Then my friend Jen posted a picture of a mom at the park, looking intently at her cell phone while pushing her little one on a swing...this picture was accompanied by a message regarding the so called "cell phone addiction" that many of us suffer from and it pointed out how cell phones (and technology in general) have taken over our lives and continue to minimize our social interactions....
The combination of these two experiences/messages got me thinking.. how addicted am I to my cell phone?.. I know I am addicted but I've never really thought about how bad it is until I got a neck pain and realized that my most common position is head down, cell phone in hand and eyes on whatever is on the phone screen... it's nuts, it's sad and it's embarrassing!
Many times I've found myself texting while driving (a big no-no, verging on a crime), I've ignored my kids when they talk to me and I've wasted a perfectly good date with my husband just to play a game on my phone, or to scroll down my Facebook newsfeed (sadly, he is the same)... but why? am I the only one that suffers from this addiction? how do I fight it? and why do I allow it?
I need to empower myself and overcome this issue, I need to get rid of this addiction which slowly and sometimes unknowingly damages people's ability to interact with one another... I'm a firm believer that the "cell phone" addiction is plaguing the world and hurting our lives to the point of no return.. Many times I've sat at restaurants, airports, movie theaters and even churches and have seen multitudes of people looking at their phones, typing intently and interacting with their phone screen, talking to the ones that are absent rather than looking at and enjoying the ones that are present... we need to wake up, world! We can't let a gadget ruin our real lives... we need to get rid of this disease! (and no, I don't mean throw away your phone.. just don't place so much value on IT!)....
So I've challenged myself to drop the phone and live in the moment.... to spend time with my loved ones and to stop placing so much value on a gadget that really isn't a NEED more than it is a PERK!
From here on, I will not use my cell phone in the car, I will not go crazy every time I hear a game alert and I will definitely not ignore anyone who calls my name wanting to interact with me at that special moment...
Somehow I find this post really sad, especially because I know how real it is and how common this "addiction" has become, not only for me but for so many people I know...
So.. who's with me? Who's willing to survive the cell phone addiction? Who's willing to start living in the moment and stop being absent?
3 comments:
I haven't had a cell phone in at least 5 years. I don't miss it and, guess what, it's easier to function without it than you think.
Okay, so this morning, in a desperate attempt to tackle my cell phone/internet/facebook/candy crush/ipad/computer addiction, I googled "cell phone addicted mom" and sadly but reassuredly found a lot of links and articles based on this phenomena. I ignored all of the "Signs that you are addicted" links because I know that I am. I have accepted that I am. There is no question in my mind that I have a problem with putting down my gadgets. On one hand, it is nice to know that I am not alone but on the other I wish there was a quick solve! I think to myself on my drive home from work that I will just walk in the door, set my phone down and not touch it again until my alarm sounds in the morning (which is just one more reason I am so reliant on my phone, what happened to my good ol' fashioned bedside alarm clock?!). However, I have found myself each and every time I make this promise to myself, mindlessly browsing facebook while my kids finish dinner or, as embarrassed as I am to admit this, while I am playing My Little Ponies with my 5 year ol or rolling a ball around the floor with my 19 month old. The guilt is there, there is no denying it but why is that not enough to get me to throw in the towel and give it up!? I wish I had the answer. So, thank you for the blog. You are not alone. I guess in my quest to find a cure, ha ha, I just want you to know that you have helped me to feel less lonely in this craziness. Good luck in conquering this. Phew, this is going to be a tough one but a very, very, very necessary one indeed.
Thank you for your comment, Stacy!
I think the cell phone "addiction" is an ailment that many of us suffer; our society is letting this thing take over and nobody is doing anything about it.
You're certainly not alone in this but I think recognizing the issue is an important first step.
Ever since I wrote this post, I have made a conscious effort at fighting this habit and I have to admit that it has gotten a lot better!
I have tried to channel my energy by doing things that are more important and definitely more life changing.
I hope you can do it too!
Thanks,
A
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