When is the last time you had a nice conversation in person with a client, colleague, friend or even one of your associates? Human communication is dominated by emails, texts, posts, comments and likes, all of which are supposed to help keep us connected, but seem to make us more isolated than ever before.
How often does miscommunication occur from a misunderstood email? Where your intended tone wasn’t understood due to the limitations of plain text. Seemingly, this issue could be solved over a good ol’ fashion phone call, but even phone calls are becoming complicated and usually require being scheduled ahead of time and often get rescheduled. Before you know it, it’s the end of the week and you’ve yet to have that important conversation.
Remember the days of meeting with clients in person and showing them your presentation face-to-face? Conversation would flow, needs would be met, and issues would be resolved in real time. Now, Facetime can only be achieved through your iPhone.
What have we created? What if this is just the beginning? It is not healthy and quite frankly I’m worried that we are going to completely lose our human touch.
The only real solution is to start spending quality time with people again. Make it a goal to spend meaningful time with someone, whether a personal friend, family, colleague or client. Have a wonderful, enriching conversation that brings value to both parties. Learn something about the person in front of you and feel your heart grow full of joy. See how the relationship deepens just by the art of conversation. More importantly, if there is any type of conflict, resolving the issue in person can save your health, your piece of mind, and of course the relationship.
Another great practice is to unplug from technology. Turn off your cell phone for a day to take in the beautiful scenery that surrounds you. According to an article from Forbes, “The more we use social media, the less happy we seem to be.” In fact, one study found that found that Facebook use was linked to both less moment-to-moment happiness and less life satisfaction…
Unplug from your phone and social media and you’ll quickly find a new appreciation for the simple things in life like nature, relationships, exercise, and food! There is something about our relationship with nature that is embedded in all of us. It is hard to explain in words. Whether you swim in the ocean, go on a hike, or tend to your garden, all of these activities have one thing in common: they allow you to relax and appreciate our Earth for what it is. If turning your phone off for a day is not an option, section off parts of your day to allow you to be present to what you are doing without the distractions of social media. You won’t believe the serenity and relaxation you will achieve with this simple adjustment.
Your phone is a powerful weapon that can be used for good or for bad, for productivity or procrastination. Choose to use it to in a positive way that brings you closer to those around you. Use it sparingly and remember to balance life out with real conversations and real experiences.
Remember, social media is in its infancy stage and the long-term effects are still unknown… Set very strict boundaries and you will have a much more enriching, joyful, and meaningful life with the ones that matter to you most!
Forbes Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/30/a-run-down-of-social-medias-effects-on-our-mental-health/#2a09b5882e5a
