Chapter 1: The Morning Routine

Each morning, I take a moment to connect with my body. I pause, breathe deeply, and perform a quick internal check. I try to focus on parts of my body that I don't typically notice, like my earlobes or hair. If you attempt this right now, you might discover something intriguing. This practice allows me to tap into my physical sensations and see how they relate to my emotional state. Both aspects are intertwined and work in harmony. However, my efforts to align my mind and body can sometimes be disrupted by my reliance on my fitness tracker to gauge my feelings.

On one particularly groggy morning, I stumbled into the kitchen for coffee, barely awake. My usual routine involved checking the news, hoping for some semblance of order in the world, followed by journaling and meditation. During this time, I synchronized my watch with my phone to assess my sleep quality. The data indicated a restless night, yet I felt surprisingly refreshed.

The following day mirrored the previous one, but this time, the app reported excellent sleep. In contrast, I felt far from great, dragging through the day with a persistent fog. How could that be? My app suggested I should be feeling fantastic. When my wife asked about my sleep quality, I mentioned I hadn't checked my watch yet. Her bewildered expression made me realize I was letting an app dictate my feelings rather than trusting my own intuition.

In today's world, many of us own smartwatches or fitness trackers, designed to keep us connected. These devices have advanced beyond mere exercise tracking to include sleep metrics. While curiosity about these numbers is natural, it's easy to become overly focused on them. I've witnessed my wife strap her watch to her ankle just to log steps on the treadmill. Fixating on our statistics and letting them influence our emotions is yet another downside of technology.

Section 1.1: The Impact of Technology on Self-Perception

It took me time to learn how to avoid this trap, but deep down, I knew my instincts would always be more reliable than a device that confuses waking for sleeping. To combat this, I’ve made it a habit to forgo checking my watch or app first thing in the morning. Instead, I sit comfortably, close my eyes, and allow my body to inform me of its state. If thoughts or feelings arise, I observe them with curiosity and move on, trusting that if they hold significance, they'll resurface later.

This practice didn't come easily, as societal norms taught me to suppress my feelings and prioritize productivity over emotional awareness. This drive for achievement often led me away from listening to my body's signals, contributing to anxiety and depression.

Chapter 2: Embracing Emotions

Experiencing and acknowledging our emotions is a strength, not a weakness. Growing up, discussions about feelings were often met with disdain. In past generations, there was a stigma against expressing emotions, seen as a sign of weakness. A teacher once told me that "self-esteem" was detrimental to children, perhaps because it limited the old ways of discipline.

In the 70s and 80s, previous generations clung to their idealized heroes, shaped by Hollywood's romanticized portrayals of the past. While these images provided comfort, they were often far from reality. Many chose to suppress their feelings, believing it was necessary to cope with life, but that approach was ultimately unhealthy.

Humanity has endured considerable pain because feelings have been minimized or dismissed. We were taught to suppress our emotions, often using shame and guilt as tools for compliance. The damage done is only beginning to surface, and I recognize that every generation grapples with the need for progress.

As part of my generation, I strive to do the best I can with the understanding I have today. I acknowledge that feelings are not a weakness and that technology cannot replace the importance of connecting with my mind and body.

Why Your Fitness Tracker Might Be Misleading You

This video explores the discrepancies between what fitness trackers report and actual feelings, emphasizing the importance of intuition over technology.

This is Why Your Fitness Tracker is Lying

In this video, the complexities of fitness tracking technology are examined, highlighting how reliance on data can distort our understanding of well-being.

Instead of regarding emotions as obstacles, I now see them as essential signals from my body. Feelings are not something to be avoided; rather, they guide me in recognizing what is amiss and warrant attention.

Though there are evolutionary reasons to tune out feelings at times, my current concerns are not about encountering a tiger but rather navigating the complexities of human interactions. I've learned to process stressful events during quieter moments, enabling me to better manage them when they arise.

Instead of binding myself to yet another app, I choose to disconnect from the noise. This awareness allows me to view these tools as optional, using them for enjoyment or reference without making them the center of my life. I continually ask myself: How do I feel, rather than focusing on tracking statistics?

Like any piece of technology, fitness trackers can be useful tools. However, I refuse to let mine dictate my emotional state. My intuition remains far more insightful than any device could ever be.

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Christopher Robin's Nebulous | Substack

I write about mental health, addiction, and parenting, sharing art in the most vulnerable and meaningful way I know…

christopherrobin7.substack.com