Our generation is sooo connected.
If someone doesn’t answer us within 5 minutes of sending them a text, we automatically assume they’re “ghosting” us. I’m sorry, but that’s such bull$#*!. We have read receipts so we know for exactly how long someone is ignoring us, Instagram likes to make sure people are acknowledging everything we do–from buying a new plant to trying a new juice, and Facebook friends to make sure we all stay up to date with one another’s lives.
But what if I just need some “me time”???
We are expected to be accessible to everyone and anyone at literally any second of the day, and if we dare not to answer for even an hour, we have to concoct some intricate story about our phones being dead, on silent, or, God forbid, that we were sleeping.
It seems these days that those are the only socially acceptable “excuses” for not being on call, and I’m calling bull$#*!, people!
I’m a people person. I will never deny that. I talk more than the majority of the people on this planet, so I need to stay connected and in touch with people to maintain my own sanity. That doesn’t mean, though, that I want to be around people 24/7.
People used to enjoy time alone, contemplating their thoughts about important things, or just taking a minute to simply be. We can’t do that anymore, though. If we do, people automatically assume something is wrong. When they don’t believe you, they push and push until something actually is wrong. Spoiler alert: it’s them!
People also used to enjoy intimately spending time with one another. Now, if you’re out for lunch, seated across from someone at your table, you are no longer solely with that person; you are also with the thousands of friends you have on Facebook, Instagram, twitter, your phonebook, dating apps and whatever else people have on their phones these days.
You carry them around with you everywhere. You take them with you to the bathroom, work/school, and even to bed.
With several methods of tracking someone’s location, or money spending, or secondly activity updates from Snapchat, we have not only traded quality for quantity when it comes to what matters most in life, but we have also given away our privacy.
I’m a millennial, so I’m definitely not suggesting we all make a pact to say screw technology, dump our iPhones in the river, and go back to telling stories around candlelight, but there’s gotta be some type of balance, right?
I don’t think the answer is to make a long Facebook status about how you will be taking a social media hiatus in order to cleanse yourself of technology, as that kind of just fuels the entire idea of reporting every aspect of your life to people, but maybe we can all just make a conscious choice to respect the privacy of others and ourselves.
Don’t be afraid to take a “you day” on a day you have few responsibilities. Take a drive along the beach, sans phone. Close your laptop, wrap yourself in a cozy blanket, and read a good book. Put your phone on silent or do not disturb and spend a few hours cooking or painting or playing with your dog.
I guess what I’m saying is it’s OK to unplug and just take a little time for yourself.
All my love today and always, my little chickadees.
Now get out there and be awesome.
Twentysomething Guru 