It never ceases to amaze me how often we get asked to get off our devices or how often we tell our children to get off their screens.
The question that often crosses my mind “So you won’t mind then if I take your phone and phone and pop it away?” The response is usually a startled look, odd laugh and a hand that unconsciously moved towards the phone.
Almost all of us are obsessed with technology and we don’t even realise how often we are engaged in it. From Google Maps, to the Google Drive, to Google Docs, to Google Mail, to GPS, to Netflix, to Facebook and even audiobooks. Our professional and personal everyday lives are immersed in technology. It’s no wonder our children consider it okay to grab the Xbox console the minute school is over the minute and left unattended. They are just reflecting our technology crutch too and are living examples of our amplified desire for technology.
It’s startling when I grab my phone without even thinking of it, I could be in the middle of a conversation and my hand just picks up my phone, it’s very close to becoming an unaware unconscious behaviour.
Have you ever become aware of how shit you feel after a big session with technology and how repulsively distorted and disconnected our children become when they have been immersed with technology?
The best antidote for getting off the screens and getting back to your organised self, the natural world. My hypothesis is any time I have felt sluggish as a by-product of technology I would head outside for a deep breath, a run through the trails, a swim or surf in the ocean or a big day in the bush. Even if I only had 10 minutes, I'd make the most of it and often I would take one of my children to clear our heads and take in the actual real world.
So what can you do? Consider putting boundaries around screen time. Put down the screens go outside - the best gym in the world, spend more time in natural surroundings enrich your human experience move your body in fresh air, let the cold wake you, let the raw elements challenge you, let the sound of running water steady you, and let the sunshine cheer you on. Give it a go this weekend, I guarantee you won't regret it!