poetry in the bathtub

how to ground yourself when the screen pulls

photo by danielle simone

With the internet in my palm of my hand at all times, I’ve been sitting with a lot of feelings about where my mind is focused: where it’s most creative, where it’s spacious, where it restoratively rests. 

Am I giving my mind the space it needs to best thrive?

Taped above my desk is a photo of Georgia O’Keeffe: her beautifully weathered face, her hands gently holding a ceramic pot she formed herself, her eyes unfocused, looking off into the desert. I think of her often, feeling some sort of kinship to her in the spaces we’ve spent time living and creating. Both born in Wisconsin, transplanted in NYC with frequent retreats to the desert of the southwest for restoration and creative inspiration. I wonder what her time in these same places was like, without the internet in the palm of her hand.

Without the distraction of the screen, was her mind focused in ways that let her thrive? 

I love the internet. I love the connections I make because of it. I love the spaces I’ve carved within it to share my thoughts and my work. I love finding inspiration in other’s thoughts and work in the spaces they’ve created for themselves, too. But lately I’ve been asking how I can draw boundaries for myself and my work and my mind. Where should I paint those lines and when can they be crossed and how do I know when my attention is balanced and benefiting instead of drawn and drained.

Yesterday the pull of the screen was strong, and my physical world felt blurred and anxious. A clear signal that it was time for me to take a bath, a cleansing reset. 

I made myself a list of actions to take to gently ease back into my physical world:

Fill the bathtub with warm water.
Put Katie Crutchfield on the speaker so her voice echoes off the pink tiles.
Sink into the tub and write down what it feels like on a piece of paper.
Do not worry when the pages of your journal get wet.
Read a poem by Alex Dimitrov.
When Waxahatchee’s song Fire comes on, put your ears under the water.
Let your body be buoyant.
Feel how it all feels.
Hear Carson turn on his shower upstairs and feel comfort in knowing that people who love you are near.
Smell the bagels baking in the shop next door.
Feel grateful that you are still here, in New York City.
Open your eyes and see your pup peeking over the edge of the tub, “is it my turn now?”

Welcome to my messy studio (!!) where I share inspiration for mindfulness, well-being, healing, and creative unblocking. A space to encourage embracing the imperfect and inspire a creative, whole life.

This week, I share six more ways you can ground yourself in your physical world when the screen is pulling you in + a tarot pull for the full moon.

If you’re not already a paid subscriber, I hope you consider joining and building some peace and reflection into your life with me <3