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Our digital era has transformed how people live their lives and relate to one another and to the world around them. We now find ourselves relying heavily on the internet and our wi-fi connections 24/7. If we are forced "offline" by a glitchy cell signal, we lose our minds. Have we forgotten how to fully function without the presence of our digital devices? We think for many of us the answer is trending rapidly towards a "yes" but it doesn’t need to do so.
When we rely on digital communication to such an extent we absolutely lose some of the emotional connections that come from being physically present with someone else.
Texting and email simply don't offer the same tangible benefits as having a face-to-face conversation that includes body language, tone of voice and most importantly, eye contact.
We have to focus more than ever and be intentional about going "offline" when meeting up with friends, having dinner with our families, or catching up with our spouse/significant others. We all have no doubt been in the position of conversing with someone only to find their attention is on their phone. We don't know about you but that always causes a pit to form in our stomachs. Granted, we are all guilty of doing it at one time or another, however we need to dedicate ourselves to being conscious of the ease in which that can happen and adopt habits that nip the behavior in the proverbial bud. Leave your phone in your bag/pocket with the ringer turned off and enjoy the people around you.
Better yet, when was the last time you left a note for someone you cared about and stuck it in their planner or lunch bag? Leave a smile and pen a note to someone today to tell them you are thinking about them.
When we rely on digital communication to such an extent we absolutely lose some of the emotional connections that come from being physically present with someone else.
Texting and email simply don't offer the same tangible benefits as having a face-to-face conversation that includes body language, tone of voice and most importantly, eye contact.
We have to focus more than ever and be intentional about going "offline" when meeting up with friends, having dinner with our families, or catching up with our spouse/significant others. We all have no doubt been in the position of conversing with someone only to find their attention is on their phone. We don't know about you but that always causes a pit to form in our stomachs. Granted, we are all guilty of doing it at one time or another, however we need to dedicate ourselves to being conscious of the ease in which that can happen and adopt habits that nip the behavior in the proverbial bud. Leave your phone in your bag/pocket with the ringer turned off and enjoy the people around you.
Better yet, when was the last time you left a note for someone you cared about and stuck it in their planner or lunch bag? Leave a smile and pen a note to someone today to tell them you are thinking about them.