Logging Off Club: March
Reflections
Logging off, Heating up…
Maybe I’m particularly tuned in to the sauna world, but it seems to me (India) like saunas are gaining more and more popularity and are opening up all over the place. While I am a big fan of this, especially since saunas are naturally phone-free, for the past two months I have been using just my local leisure centre sauna. Don’t get me wrong, these picturesque wellness spots are a lovely treat, but the local leisure centre sauna feels different—its more accessible, more relaxed, and, most importantly, more social. At first, the quiet felt unusual and awkward, but people just start chatting & now I look forward to going to the sauna, not just for the heat but more so for the conversations. Nowhere else do I find myself talking with such a wide mix of people, from all ages and backgrounds. Most sessions, I leave with a new tip, a recommendation, or a shared enthusiasm for something I hadn’t expected.
If you are lucky enough that your gym has its own sauna - I urge you to use it and you may reap an unexpected benefit - human connection!
Our most recent event
Happiness origami at October Books…
Thanks to all who joined us on Tuesday for our mindfulness session. We explored 10 things that made us happy, the different types of happiness (including longer lasting happiness and fulfilment than the quick dopamine hits we get from scrolling!) and made beautiful paper hearts. Of course the session ended with exclusive time to browse the bookshop afterwards. Big thanks to Sara Veal for facilitating.
Our HQLT this month
(high-quality-leisure-time)
INDIA:
Sowing the first of my vegetable seeds, building cold frames for my allotment with my brother, cooking (and devouring) wild venison gifted to me by a colleague, dog walks before work, breakfast out on the forest with my friend Spirit & long lunch breaks for for chatting over cups of tea with my grandparents.
ADELE:
Swinging on a rope swing in the forest, buying bread from the local bakery, visiting my friend who is studying abroad for a long weekend, cuddles with my cat Roxy, reorganising and clearing out my wardrobe, going a week without using my laptop! learning how to make baklava, writing birthday cards for my Pisces besties.
NEW! OUR SUBSCRIBERS:
Walking in the rain in a good raincoat, drinking tea after walking in the rain, going to barre classes, bookshop browsing, rediscovering jacket potatoes.
My retired colleague and I have started writing letters to each other, such a great way to communicate! Waking up and sitting listening to the birds in the morning.
HQLT our community is welcoming more of next month…
More movement outdoors. More stillness and slowness in my routine. Sauna, noticing the light changing, reading my new book.
March’s guide to being offline
For March, we challenge you to not reach for your phone while you wait.
In a queue at the shops? Waiting for a train? At the doctors? Barista making your coffee? Instead of looking at your screen or scrolling to pass the time, take in your surroundings, make eye contact with people, smile, notice, listen.
You may feel uneasy at first but resist the temptation and it is a truly freeing feeling.
What we’re reading
POEM
Adele’s mum’s nature poem, inspired by a walk at Fishlake Meadows near Romsey…
When out walking at Fishlake Meadows
What seemed to be ordinary was suddenly filled with extraordinary sights
A friendly Robin hopped across the path
A wren fluttered it's tiny wings
Then flew away before I could say "hi"
A cuckoo's loud cuckoo made my heart go "boom!"
A tree creeper flew back and forth bringing food to it's babies hiding under a tree bark
A black cap climbed up and down on a branch as if it was looking for something once loved now lost
The hornet whizzed around
The swallows played hopscotch across the sky
Reeds swished and swoshed
The moorhen and it's chicks peckered for food in the tall grass
Damsels and dragonflies playfully hovered above the still waters
White swans floated on the lake with their heads gracefully bowed
Clouds above formed into many different shapes
And the sun shined and smiled .
FICTION
No Small Thing, by Orlaine McDonald.
NON-FICTION
The Anxious Generation, by Johnathan Haidt.
NON-FICTION
Watching the English, by Kate Fox.
Good news you won’t see on social media
UK ministers consider changing AI plans to protect creative industries. Read here.
What we’re listening to
Offline events this month
Grow Your Life: Creative Problem Solving at The Queery
📍Brighton
Join The Queery for some creative crafts and life coaching and solve life problems Materials will be provided but feel free to bring anything you want to play with.
As always there will be FREE FOOD.
The Queery is a co-created space - LGBTQIA, People of Colour, disabled people, neurodivergent people, or those with long-term illness & mental health issues are especially welcome.
Wednesday 26th March, 1700-2000. Further details here.
We want to hear from you!
It’s so great to see so many new members this month, and we’re really excited to meet you offline at one of our events soon. Subscribing to our Substack is the best way to keep posted with all of our event announcements, as we don’t want you to have to feel you need to follow us on Instagram to stay updated!
We are hosting monthly Logging Off Club events, but we would love to know from you what type of events you’d enjoy and which cities you are in to guide our planning. Please comment below!
Journal Prompt
As the world around you begins to bloom, take a moment to reflect on new beginnings in your own life. What is something you want to grow this season—whether it's a habit, a relationship, a skill, or a mindset? How can you nurture it the way spring nurtures new life?
Until April,
India & Adele x