Attunement in the Age of Tech
A case for taking off your smartwatch (at least occasionally)
Photo by Daniel Romero on Unsplash
The age of wearable tech has been upon us for quite some time - we’ve now got watches that can monitor not just our heart rate but our heart rhythms, rings that track sleep patterns, and other gadgets that promise to deliver data on everything from steps walked to stress patterns to energy levels throughout the day. Let me be the first to admit: I think this is pretty dang cool. I’m far from a tech skeptic (although I probably should be). I currently own a smartwatch and have owned many iterations of watches over the years and generally, I enjoy my experience using them.
However, sometimes I have to wonder: how much of this health metric data do I need? Do I need to be meticulously aware of every ounce of data there is to be found? And, most importantly, where does listening to my body fall into all of this?
I definitely have some thoughts. I do think it’s possible to both practice being attuned to your body’s signals and to utilize data gleaned from tech. However, here’s the thing:
It’s important to let the data inform your bodily experience and be wary if it starts to dictate how you treat your body.
Example 1: If you find yourself getting stressed about seeing your patterns of stress (this is not from personal experience at all of course :), it might be time to take off the device, get in touch with how you’re feeling, and maybe take a minute to understand the value you’re putting on the numbers.
Example 2: If your device is recommending a workout that you’re not feeling that day, know that your body actually knows you best!
At the end of the day, data without context is pretty useless. Our bodies & lives provide us with the necessary context to interpret any data coming our way. If you do find yourself getting too attached to the numbers of it all, it might be time to take a week off of your device and assess your relationship with it.
And it bears reminding us that our bodies were the OG data providers, so let’s give them the respect they deserve ;)