January 2026 Newsletter

Hello, a juicy January, and a happy 2026, to you!
Welcome, or welcome back, to my newsletter. Today's issue is about how eyestrain is tied to mental strain. Enjoy!

Our eyes grow out of brain tissue as we develop as a fetus; the visual system is literally an extension of our brain. It should be no surprise, therefore, that our thoughts affect our eyesight. Consider the thought "everyone in my family needed readers at 40, so I will too". This is self-programming. Similarly, if we're worried, or fuming with unexpressed resentment, this mental tension can easily translate to eyestrain.

The cartoon of the kid noticing he has eyestrain from too much time at a screen without a break, then "resting" by watching TV (with slumped horrible posture which restricts his breathing and the blood flow to his brain), makes me laugh, then cringe. Screens are a key contributor to the stress our eyes feel, with their flat view, when the world around us, which our eyes have evolved to see, is 3-dimensional. Most folks don't take frequent enough breaks from being in front of a screen, to let their visual system recover from this unnatural activity.

Strain is trying too hard, pushing ourselves beyond what is comfortable. We can feel strain in the body when lifting something heavy without good alignment, or in the head when we feel pressured to meet some unreasonable deadline, or to meet another's demand which is not what we want to do, or at least not on the schedule the other person requires.

Our eyes can feel strain from trying too hard to see, if we're tired or bored or frustrated or feeling overwhelmed. We may be trying to not see, if we're faced with one more bill, or an angry accusing expression from someone close to us. Eyes, and the visual system overall, are designed to easily let in the information carried on the light rays coming from the scene facing us, so our brain can make sense of it and help us decide how to respond. If some part of us is resisting this natural process, we're throwing sand in the gears of this exquisitely sensitive mechanism.

Think of how you feel when you look at a beautiful nature scene, or the face of a person you deeply love. Your visual system is welcoming the input it receives, like your taste buds would a delicious feast of your favorite food. What if you gave your eyes more scenic views, and friendly people, to gaze upon? Do you need more vibrant color in your surroundings, or movement, or depth? Babies are fascinated with the mobiles hanging over their cribs not just because they're constantly moving, but also because of their 3D appearance. The natural world is not flat!

If eyestrain, mental strain, and emotional strain are all closely related, the reverse is true too. Sometimes I give myself a palming break from the computer as much for my overworked brain as for my eyes. Consider how you can reduce your strain in simple ways. Maybe get more help around the house or at work, or just give yourself more sleep, or a litttle time every day out in Nature away from screens. And notice how this reduces your eyestrain, which may invite you to do this sort of simple self-care more often.

To read about inviting clarity and brightness even when the scene seems dull, click here.

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Please send me your questions and comments
Let me know what you've wondered about concerning energy medicine or vision or dreams. I'll be glad to write a short article addressing that topic. Thank you to those who have sent me questions, or see a question you asked me in a private session written about here.  You're helping many other people! Enjoy the start of this just-so month of January, and of the beginning of this brand-new year of 2026. I'll write again in a few weeks. Take care!