One thing is clear — you are overstimulated. While your mind is technology-obsessed, your energy is drowning in content and emotions that we don’t know what to do with. The whirlwind of interactive social media and traditional media cycles take up significant portions of our bandwidth and we’re struggling. With Tiktok and instagram reels, moving images, sounds, and colors flood our delicate senses with a volume of information we’re not meant to process. Now with AI, we’re being beckoned to fall further down the rabbit hole. We’re obsessed with getting all our doubts and fears answered, keeping up with the joneses, and living in deeply anxious ways we can no longer control.
That’s why I started this website. For myself, I needed a way to help change the way I relate to technology in front of me. I’ve done yoga, I’ve done meditation, but the second I got back on my computer, I was back in a trance again, falling into Wonderland without a way back. I need a way back so I can have better balance between computer life and real life. I need a home for my attention that isn’t a moving social media post and doesn’t beckon me to interact. All of our brains have different quirks and some of us are more anxious than others, so I think new tools are warranted for those of us that are more susceptible to the whims of powerful companies. Tech giants and advertising agencies aren’t going to change so we have to start somewhere to make the internet an experience that we can all enjoy once again.
Potential Benefits of Staring at a Wall
- Viewing natural and plain images can help increase a sense of calm
- Diminish distracting stimuli and allow a kind of mental “reset.”
- Take a break of visually-directive design that directs your attention for you
- Take a pause from physically interacting with your device, which kicks off the overstimulation and content binge cycle.
- Take a pause from over-stimulation from distracting motion graphics
- Help regain awareness of physical surroundings
- Reduce impulsive interactions with screens (clicks, skimming, etc.)
How to use this website
- Open the homescreen in a new tab.
- Set a timer
- Look at the wall for a minute or two, as long as you can tolerate. Don’t click, don’t scroll. Maybe just fold your hands. Breathe.
- Tap into your peripheral visual awareness: Notice the area around your screen – are you at a table? a couch? a living room? Is there a coffee cup? Food? Furniture? Breathe.
- Notice what the rest of your body is doing while you’re staring at the screen
- UX Design loves a call to action, but here you’ll have to think about your own. Take a moment to think about your own call to action. What’s next on your plate either on screen or off screen?
- Maybe grab a pen and paper to transition off the screen completely.
If you enjoyed this experience, feel free to let me know in the comments. You can also buy me a coffee.