The breaks you take from work pay you back manifold when you return because you come back with a fresher mind and newer thinking. Some of your best ideas come when you’re on vacation.
–Gautam Singhania
Well, this one isn’t going to be surprising and you might feel a little embarrassed to know that you don’t need my advice and there isn’t a several step process to this! Take a little time for you and relax. Stop looking at your phone and be in the moment!
That’s all!
Lately, and always, I’ve had lots of things thrown my way. The mom life can be hectic and balancing that with self-care and all the busy things of everyday life…getting groceries, preparing meals, running errands, family gatherings, work commitments, etc. and the list goes on! I’ve been more intentional about planning vacations and now I’m adding social media breaks while I’m on them!
Derek and I are headed to Sayulita, a quaint surf town west of Porto Vallarta, Mexico. The phones are being turned off and we are going to spend time together.
From an article on emarketer.com, the statistics are quite staggering as to how long we are on our phones every day. It reads “US adults will spend an average of 3 hours, 35 minutes per day on mobile devices in 2018, an annual increase of more than 11 minutes. By 2019, mobile will surpass TV as the medium attracting the most minutes in the US.” An annual increase of 11 minutes? Pretty soon we are going to be walking around with phones attached to our face permanently! This is a scary thought! I have recently noticed myself feeling anxious when I go to look at it from time to time. I have moved the phone away from my bedside and don’t look at it first thing in the morning. We manage our daughter’s phone use closely, but I can tell I’m ready for a break!
I found this great podcast by Lewis Howes all about disconnecting from social media. He interviews Cal Newport, a Georgetown professor and author who has never owned a social media account. This is his case about why we don’t need social media and how we can manage to live in this digital age much better. A very interesting perspective and definitely one I’m thinking about!
So that’s it! All you have to do is decide. Decide to give yourself time off and be present in the moment. Relax and enjoy not needing to look or check. I’m hoping I remember vividly my childhood sense of wonder and not caring while I do this! Hasta Luego!