Peace in a Pod

Mornings, as a concept, are kind of a trip because, when you think about it, it’s just a few hours in the day, the same way that the evening is a few hours in the day, and the afternoon and the night. It’s just a period in time. But, for some reason, the morning has this extra something . It’s like, the way you work your morning sets the tone for the rest of the day, and ultimately your life as you are living it. In an article on Neurotracker, Ciaran Robinson (2019) talks through some of the many benefits of getting up early, including: Enhanced organising skills, since this is probably the only time in the day that you have to yourself Feeling happier and more energetic throughout the day Beating long or busy work commutes and crowded gyms (in pre-COVID times, of course) An overall better outlook on life, due to enhanced sleep quality. But let’s not get bogged down too much by the science. What about the lived experience of being an early bird vs. a night owl? Well, this is where my o...

Aloneness. Independence. Me-time. Being in one’s own company. Whatever you want to call it. As the years go by in our technologically advanced world, it is getting harder and harder to truly be by ourselves. And the thought of being by ourselves is something that actually scares the living daylights out of us too. We avoid being on our own insofar as we can help it. Whatever it is we want or need to do, it seems imperative for many of us that we be accompanied while doing so. Going to the bathroom on a night out, seeing a film, attending a match, going for a walk, holidaying. We would rather not do any of these things if it means going alone, and, rather worryingly, that includes the one about the toilet. And then, those times that we are by ourselves, in a waiting room, or on public transport, or when we get a few minutes of a break throughout the working day, we immediately gravitate towards our phones. We need to be scrolling, texting, checking notifications, consuming information i...