It was during the pandemic, I constantly found myself in front of a screen, as all our classes were switched to online. Staring at the screen had been so much so that, it took me a while to realise I was not only attending classes but also constantly eating in front of the active screen.
Listening to the class lectures while eating was somehow acceptable as oftentimes our class hours overlapped with meal hours and not to mention the privilege we had to turn off the video cam. It did take me a while to notice that even in those days when I didn’t have classes, I was still in front of the screen watching youtube videos and scrolling down social media while still holding a meal in my hand.
In the back of my mind, I was like; “yeah boy, this is called multi-tasking……”
But deep down, I was slowly starting to question if this newfound habit was worth to continue living or shall be get rid of as soon as possible.
Every day I was locked up in the same loop of putting food on a table, eating with one hand and scrolling with the other. Although I was eating, all my focus was on the screen. Scrolling and surfing might have felt good at that moment but it did take away my peace of mind, ability to appreciate food and certainly to be present at the moment.
As small as a flap of a butterfly can completely change the outcome of the whole universe. I was in search of a small change, a small flap, a small shift that would help me move upward from my current situation. That’s when the idea of a podcast popped out of my mind.
The idea was simply to listen to podcasts instead of scrolling through social media and YouTube videos. This would simply break the pattern of staring at the screen and instead help me focus on my meal while still listening to good content on the podcasts.
Right after the idea popped into my mind, I replaced my old habits with listening to podcasts. It was just a small switch, every time I had an urge to use social media, I just opened Spotify or any other podcast app. This one small change helped me gain more control over my behaviour and most of all be grateful for what was on the plate right in front of me.
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