Dealing With Stress and Trying Times

We are living in stressful times.  Partly because we have access to news and what is going on 24/7.  We can be online and hooked into friends and media with no breaks.  This is relatively new behaviors because of the new technology.  Before the computers, and online access, we had television and newspapers.  So, we would perhaps read the paper in the morning and watch the news at night.  Now we get to watch all kinds of activities without any breaks.  We can watch the news, watch violence, sports, comedies, movies, which can be exciting and entertaining.  But I do believe that this constant bombardment of ideas and images is tiring us out emotionally.

I believe that this constant noise is harming us personally and harming our relationships with the important people in our lives.  We are distracted, we don’t want to be left out or behind, so I watch as people are on their phones even as they walk across the street.

I have watched people in restaurants pay more attention to what was going on in their phones then the person sitting across the table from them.  Now I use and access my phone for a variety of reasons.  But these are the limits I have set.

  1.  no phones on in the restaurant
  2.  no phones on at meal time
  3. no phones on while walking around
  4. shutting the phone off from 8PM to 8 AM                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        This has allowed me to have quiet time, time with family and friends without interference.  I feel less irritable and distracted.  I hope you all can find ways to make our modern technology work for you in a healthier way.