At the beginning of May, I bought a Kindle. This might not seem like a really big deal. I’ve been reading e-Books for a while now. When Kindle and Kobo e-Readers became popular, I was skeptical. I love to read, and do a huge amount of reading especially in the summertime when I have more time to concentrate on books. But I used to like the feel of the actual book, and thought that I could never adjust to an e-Reader. I was wrong. The ability to set the size of the font and the colour contrast for the background made a big difference for me. Longer books were also lighter when just holding a device in my hand instead of the actual novel. For years though, I read all of these e-Books on my iPad. Then the Coronavirus hit, and I decided to buy a Kindle. Strangely enough, this one decision has been one of the best things that I could have done for my own Self-Reg.
Reading on a Kindle hasn’t changed what I’m reading or how I’m purchasing books, but it has changed my ability to “escape.” I live on my iPad. I almost always have it with me, and while I turn off most notifications, the dings from my emails and texts have me checking messages constantly. At one point, I thought that turning off the sound effects would help, but it didn’t. I still felt drawn to the apps, and the need to quickly open up my email, my text messages, and even my social media accounts (Twitter and Instagram) to just take a quick peek. One quick peek often leads to many more, and before long, I’ve escaped down a social media rabbit hole.
Before the Coronavirus, I used to find that scrolling through Twitter was a calming choice for me. Sometimes it acted as its own escape. A way to read some articles, enjoy various viewpoints, and even connect with some favourite people virtually. Now though, Twitter often incites more stress. Instead of being relaxed enough to read afterwards, my stomach is in knots and my head is full of worst case scenarios. I can’t live like this! I tried to ignore the pull to check tweets, but I couldn’t do that either. One check is only the beginning …
The Kindle changed this though. Now I can put my iPad away. Sometimes I even hide it in my basement. I know where it is, but it’s out of sight enough for me to not be drawn to it. I purposely leave it hidden for hours at a time, so that I can just read. And breathe. And not worry. It’s not that I want to live in the dark, but for my own mental health, I can’t only exist in a sea of worry. My Kindle might not have changed my reading experiences, but it did increase the calm that comes from reading for me.
One little purchase. One big Self-Reg impact. Buying a Kindle was one of the best things that I did for myself in the past four months. What purchase has made, or might make, a positive Self-Reg difference for you? I don’t buy many things for myself, but sometimes, we all need something special. In the last four months, I wonder if this might hold true more than ever before.
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Aviva Dunsiger is the Co-Reg Community Moderator and completed the Foundations 1 Certification Program. She has taught everything from Kindergarten to Grade 6 and enjoys blogging about her teaching and learning experiences. She blogs professionally on her blog, Living Avivaloca. Aviva is excited to contribute a monthly post on The MEHRIT Centre Blog.
