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I’ve been battling some bad headaches for the last two days. In a time of a global pandemic, even a little illness makes me wary, but I’ve hydrated, popped some Tylenol, and stayed away from alcohol (jury’s still out on whether that will hold true tonight). To be clear, I don’t think I have COVID at all, but damn, not the best time to not be feeling 100%.

A coworker pointed out something when I told her about the headaches. She shared that she had also had a migraine the last week and thought it was because of all the increased screentime. Immediately that clicked. I’ve always spent plenty of time at the computer, but now every interaction I have is also through the screen instead of face to face. And my work, if anything, has picked up the last couple weeks. It may not be the source of my headaches, but it can’t be helping.

Luckily my coworker also mentioned a potential solution in one breath: blue light blocking glasses. I’ve known about these for a while but never felt the need, but now I see why my direct report who is fully remote invested a while ago. I immediately went online and ordered myself a pair that will arrive next week.

Then I shut my computer after the company meeting and took myself on a screentime-free walk to clear my brain. It helped. Hopefully, the glasses will help too, but I’m going to think about ways I can break up my screentime during the day. Most of my work needs to be done on a computer but some pen and paper are always good for planning and first drafts.

With Love,
Natalie