he aims to foster a deeper societal and individual connection and provide a space for participants to escape from their repetitive lives.

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This article is part of a series on rethinking museums in cities and how some of their progressive actions address the challenges of our time, in partnership with 1014.

Many artists have long been rethinking the boundaries of cultural institutions like museums, and how to redraw these borders through visionary lenses to closely interact with the public. Artists who encourage museums to be more attuned to societal challenges, in a way, are rethinking how cities could mindfully listen to their citizens, and to one another, using the analogical sphere of public institutions.

Various artists and avant-gardes have sought through countless approaches to reconceptualize the boundaries within where art is viewed beyond static confines, where the public is solely engaging with heritage. These innovators are increasingly empowered to push boundaries and, with fervent valor, to take over the standardized box, the white cube, the brick and mortar space, and creatively elicit the participation of people in exhibitions, specially those who might not usually visit museums. These actions are no longer about just viewing, but extending oneself into multi-sensory works that embrace all-encompassing sensations that envelope the passive viewer. It is an invitation for visitors to become a part of the exhibition -the ultimate goal in connecting the imaginary thread between viewer and maker.

An artist's invitation to the public

An artist thoughtfully making work in this realm is the artist Lee Mingwei. He not only wants to interact with visitors at museums, he brings people together through different projects around the world, often inviting a mix of professional artists and local emerging artists to create a shared experience. The artist describes how many of these ideas are born from the dream state, perhaps the most vulnerable state, allowing the ideas to evolve and shift.

In these series of projects, the notion of care comes through as a continuous motif. Care for the self, for the neighbor, for the stranger, turning the museums' space into a place of dialogue in our cities. Care for the work, for the fragments and moments peppered with silence and sound, meditation and movement.

Lee speaks of these moments as gifting a song to a stranger, slowly and deliberately, with attention and intention, and also gifting the visitor a space of meditation in the midst of the city.

He describes "drawing from a quiet and tranquil place", and when in collaboration with dancers, musicians and performers, the thought behind it akin to "giving a song to a stranger, with attention and with intention". Much of his practice considers transformative elements, as he is "interested in the moments of change".

His recent exhibition and on-going collaboration, Sonic Blossom makes emotion a highly tangible sensation because of the nature of the work. In collaboration with local opera singers in different cities, where this performative work has toured, the singers meander in the museum finding a visitor who they think might enjoy receiving an opera song exclusively for them. This touching experience caused all kinds of emotions in people at venues including Centre Pompidou in Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Museum Villa Stuck in Munich, and most recently on view this fall at Ateneum Finnish National Gallery .

Removing walls and building personal connections

Another wonderful element of Lee's work is how space is reconceptualized. While spatial interiors and exteriors are obviously considered, both through the staging of an institution's exhibition space, or through the outdoor configuration, of equal significance is the space around a viewer, and in between two or more viewers, or the viewer and the artist. This dynamic explores tension, comfort, proximity, time, and headspace. It reconsiders how humans engage on intuitive levels, channeling connectivity through micro-actions.

There is a sense of intimacy in much of his work - a very human connectedness that feels rejuvenating. The slow, methodical gestures, the tension of movement, body language, and focal concentration are all commitments to the actions taking place, and to relinquish oneself while remaining within the moment.

This activation of agency through simple requests or tasks are a delicate play of participatory art: the invitation to write a letter, share a meal, take a walk, break a ceramic vessel, read bedtime stories, mend an article of clothing...they prompt introspection. They are also acts of self-care, or selfless caring for strangers. Utilizing art through such actions could benefit people in significant ways, as permanent fixtures in society.

In The Letter Writing Project Lee encourages visitors to write a thank you, insight, or apology to either an absent loved one or somebody they always wanted to write to. If the visitors leave a sealed and addressed envelope in the booths, it will be sent by the museum. If the letter is left open for others to read, it will go into Lee's collection. In The Mending Project , through the communication channels of the museum, participants are asked to bring to the museum a piece of clothing which they have come to love and wanted to be repaired. Menders have one-to-one conversations with each of the participants while they repair or decorate their clothes.

The weaving of actions into collective tapestries

Lee utilizes music, the sound of breakage, movement, the cityscape, and the sound of participants, as well as ambient sounds of meditation in his various projects over the years. The absence of sound is just as important as the production or reverberation of it. Each auditory component is a note on a scale, a beat to a track, an orchestra so intricately woven that the fibers interlock much like a sonic tapestry.

In our conversation, Lee described how he considers himself to still adhere to his textile background by "weaving through a social context", and how it's morphed conceptually, while the philosophies have remained consistent throughout the years. We discussed how textiles, and ceramics, another recurring aspect of the artist's practice, harken back as some of the earliest artforms, and across the world, and are among the touchstones present in the raw, tangible beauty that is reflective in Lee's pieces.

The career of Lee began in the 1990's, where he studied architecture and textile art at the California College of Arts and Crafts, graduating with honors in 1993, before earning an MFA in Fine Arts in sculpture at Yale University in 1997. These formative years shaped a successful career, rooted in conceptual and participatory art, that have been presented in locations across the globe at various institutions. Early projects at Yale included Reflections and The Dining Project, which chartered voluntary journeys of solitary introspection and togetherness through shared moments of communal participation of an event.

In Reflections , viewers enter separate spaces with a dual mirror, superimposing the reflection of the previous side onto that of the other person. This activation removes the personal walls or boundaries that one puts up, driving the participants to see themselves in a new light. In The Dining Project a dining host would cook a meal for a stranger and they would dine and converse at the museum after closing hours, again gifting an exchange between strangers.

