86 HEALTH & BEAUTY


Girl under strain O


n my recent trip to London on the train I sat staring out of the window looking at fields and into back gardens. I, of course,


was reminded of Girl on a Train. Nobody would spot anything from my train. To a man everyone had eyes down glued to an electronic device. Headphones firmly in place meaning any cry for help would also go un-noticed. What has happened to us? Travel, sadly, has become a drudge. Most forms of public transport are woefully unclean. You just want your journey to end and one way of doing that is to block it out. Staring out of the window used to be a great way to relax. The landscape both urban and country whizzing


Health & beauty advice from Rowena Kitchen


tasking is the new bul- ly on the block.


Multi


by gave us time to reflect or reset our chakras. It still is a time to celebrate being able to just sit there and let the world unfold. What has happened to doing just one thing at a time? Seriously, I’m asking! Multi tasking is the new bully on the block. You can’t just sit and drink tea, you have to check your phone. You can’t just eat a meal or pound the treadmill at the gym, you have to watch TV (Sky News, depressingly, if it’s at the gym). You can’t just mindlessly vacuum, you


have to wear headphones to start learning mandarin. And why, oh why, do we have to eat or drink


constantly? Every activity is set up so you can sip on a drink or snack while you are doing it. No wonder we are all so flipping fat! Eating and drinking in public has become so common place that you actually look out of place if you are not supping from a plastic cup. This kind of multi tasking is harming our health. Going round ‘Waitrose’ is no longer about selecting a sensational sour dough loaf while enjoying the heady aromas and the dazzling displays of cunningly packaged internationally sourced produce - oh no - you must be drinking coffee while on your phone organising your child’s social life or chasing up the plumber or even on a conference call to New York. even doing a bit of on line shopping while you are actually shopping. Does that seem crazy to you? On a recent dog walk I was passed


by a woman on a horse checking her e mails and chatting on her phone… Was being out in the fresh air in a beautiful part of the countryside on a magnificent animal not enough of a privilege? I strongly object to being part of someone else’s work day or stress. I do not care if you are late for something nor do I want to listen to you moan about your friends and work colleagues. Instant problem solving and instant reaction to e mails and texts is expected of all of us. Seize the day sure but are you putting yourself in a hostage situation where it is the norm to be juggling plates?


Illustration by Lisa Wyman


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