Unplug! Can you do it?
Seems that a few celebrities are turning off their phones. According to a recent NPR segment, Sarah Jessica Parker, Elton John, and Simon Cowell, to name a few, have unplugged and are letting us know how wonderful life is without the phone. How about you? Can you spend at least 15 minutes unconnected to your phone? 30 minutes? An hour? Have you tried it lately? Can you really do this?
I know many people, including myself, who are constantly checking their email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and text messages. Seems that phones have become an additional appendage. I’m sure you have seen people at restaurants (or anywhere, really) that have their phones out while they are with others. It is a shame to see so many people interacting with their phones rather than real people.
A recent University of Rochester Study reports that a mere fifteen minutes of device-free time can help manage stress. So next time you are feeling angry, stressed out, or upset, (yes, we Feisty Women are not exempt from these emotions!) put your phone down. Just a mere fifteen minutes, feisty ladies, can make the difference and help lower intense reactions to daily stress. According to the study, some of the subject participants were sitting in a comfortable chair, reading a book, and told to focus on a specific topic. Others were asked to keep a journal and write in it for fifteen minutes. All reported that fifteen minutes away from their devices reduced anger, stress, and upset feelings. I am trying this out starting today. Wish me luck. Fifteen minutes is totally doable, I think.
To attempt to “unplug”, I have also decided to give myself, a daily “time out” (and not for bad behavior either, which I had quite a few of as a child), but to unplug from all of my electronic devices. I think that this would help me de-stress a lot. I am willing to try this — are you?
I love the sweetness of doing absolutely nothing, zero, nada. (I think that I can really get into this.) I set up a few parameters for myself. They are listed below.
- Set a time (and stick to it) where I will do absolutely nothing. (Easy)
- Focus on doing nothing and do not feel guilty. (Difficult)
- Vegging out with NCIS on the television does not count. (Difficult)
- I am counting listening to music, sitting in the park watching people, and enjoying a sunrise or sunset. (Easy)
- I just might take up drawing or sketching. (Very difficult)
- Have more “me” time. For me, that might be playing Auntie and enjoying times with my nieces and nephews, getting a pedicure, or just shopping for shoes. (Very easy)
Which one of the above list will work for you? Fifteen minutes seemed like a long time at first, but I am working on extending the time by five minutes each week. I am up to twenty minutes this week and plan to keep moving forward.
How do you try and unplug? Any interesting methods. Let me know, Feisty Women!
I leave you with a quote ...