Observation as a tool

Using satellite footage as a form of anxiety-reduction

Mar 04, 2025

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“Nothing matters.”

”We are such a small blip in the world.”

”Don’t stress over this. What is the point?”

We’ve all said these things to that friend — you know, the one who gets a bit existential about their place in the world? It is me; I am the friend. I even have a tattoo of spiral rings reminding me to zoom out and think about the bigger picture. The bigger picture, you may ask? For me, at this moment, it’s reminding myself that I have one shot in this particular life to do what I want, when I want, and how I want. No matter what comes, it is a gift that I am able to experience. The odds of me being here are slim, and yet I am.

This has been a common theme in the recent years of my life: reminding myself that I am a passing moment in something much grander — and yes, the existentialism. Wouldn’t want to forget that!

In my head, what I do matters, and it doesn’t matter, all at the same time.

Highly influenced by tech giants carving a deeper space into American politics, I’ve been reflecting on how much my life has been connected to the digital ecosystem. The internet, social media, and in general copious amounts of screentime. Why? Because I, along with most of the world, spend a lot of time consuming information in these spaces.

And while this is an ecosystem that I know will most likely always be part of my life to some degree, I don’t want to write it off as just that. I want to understand my place in this digital world and how I interact with it.

So when I stumbled upon the article “On observing time” by Jon Gacnick, I saw how he too was sifting his way through this relationship.

In this article, Jon explores the contrasts between the ways we view time; some more structured, like watchtowers that show constant surveillance of mountains around the world (passing time), and some through more fluid emotions and lived experiences (past or present lived times). The internet being a place where we can find both the structured and the fluid — the objective recorded moments and our interpretation of them. Jon reminds us that there can be balance when it comes to our internet usage and encourages us to seek out the contrast that allows balance to emerge (ie, observing the physical environments around us with passing time + being present with the physical reality).

His article introduced me to my micro obsession with satellites, specifically how they show us patterns. Patterns of deforestation, wildfires, crop health, water levels, animal migration, and more. They zoom out and give us data about the world around us and the space that we live in. My brain started to realize the parallel of how satellites help us look at the bigger picture, just as I had been telling myself to zoom out and think about how small I was in relation to the world around me.

Anxiety is living in a state where you constantly think and worry about things that have not yet happened.

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I have used a lot of tools to come back down to reality when I am feeling out of sorts. Such as journaling, meditation, and movement, to name a few. While all of these are incredible tools to tap into, I am always thinking about alternatives that maybe aren’t so talked about — or have never been talked about. What if we didn’t need to read another self-help book, do another workout class, or pay for another meditation?

What if we just need to stop and observe something bigger than us?

This is where the satellites come in.

If you didn’t already know, there are satellites that constantly monitor our forests, oceans, volcanoes, etc. This information is public, sometimes streamed live, sometimes recorded and uploaded.

When I can’t get into nature, or maybe my body isn’t allowing for a stroll through the park, I have started using satellite imagery or footage as some sort of anxiety-reducer.

What if we just stopped and stared? To not actively try to fix our anxiety but observe what happens when we sit and watch something that is real, happening before our eyes. Something that is bigger than us. Not someone giving us tips and tools (while they are great); sometimes, all we need to do is to watch and see what arises.

Similar to how experiencing your first plane ride feels, you are looking at the veins of your city and unfamiliar places you’ve only seen in films. You are removed but still part of it. Or, when you arrive in your first major city. The skyscrapers are bigger than you, the loud sounds of loud car horns and trains, it all makes you feel small.

Many of us are glued to our screens every day, and I would urge us to think about the spaces that are beyond our typical bookmarks and search history that could have a positive impact on our lives. Further than Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for when you are feeling anxious and triggered. While sometimes the best thing we can do is walk away from the screen, I think there are other spaces that can help us heal, connect, and learn about ourselves in ways that haven’t been so obvious.