Emails. Texts. Tweets. Facebook posts. LinkedIn connections. Pinterest. IPhones. IPods. IPads. No time to chat? Tweet it or text it. With one keystroke, we can be anywhere, do anything, and connect with anyone. But is it costing us?
Current research suggests that techno geeks and screen addicts all over the globe are spending about 18 hours per week tethered to networking devices; a drastic rise since 2000 when a mere 2.7 hours a week was reportedly spent. Studies also show that the constant stimulation of a mind always in motion changes how the brain processes information.
The multitasking ability that technology has afforded us has blurred the boundaries between work, leisure, relationships, and real life. Technology has promised to maximize our time with the advent of iPhones synced to our computers and tablets we can carry on the go, but the real question is…What are we making more time for?
Technology is a wonderful thing, but if you’re finding yourself stressed out, overwhelmed or addicted to always being “plugged in” here is a prescription for getting back in the real game of life:
Start noticing
Have a get real with yourself talk. No one has to tell you if you’re spending too much time “plugged in”—- you know. Notice how sitting at the computer for hours makes you feel physically. Scan your body for tension and stress. Sitting for hours a day at a computer can make your muscles feel achy. That may be a signal you need to get up and start moving.
Put your smartphone to bed without you
Swedish researchers found that using electronic devices too much before bedtime can make it hard to wind down and sleep. There were also links to stress overload depression and insomnia in the study. If you want a good night’s sleep, take a break, from your computer and mobile devices.
Get down and dirty
Get outside. Breathe the fresh air. Get into the woods. Spend some conscious dedicated time to playing outdoors. And leave your cell phone home! Most of us spend so much time hooked up behind a desk, we’re spending less and less time in the sunshine and fresh air; thus the epidemic vitamin D deficiency we’re seeing in U.S. adults.
Get naked
If you’re a walker, runner, hiker, or biker, make a point to shed your electronic devices so that you can actually focus on nature. That’s right, no iPod, and no iPhone. If you’re outside, spend time really enjoying nature. Soak in the sights around you. Take time to let you’re your mind decompress and be still. Give yourself time to think.
Connect with someone real
We were made for relationships—real ones. Many screen addicts’ live virtual lives with people they don’t really know, or they create virtual worlds they think will satisfy only to feel more estranged and lonely. Try ditching your virtual life for the real thing. Have a conversation. Laugh. Cry. Be real. It’s great medicine for the soul.
Take five
Start by taking five minutes a day to reduce stress. Get up. Get out, and get moving. If you’re at work, take your coffee outside and walk on your break. Sit outside on your lunch hour. Schedule vacation time away and be intentional about it. Plan some long weekends to get away and leave your computer at home. Be intentional about taking breaks from your electronic devices.
We all know the Leave It to Beaver life of the 1950’s is gone forever, but isn’t it nice to remember the days when you could walk across the street, drop in on your neighbor without calling or texting and have a cup of coffee and chat?
Technology has promised us more time, but has it delivered? Or has it drawn us deeper and deeper into the bottomless abyss of cyberspace where more time means more time to devote to machines instead of people?
Most of us would agree the benefits of technology have been astounding, but even too much of a good thing can be risky business. Start today, commit to unplug and unwind.
Back at you: Has the cyberspace world we live in created more or less stress in your life? What are you doing to decompress and unplug?
Featured photo credit: Pretty young woman standing against sky via Shutterstock
To reduce the stress induced by the constant connectivity, i have all my notifications disabled. This way I am the one who get to decide to check or not check emails, tweets and so on. Although I feel kind of disconnected, i also feel less stressed…. And happier.
Good ideas, Rita! I started a new bicycling program and a couple times have been tempted to take my iPod. But then I think, “No! I don’t want to be distracted from this fresh air and wonderful view.” It’s been great!
At first all the connected devices did give me more stress, the I started prioritizing and everything got better. I now make an effort to put my iPhone away when it’s family time, that makes a big difference.
Great thoughts! I think we will be better of when we can have a mindful awareness of our tech use. We can get so much better at integrating it into our lives, as opposed to letting it dictate what we do.
rita, thank you for your thoughts. i hiked and climbed bryce canyon and zion nat parks this past month. itook my computer and i-phone and dropped it in an incinerator. im officially unplugged.
tnx Mike. I hiked Bryce too!
Rita,
I like ‘Put your smartphone to bed without you’. Makes sense.
I would also add, do not answer your phone during your family time, i.e., evenings and week-ends.
It would make you feel more in control and more fulfilled:)
You are absolutely right. tnx Tania