I have to say that now in this super weird of the Corona Crisis, social media has actually become a wonderful source of connection and for many, a lifeline.
However, prior to this very weird time, I have found that social media has also created a lot of divide, disconnect, and even at times, negative energy being dispersed into the crowd.
I just recently found a setting in my phone that will not only tell me how many minutes I was on my phone but how long I spent on each app. If you have never tried this, give it a whirl. It is a REAL eye opener! Do you know that the funny thing is? The smallest percentage for a lot of people is actually using the phone as a phone! I am a HUGE fan of picking up the phone, dialing that thing we call a phone number, and talking to people!
I of course got a bit sidetracked there!
So, our starting point might be for you to get a gauge of how much time you are spending either on your phone or your computer each day. In addition to that, how much time are you on social media ( i.e. Facebook, Pinterest, Snap Chat , or Instagram ) just to name a few. More recently I have heard of Tik Tok which consists of videos as short as 10 seconds…ugh.
Once you find out this number, just sit with it for a bit.
After that, can you choose a day of the week that you might take an all day break from social media? Or even better… all technology? What are some of the things that you might do if you had an entire day with no screen time? Maybe read a book? Take a hike? Sit and really talk to your kids? Board games are a personal favorite of mine. When you were young, what did you do in your down time? I am a firm believer in not thinking we are too old for anything, we are as young as we feel inside.
You may find that it’s a bit of a struggle at first and taking an entire day off may be too daunting. If so, what about a 4 hour time block? You may even need to put your phone on “ Airplane Mode” to avoid the temptation of checking your messages and emails periodically.
I promise you that nothing negative will come of this experiment! Some of us may even remember days where cell phones and even lap tops did not exist! We did just fine didn’t we? If you have a family member or child who may need to reach you in case of emergency I have a plan for that too! Can you let them know to call your spouses or friends phone should they need to reach you just for that time frame? There are a handful of you who might even still have a “ Land Line”. For a long time we had one just for emergencies and family members.
Any of you who know me well also know that part of my outgoing voice mail message says the following “ Any calls received on Sunday will be returned on Monday “ I try as best I can to put my phone away on Sundays. ( With the exception of time sensitive contracts)
I sometimes am amazed by days when I have spent the majority of my time on calls, texts, emails, and social media and suddenly realize … “ What on earth did I do today and how is it possibly 7:00 p.m.??” There will still be days such as this but I think that taking one day or one afternoon to “ Slow down time” is so critical for the heart and human spirit.
What would you do with your time and loved ones if you set all of the technology aside for a bit? Maybe it would give you a chance to pick up a hobby or read a book?
Please do me a favor and plan a day to give this a try and check back in with me and let me know how it went.
All the best everyone!
Tanya
The quote below is by far one of my favorites.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
― Ferris Bueller