The Importance of Taking a Moment to Experience Life
In a society constantly stimulated by emails, texts, notifications, updates, and all other media hitting our senses constantly, when does it stop? When do we stop? More importantly, what does it mean to take a moment and just breath?
Coffee shops are bombarded by people sitting on laptops with headphones, working in solitude while surrounded by throngs of people. Gone are the days where people sat in that same coffee shop and did just that, sat. Heads down, fingers swiping and scrolling, our interactions with our phones seem more meaningful than real-life interactions with those around us. And while social media, an outlet designed to bring people together unifies us with friends and loved ones from thousands of miles away, it grossly alienates us from those around us—those same people sitting with us and near us in that coffee shop.
The internet, a super highway of information feeds our minds, but how does it feed our souls? Our necessity to conform and ‘keep up with the Joneses’ has us working longer, spending less time with family, and leaves little time for pursuing passion projects. And though we maybe earning more money than in the past, studies show that 1 in 4 CEO’s are depressed. Will Smith has said, “too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like.” So what does this all mean?
The time more than ever is to stop, breath it all in, and fully disconnect by pressing pause in order to reconnect. We have moved so far from that person we were as a child who wondered in awe at the world and thirsted for connection. Disconnecting and letting go first starts with you. It means setting boundaries on time spent away from work addressing issues at work, meandering through a flea market without looking at your phone and chatting up the vendors; or if you are so bold, sitting alone in a coffee shop without your technology and just taking in the sites. This journey in life isn’t a race and you certainly aren’t competing with anyone. Stand back, step back, hit pause on your life and breath it all in.
How can you disconnect so you can reconnect to the things most important to you?