The various benefits of spending time away from your tech devices.

1. DISCONNECTING
FROM
TECHNOLOGY
RICHARD BATTISTA

2. Too often your friends or family members have been
texting, emailing, or making plans with other people
when you are sitting at a dinner table, patiently
waiting for them to notice you have said something
quite important. While there is no argument that
technology has positively affecting the convenience
aspect of our lives, there also comes to time when
we have to be honest with ourselves and ask “Do we
really need to respond right when someone texts
us?”

3. Disconnecting from devices such as mobile phones,
laptops, or ipads has become a new movement in
which professionals of all ages are gearing away
from becoming wholly dependent on electronic
machines. By removing yourself from these gadgets,
you can be more present on vacation, meeting up
with an old friend, or attending your family’s annual
BBQ during Memorial day.

4. Other
Options

5. Returning to activities you enjoy that do not require a
moving screen is an essential way to alleviate stress
created by devices. Conducting a bit of research to find
the latest fiction novel, brushing up on your
photography skills, or getting back into yoga can once
again become integral parts of your life. Hopefully, this
would curb any addictive or unhealthy habits you may
have, creating a more in tune sense of self.

6. Checking
Out

7. Whether it is after work or every Sunday afternoon,
planning an allotted timeframe with no technology use
is definitely a step in the right direction. Instead of
texting your friends from home, take 15 mins to go on a
walk with a coworker to better understand he/she as a
person. Also, not checking your phone after say, 10pm
everyday will also allow you to reflect on your thoughts,
ideas or opinions that may have been suppressed
throughout the day.

8. Be
Present

9. When meeting an old friend for dinner or visiting your
sister for the first time in awhile, be sure to put your
phone away for an extended amount of time. This
emotional barrier that a phone symbolizes at a dinner
table can not only indicate indifference or boredom, but
it is also disrespectful to whomever is sitting across
from you. Be present in making that dinner or cup of
coffee a memory instead of a dinner where you were
texting as a friend was trying to open up to you about
their latest hardship.

10. Setting
Boundaries

11. Notifying people in your social circle about your latest
behavioral habits or changes will allow you to be in
control of your already well-established and new
relationships. Making clear expectations on their end
will foster an open environment which is built on
honesty, reciprocation and open-mindedness.