Why it's good to take a break from technology
Have you ever lost or broken your cell
phone and had to fend for yourself for a few days? Not being reachable at all
times, actually having to plan a place to meet people, physically ringing a
doorbell when you get to someone’s house, and so on? That feeling you get of
being disconnected, of not being constricted and no longer required to answer
to anyone – some people call that freedom. And freedom is a wonderful thing.
Here is why we need to experience that feeling more often – and on purpose.
Stay Active
As much as we don’t want to admit it,
technology has made us more sedentary. The very fact that we have applications and games to encourage us to
work out makes it clear that our primary medium is a digital one. Ditch your
phone for a few days, keep your laptop shut and your TV off – you’ll be
surprised how active you become.
Avoid Unwanted Harassment
Sure, annoying people can talk to us in
real life too, but when you’re exponentially more accessible, you’re
exponentially more harassed. From junk mail to debt collections to
internet pop-up ads – it’s a great, big, irritating digital world out there.
Turn it all off and it’ll suddenly be easy to deal with Ted-the-close-talker
that lives down the street.
Manage Expectations
People learn to expect certain things
very quickly and, however unreasonable, they’ll get impatient if those
expectations aren’t met. If you always answer a text message within an hour,
you’ll be considered “rude” after two. However, if you make yourself relatively
unreachable, you will be able to contact people on your own terms, not
stressing to meet their expectations.
Maintain Social Courtesy
You’re talking to someone, telling them
about the adventures of your day and right when you’re at the big payoff, they
pull out their phone and start answering a text message. Unfortunately, it’s an
all-too-familiar scene in today’s world. De-digitize yourself and you’ll
quickly regain the full pleasure of social interaction – NOT social networking.
Train Your Attention Span
The average movie clip lasts 2.7 seconds. Some news programs show two or three
headline tickers just in case we’re bored by the actual newscasters on-screen.
We live in an age of little-to-no attention span and it is driven by technology
and the availability of information. It may be tough at first, but ditching
technology and honing your attention skills with a book or other hobby will pay
off in many facets of your life.
There is no ignoring the advancement of
technology. Despite its annoyances, the convenience is undeniable and its
capabilities are truly amazing at times. But that is not to say it isn’t nice
to unplug for a little while. It’s a certain refreshing feeling that is
all-too-rare these days. It doesn’t mean you need to grow a beard and live in
the woods with cats (though you would lose the debt collections for good), but
occasional reminders of life’s simplicity can be very healthy. It’s only a
question of whether or not you can do it.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment