Sometimes the most effective way to culture jam is to simply remove yourself. That is the idea behind moon days. They are days when you unplug, get away from all screens, and venture outdoors to experience the world that surrounds us. Everyone should do this from time to time, and many people do.
It is also a day to reject consumerism. In the spirit of Buy Nothing Day, it is a time to appreciate friends, family and neighbors. It is a time to reflect on what is important.
Moon days can help us to assess what our actual technological and consumer needs are as well and break the cycle of addiction. Unlike retail therapy, a moon day can actually help us heal. I say this while acknowledging that I have tried to make myself feel better through shopping. Any joy I have ever experienced from that sort of behavior has never lasted long. Not to say that I haven’t made useful purchases, but reflecting upon motivation can make us better able to satisfy our actual needs.
So what are your favorite moon day activities? Do you go for a swim, sketch, go foraging? Please share in the comments.
So what is a moon day?
I've adopted moon-morning and moon-evening routines that I've found really fulfilling. I have strict rules for my device usage at certain times of the day.
The first thing I do in the morning is use the timer on my phone to meditate. If I choose to do something like Wim Hof breathing, visualization, or some other supplemental meditation, I might use the timer again. Then, I make a smoothie and write in my paper journal. After that, I might feel like doing a Tarot reading. If I need to look up a card in an ebook or online, I do that, but nothing else. I put on music and do some yoga. Then, I make and eat breakfast (by this time, it's more like a brunch). After that, the device restriction is over.
In the evening, all of my devices go into night mode at 9PM. This serves as a reminder that it's time to start winding down. I use my phone to listen to an audiobook, but nothing else. While listening, I take my vitamins, do my skin-care routine, and do some light stretching (or intense stretching if I worked out that day). Then, I turn off the audiobook. I tend to have really severe anxiety at night, so I often do various vagal nerve exercises to calm myself down.
During these times, I find it really easy to not use my devices for anything but those particular uses. Maybe somebody else would feel tempted and would need to find alternatives to using their devices at all (buy a timer, only own paper books, get a device that can only play music/audiobooks), which would also be pretty easy. Well, except for the books, I wouldn't have the space to store the ebooks I have if they were physical books.
Nature, of course, is the best way to heal. Luckily, there's a nice park near my house. I can go there and sit or walk around. Hiking is my favorite moon day activity, but I've had a foot injury that has kept me home for the past couple of months. That's been really difficult.
Thanks for your comments on my newsletter, too. I'll probably respond tomorrow.
It also helps that I turn off all of the notifications on my phone. I don't let any app interrupt me (except for specifically set reminders). I go to the app when I'm ready. The only person who ever needs to get ahold of me immediately is Adam, and he can call (or, like in most cases, walk into the next room).