Working with the computer does not come naturally to me. I am not motivated to learn about technical devices. I was not taught how to use a computer in school. I brought a MANUAL TYPEWRITER to college. Over the past 15 years I have learned enough basic computer skills to get by. Nothing fancy. For most of my 18 years in medical practice I did not need to come close to a computer. When the fatigue of fibromyalgia invaded my life I was even less motivated to learn how to unlock the computer’s magical powers.
Then I started feeling better, and my mentor encouraged me to start a medical practice devoted to Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Well, it was time to get schooled. In the past 9 months, helpful consultants have guided me through creating a website, updating it, adding a blog, and adding a Facebook page. All necessary things to help a doctor in a very specialized field educate community physicians and potential patients about what I offer.
Now I need to find balance. Suddenly I find I am spending hours on the computer. I am looking for the latest information on research study results on fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome. I am trolling National Fibromyalgia sites on Facebook to see what is going on. And of course I am answering emails from my patients. My newfound computer prowess has allowed me to overindulge, and I don’t like how I feel after I have just spent 2 hours on the Internet. I feel drained.
The computer is a powerful tool, a way to stay connected, and “the world’s greatest toy.” I empathize with the young people who are trying to find balance between life staring at a screen and life with actual human contact.
For me, I know, I am the kind of person that needs the relaxation and rejuvation that comes from a walk in the woods and a dinner discussion with my family. The computer has enabled me to help people understand how I can help diagnose, treat and manage the treatment of fibromyalgia. But it won’t help MY fibromyalgia if I don’t find a balance between screen time and off-line time. I hope you can achieve this balance, for me, I am taking it one screen at a time.
*quote from Greg Monfils, English Teacher and 9th/10th Grade Dean at the Urban School in San Francisco