running out of space

Life is rarely worry-free, but hey, in my youth I’d been confronted with different types of challenges. One of my biggest struggles had been around not having enough free disk space on my Windows XP. And operating a cluttered, running out of space computer felt like moving in a swamp. The worst-case scenario would be a system crash.
Defragmentation was a nice quick fix, unless I’d get dreadful messages like “Your computer does not have enough free memory to defrag the drive. Quit one or more programs “or “Not enough disk space to properly complete operation, delete unwanted files".

Nowadays, I’m bringing a lack of free space to the whole new level. This year, I have been running out of space in my life. Haven’t had much leeway to let my mind wonder, to meaningfully be with myself, to move my body, to enjoy a rich and diverse life beyond work and screens.

Older computers needed a certain amount of free space on the drive to work properly and to keep on optimizing their functioning. Free space was a digital grease. Our brains need it much the same.
When we are relaxed, unrushed, at awe, still, bored, having fun, exploring - rather than filling in every free moment with work and scrolling - we become more spacious. With enough free space, our brains will regularly go into the defrag mode to fine-tune and nourish our life circuits.
When we deprive ourselves of these spacious moments for longer periods, we shrink and compress, to the point of mental overheating. And if we continue long enough, we also risk a system crash - grinding our mental wellbeing to a halt. That’s a territory of mental breakdowns or sever burnouts.
To prevent that from happening, a dictionary could provide a lesson. For centuries, the word “priority” was singular. It meant the very first thing. The plural form “priorities” appeared only in XX century. Windows XP has some advice that can help here: “Quit one or more programmes” or “delete unwanted files”.

This post flows with: Blur - Out of time