Breathe

Technology is advancing at an incredible speed. Communication is easier. People can connect with each other in a matter of seconds, no matter where they are in the world. There are apps for free voice and video calls to different countries. Time and space has no limitations. Here are no boundaries. You are connected to every person you know or are in touch with so to say, twenty four seven.

Social networking sites have become so accessible that people can see when you were last online. Where is the privacy? We’re so busy consumed in ourselves and the world that exists in a small, portable, rectangular box (our phones) that the quality of our social interactions that happen face to face in different situations has gone down. We have forgotten how to communicate with each other. We talk without hesitation on chat but when it comes to talking face to face with each other, we are at a loss of words.

When a person is behind the phone and talking to through messages, diffusion of responsibility flies out the window. Essentially what this means is that, people can say things over chat which they would never think of saying if you were talking to them face to face.

This is one perspective that I connect with very well myself. You are connected to essentially everyone you have known for a good five or six years. This means that you are getting all sorts of information every moment. Whether it be messages, snapchat stories, pictures updated on instagram, status that are updated on facebook, you are constantly thinking and seeing and engaging with the outside world through a small screen.

I have just recently got my phone back, I didn’t have it for a good two months. Let me just tell you, this wasn’t easy. Obviously the first reason being, I had instant contact with my friends whenever I wanted to talk, or needed help with some work, or needed them to send me things. The second reason was all my work and the updates from class, assignments, tests, and any important information was communicated through whatsapp. For the first two weeks I use to dream about getting my phone back. But it struck me. For the first time in a long time, I can disconnect myself. It was my break. It was my time to BREATHE. I was so used to my phone that i forgot that I can access facebook on my laptop to talk to anyone if I needed to. Slowly but surely the dependency on my phone reduced to almost nothing.

These two months, though they were tough, I had a chance at living a simple, disconnected life. A life where I could take time out for myself to move away from the ruckus and to move away from constant connection. I didn’t feel obliged to answer back anymore; I didn’t feel like it was my responsibility to make sure I was talking to a person.

The importance of taking time out for yourself, to breathe, to think about simple things, to do things for yourself and to relax cannot be stressed on enough. It makes you feel like a different person all together.

Let me tell you my idea of finding peace. Switch off your phone of keep it on silent, switch on five or six candles around the room, maybe even some incense, switch off the lights of your room and switch on some soothing music. Close your eyes and think of a peaceful place. You only need a good fifteen minutes of doing this and you wake up a different person.

Move away from the apps and the contents of your phone, work towards a healthy face to face social interaction and most importantly take a breather, because if you cant take time out for yourself, how can you expect to give other people your precious time. You would be the one suffering not anyone else. Make yourself happy, treat and pamper yourself more often because if you feel good, it will show. If you give enough time to yourself to rejuvenate from the day’s events you will be a more content person.