Can You Disconnect?

Do you panic when you can?t find your cell phone? Do you hyperventilate when you realize you left it at home as you drive away to a meeting or even just to the grocery store?

 

If you?re old(er) like me (!!!), you remember when the phone stayed connected to the wall, usually in the kitchen. Now we are connected to the phone and, it seems, can?t survive without it.

 

What would happen if you put your phone down and walked away for 10 minutes? 30 minutes? A couple of hours?

 

Would you be afraid of missing text messages, emails, or social media posts?

 

Or would you discover a new way to communicate? Yes, children, there is a communication method that doesn?t involve an electronic device. It?s called ? wait for it ? conversation!

 

Try an experiment. See how long you can NOT touch or look at or even think about your cell phone. At first it may be a bit stressful, but after a while you may actually find that you are?less stressed.

 

Hyperconnectivity can actually increase your stress level. Ever hear of a condition called FOMO? It?s the fear of missing out. The more you are on social media, for example, the more you worry about missing a post or a tweet or a chat. Believe it or not, sometimes those things?can?go on without you!

 

So put it down. Look up. Look into the eyes of the people in the room with you. Oh wait. First, you have to ask them to put down their cell phones!

 

Have a conversation. Watch body language, listen to intonation, and enjoy the human interaction.

 

You can do it!

 

Let me know?how it goes.