You heard it here…

I am breaking up with my phone.

It’s not you, it’s me.

Technology is consuming us. Who is reading this right now while you are around a group of people and instead of having a conversation with them, you are reading my words?

I’m not saying we shouldn’t take the time to read and play on social media, but we should be doing these things when we are not compromising the precious time we have with other souls. Life is short. You could be missing out on building relationships, learning from others.

It’s also decreasing our productivity because we are constantly searching for something to read and do while our own personal to-do lists are growing.

I say all of this from my own personal experience—my own war with my phone!

Social media and it’s artful seduction wraps you in and doesn’t let you go!

Part of my “New Year’s Resolutions” were to decrease the amount of time I am aimlessly goofing off on my phone. I have actually taken the time to schedule “phone time” so that I can check my emails, social media, play games and read groovy articles about crystals and the planets.

By doing so I hope to:

Work on my own personal relationships.
Get more in touch with my self.
Discover who I am without society telling me.
Get in tune with Mother Nature.
And increase my productivity, creativity and ideas!

It starts with scheduling “phone time”! I have it scheduled so that I take 15 minutes or so to search the cosmos of the web.

Also, try to do this on your own time when you are alone.

I cannot tell you how many times I have been with a group of people and so many are checked out because they are checking in on Facebook to say where they are eating.

Social media is great. It gives us a way to network and connect with people that we may not have the opportunity to based on location, time or the lack of confidence to talk in person.

But it also has a dark side! It’s taking away from the personal relationships we have that are right at our fingertips. We are so occupied with talking to someone we met on an online group about…you name it, that we don’t nurture our relationship with the one who sleeps beside us every night.

Moderation is key! We all need to practice this!

So break up with your phone!

Put it down and hold your lovers hand instead.

Take a walk with your grandparents.

Read a book.

Take a hike with your dog.

Live your life and not the one you’ve “made” on social media sites!

Relephant:

How Facebook Helps Me Love Life.

~

Author: Hannah Hilton

Editor: Travis May

Artwork: Deviant Art