We live in a world where technology has advanced to such an extent that you can get in touch with a person residing on the other side of the planet within a mater of seconds. You are constantly connected with people at any given time, you are constantly accessible .
I have been one of those people who would update their Facebook, use Watsapp & Bbm for personal & work related matters, answer my phone every single time it rang, & have gone to bed & woken up in the morning having my smart phone constantly on me.
I have Attended almost every single social function I was invited to. Ansered work calls & attended to my clients even when I was on a family holiday thereby missing on all the fun! I am sure I am not the only one out here who has done that!
However there came a time when that joy of connection turned into an obligation. It was like a major burnout. And I started to think to myself, Do we really need to constantly stay connected all the time?
The answer was No, we didn’t. We just do it out of obligation. A kind of societal pressure we face, that’s causing us a lot of stress!
The truth is we do not have an obligation to make ourselves available all the time. I think it is extremely important especially in the age of such constant connections to periodically disconnect & to simply be.
Its important that we set boundaries for ourselves.
How do we do that?
Try & leave your cell phone at home next time you go out for a family dinner. Stare at the face of your family member or spouse instead of your smart phone screen. Give them your full attention without the distraction of your phone buzzing every now & then.
Have no phone zones in the house like the dining room & the bedroom! If not no phone zones you can have a time limit set beyond which you will not be available on your cell phone to people. You have special features these days on phones where they have the no disturb timings settings.
Delete Social Networking apps from your phone! The urge to constantly use your smart phone is primarily because of having these apps on your phone! If you have to use Social Networking, do that when you log in through your desktop!
I strongly suggest having a Gadget Free holiday! Be conscious not to use them as much as you can when you go traveling. People did travel when there were no cell phones & did not get lost (if using Google maps is your excuse!) Enjoy the glory of mother nature & appreciate the beautiful things that you might otherwise miss!
Spend time with yourself, Spend the time you would have spent on your cellphone on your own self! Do some old fashioned reading, or just be! When was the last time you did that?
People, Its okay not to answer every single phone call, its okay not to check your mails everyday, its okay to not post update of every activity you’ve done on Facebook & its okay to not attend every event you are invited to. Connections are Important, don’t get me wrong, But more so now, Its important to learn the joys of Disconnection.
DO IT FOR YOURSELF, you will be glad you did .
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