Wellbeing

Janey Lee Grace’s Family Matters

Natural Health’s wellbeing expert and mother-of-four extraordinaire, Janey Lee Grace, on getting disconnected.

Natural Health’s wellbeing expert and mother-of-four extraordinaire, Janey Lee Grace, on getting disconnected.
I’ve just co-authored my first app! It’s an audio hypnosis pregnancy and birth relaxation programme, and even my 11- year-old is impressed, but one bit of me feels I might be pushing my ‘imperfectly natural’ status to the limit.

After all aren’t I the one always banging on about reducing your exposure to electromagnetic frequencies and all things technological? Are we a nation of mums who are ‘too busy for our children’, not because we’re doing housework and baking in batches for the next week’s family meals, but because we’re relentlessly checking emails, googling, facebooking and tweeting? I cannot be holier than thou on this one – I run my own forum and encourage mums to the pregnancy section, and here mummy is, ‘on the puter’ again showing off about my app!

Where once we phoned a friend when it all just seemed too much at 2am, now we turn to virtual friends for support, and thus I hereby recommend a brilliantly entertaining read in the form of The Winter of our Disconnect(£11.99, Profile) by Susan Maushart. Susan became frustrated that her family was fragmenting before her eyes.At mealtimes her three teenagers were all ‘plugged into’ their various devices as they absent mindedlywolfed down their food, any attempts at conversation were met with a grunt and less and less of life seemed ‘real’: “They don’t use ‘media’ they inhabit media like a fish inhabits a pond, unblinkingly and utterly without consciousness.”

She bravely embarked on a six-month experiment of ‘technology amnesty’ – no TV, computers, iPods – the lot. The results were astonishing. She herself found it a huge wrench to be without her iPhone and the kids – well the changes were profound. The teenagers (after initial fury) accepted their lot, started to eat and sleep well, learnt the art of conversation, developed proper friendships rather than merely virtual ones, andeven enjoyed baking. One learnt an instrument and became so proficient he is now at degree level. That’s a bridge too far for most of us but as my children approach their teenage years I will definitely be borrowing a couple of her 10 commandments of screen hygiene, as follows:

• Thou shalt not fear boredom.

• Thou shalt love RL (real life) with all thy heart and soul.

• Thou shalt bring no media to thy dinner.

• Thou shalt bring no dinner to thy media…

I often say this in my books, but sometimes going ‘old style’ can have its rewards. My old mum, blissfully unaware of the gadget that enables tennis, driving and cross country skiing all without needing to wrap up warm and head outdoors, said: “go to the toilet then,” when my seven-yearold kept whining that he “wanted a Wii.”

While we’re on electromagnetic frequencies, (another subject I bang on about in my books), any small changes to limit out exposure are really a sticking plaster on an ocean, but there are a few things I recommend to minimise the effects on our health and wellbeing. Good old house plants are brilliant for absorbing EMFs and NASA scientists say that one house plant, such as a peace lily can remove formaldehyde from the air for a radius of 30 feet! They do say you’ll need one plant for each piece of electronic equipment so, granted, your home office may look like Kew Gardens or the Eden Project but it’s worth it !

If you have wi-fi, turn it off at night. We’re pretty strong but we do need restorative sleep. Definitely don’t use your mobile as an alarm clock near your head. Pop a protective shielding device on your cordless phone and definitely shield your mobile. If your kids have mobile phones it’s especially important. Minimise your use of mobiles generally and definitely don’t have techie stuff left on in your bedroom overnight. Remember the days when bedrooms were for sleep and sex? Well, unless you’re thinking of conception, are pregnant or want a nice post natal relaxation – in which case you’ll need to be lying down listening to my apps!

Janey loves…

• Erbaviva Baby Washbag, £26.50, from erbaviva.com 100 per cent organic soapless oatmeal and lavender sachets – perfect for itchy skin.

• Blocsock, £13.49, from janeysnaturalstore.com These funky mobile phone shielding ‘bags’ really stop the ‘hot ear’! The special shielding fabric means you can use the phone with the case on.

• Haymax Pure, £6.95, from haybalm.f2s.com This organic, natural, drug-free pollen barrier is perfect and non-invasive for hayfever. Safe for children too.

• Boo Boo Baby Top-to-Toe Wash, £6.99, from boobooshop.com This ultra mild shampoo and body wash with apple extract and oats is great for all ages!

Article by

Janey Lee Grace

is a holistic lifestyle expert. She is the author of Look Great Naturally – Without Ditching the Lipstick (£8.99, Hay House)

Discover more

Article by

Janey Lee Grace

is a holistic lifestyle expert. She is the author of Look Great Naturally – Without Ditching the Lipstick (£8.99, Hay House)

Discover more