the original operating system: yourself
Daft Punk in their signature robot helmets and gloves, shot by Terry Richardson.
Hi, friend.
Despite being an analog enthusiast, I’m not stalwartly anti-technology. For example, I certainly don’t miss trying to drive and read a map at the same time. GPS is my friend. However, the wellness world is giddy about body-borne technology devices, and I’m increasingly wary about what we’re losing in the process.
My relationship with wearable tech has been an interesting journey and one that continues to inform and evolve. I am wearing a CGM and an Oura ring as I write this. These devices help me track my blood sugar, sleep quality and the amount of movement I get on a daily basis. There is an element of “gameification” at play here that motivates good behavior.
But I realized I had started to cede my own body awareness to technology. The simple and important questions, “How am I? How do I feel?” were no longer something I was answering for myself, to myself. I was becoming integrated with biomedical devices, tethered to the information they were providing. Sure, it was all in service of my health, but where’s the cyborg tipping point of diminishing returns?
We’re all deluged with reasons to draw our attention out of the present and into screens. Some are more worthy than others. But ultimately, we are stewards of our own well-being. Devices don’t actually care, despite how obsequious AI can be.
A (WRITING OPTIONAL) PROMPT
In the morning, instead of reaching for health metrics first thing, check in with the original operating system: yourself. Try out a simple head-to-toe body scan (no, I’m not referring to a DEXA here). Just notice how you feel, where you are tight or holding tension, what’s hot or cold, whether you’re worn out, invigorated, thirsty?
Go head to toe. For bonus points: record it on the page. Creating a consistent written record of your well-being helps illuminate patterns, but even using this prompt sporadically is valuable.
A few minutes of consciously being in your body sets a more grounded tone for the rest of your day. The irony is, this analog practice of being mindfully embodied will likely show up in your wearable technology as more level blood sugar and beneficial higher Heart Rate Variability. Claim the win, but don’t forget the thoroughly analog practice that you got you there.
Try it out and let me know how it goes.
In Swellness,
Laura