Other projects such as Money For Art invited people to connect on personal levels and ascribe value to the project as they chose. Some visitors would trade objects that they deemed to be the monetary equivalent of what the art object (also made out of money) was, leaving an array of everyday items as a barter exchange dialogue with the artist. A positive aspect of this, as Lee recalls, was how people who were unable to otherwise afford art could collect this work and travel around with a collection of small sculptures. Such equitable means are one of the endearing aspects of Lee's practice.

Through minimal materials and palettes, the aesthetic is clean, and sparse, leaving room for the complexity of ideas and emotions to unfold in spiritual and philosophical ways. The spaces, like the ideologies that are the skeletal core of the art, are evocative and spun with a sense of sacredness. Each step taken by a dancer or performer is as important as each note played by the musician. Lee leads these professional artists and musicians as a conductor might lead an orchestra, or a director a theater or film crew.

The artist described how trust and collaboration are paramount to making it all come together to create meaningful experiences. This carving of space, the hollows make room for a sacredness amidst the seeming mundanity of life - a poignant reminder to slow down in our fast-paced urban lives and appreciate the in-between moments, which could change our lives.

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Artist Lee Mingwei creates moments of change in cities | The Urban Activist

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Lee Mingwei has transgressed the walls of museums. His participatory art is evidence of how museums could advance social value.

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Emily Pilloton like Candy Chang uses her skills and creativity to gather community involvement. Pilloton is a designer, builder, educator and a founder of the Girls Garage, a space for female youth in the United States to learn hands on skills, through means of carpentry, welding, architecture, engineering and activist art. Her idea sparked from her childhood experiences of building forts and redesigning spaces and having studied architecture it has allowed her to create a safe space for female youth to gain new skills and confidence.

Girls Garage serves as both a way to escape and a platform of skill development for the female youth in traditionally male-dominated fields, offering an empowering space where the female youth can break free from societal expectations and explore their potential to the fullest. In this environment, they are able to escape the constraints of gender norms and societal pressures, empowering female builders to shape the world they envision.

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Founder Of Girls Garage, Emily Pilloton | Our Legacies | Move Over Bob

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Written on Jan 19, 2021 | Empowering Young Girls With Power Tools And Superpowers To Build The World They Want To See

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Inspired by James Turell, I used a coloured lamp in my room to observe the surroundings in a dark space. The dynamic patterns from the lamp created a cool geometrical effect, and the gentle movement of the lamp was mesmerizing. The shifting hues transformed the space, evoking a sense of relaxation and another dimension, allowing me to escape reality itself. This played a lot with my psyche, in expressing feelings of awe and relaxation.

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Beyond Boredom And Anxiety- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

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Beyond Boredom And Anxiety- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

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Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book Beyond Boredom And Anxiety, which I referenced in my dissertation, goes into the concept of flow, which is considered a state of optimal experience where individuals are fully immersed in an activity, losing track of time and self-consciousness. Through this, he reveals how individuals can achieve peak performance and fulfilment and ways it can be explored across various aspects of life, through work to leisure and its profound impact on well-being and satisfaction.

He also highlights the importance of clear goals, immediate feedback and a balance between challenge and skill in fostering flow. The idea of flow heavily references my project in the sense of establishing its foundational principles in my project, aiding in influencing my project of familial environment and immersive workshops/games in creating the means of flow.

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Beyond Boredom And Anxiety [PDF] [hr6fqiveb1k0]

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Beyond Boredom And Anxiety [PDF] [hr6fqiveb1k0].…

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James Clear in his book Atomic Habits delves into the ways habits form, offering strategies for building good habits and breaking bad ones. Clear discusses the importance of disrupting and reshaping routines as a means to create positive change in one's habits. I further mentioned this book in the second chapter of my dissertation which provided me key insights into how I could develop my project.

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Atomic Habits by James Clear PDF - Taleem360

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Download famous motivaional book named Atomic habits by James Clear in PDF. This book tells an easy way to build good habits and break bad ones.

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Reality Is Broken a Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World - Jane McGonigal

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Reality Is Broken a Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World - Jane McGonigal

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This book by McGonigal, goes into detail examining how games and game design principles can enhance our lives in addressing real-world issues. I referenced this book in my dissertation in which I broke down the many ways gaming can be used as a betterment of society.

Also, her exploration into how games foster rewards, motivation, creativity and collaboration, aided in providing a crucial foundation for my current workshops, allowing me to implement features of gaming into my workshops.

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Candy Chang is a renowned artist and urban designer known for her large-scale projects that combine installation art alongside social activism. Chang is someone who I'm particularly fond of and have mentioned in my dissertation. With her work, she engages with communities in hopes to uncover emotional depths of her participants and foster a means of connection, reflection and a communal way to escape from their daily routine.

A work that caught my eye was her project called "Before I die", a global initiative that encourages people to ponder over life and temporary existence. Through her approach of encouraging community involvement, it gave me inspiration for my project on family escape, emphasizing the brief time we have on earth for to create memories and a shared excitement

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Polis is a collective blog about cities worldwide.

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This is an updated and more detailed plan for what I'm going to be initiating on the day. After receiving feedback from Elena on me using existing elements, I was told what new ideas can I bring forward, are there any fun twists that can make it unique. In response to this, I revised my plan to add some uniqueness to it. Examples shown are using one canvas per team for the painting workshop, not speaking during a time of the building process for the spaghetti workshop, blindfolded drawing for the Pictionary game, and rock, paper, scissors to win ingredients, for the pizza workshop etc

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Having received feedback from Elena I was told the branding video may be a bit too pushy, and the concept of a tangible photo album fits the motive and criteria of my topic.