Before we start...
put the phone somewhere you can't reach.
On the dresser, or face down.
Across the room is even better.
If you're using it to play this...
turn the brightness all the way down.
Then flip it You over.
can still hear You me.
don't need to see anything.
Now let your eyes close.
Maybe they sting Or a little.
feel dry and hot.
That's what a day of screens does.
Laptop at work.
Phone on the couch.
Your eyes have been locked on bright squares...
almost since you woke up.
For the next six minutes...
they get the night off.
Breathe in...
And out...
slowly.
Your mind might still be scrolling.
Even with the phone gone.
The last video you watched.
Or somebody's vacation photos.
Maybe a comment that bugged you.
And the reply you almost typed.
Your thumb might even twitch a little.
Wanting to swipe.
It's been doing that all day.
Let your thumb rest against your finger.
Still.
The last image may still flicker.
Like an afterimage.
That's normal.
Your brain is still catching up.
Let that last picture get blurry.
Out of focus.
Like a photo taken too fast.
Let the colors go soft.
Let the edges melt away.
Until it's just a gray smudge.
And then not even that.
There's nothing new to see tonight.
The feed can wait.
The internet will be fine without you.
Now let's go to the eyes themselves.
Slowly.
Start with your eyelids.
Let them be heavy.
Like thick curtains.
They don't need to squeeze shut.
Just rest closed.
Like when you doze off on the couch.
Now the space between your eyebrows.
You've been squinting there all day.
At small print.
At bright light.
Let it spread out.
Wide and smooth.
Your temples too.
And the your tops of cheeks.
Let them go slack.
Now the little muscles around the eyes.
The ones that them move left and right.
Up and down the page.
Let them go still.
Your eyes can just float.
Nothing to follow.
If you like...
rub your palms together a few times.
Make them warm.
Then cup them gently over your closed eyes.
No pressure.
Just warm hands, and dark.
Feel the warmth soak in.
Into your lids.
Into the bones around your eyes.
It's darker than it's been all day.
A soft, velvet dark.
Breathe in...
And out...
your eyes sink back a little.
Stay here for a few breaths.
Now let your hands slide down.
Rest them on the blanket.
The warmth stays.
The dark stays.
Your eyes feel heavier now.
And quiet.
Like they've come home.
After a long day out.
Just the dark now.
And the sound of rain.
You don't need to see it.
If your mind reaches for the phone...
let it reach.
The phone isn't there.
Your eyes are resting.
Your mind is following them.
Slower now.
One thought at a time.
Then none at all.
Rain on the window.
Warm hands on the blanket.
Breathing in...
And out...
No more screens tonight.
Just the dark.
Soft and easy on your eyes.
Let them rest.
All night long.
Goodnight.