Addicted to Media

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Addiction can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. The latest is media addiction. What's that you might ask? 

 Media addiction is when we are so attached to our cellphones, tablets, computers that we ignore human contact. We've all seen the pictures of kids in the schoolyard texting each other rather than playing. This is serious stuff. 

 Media addiction is deadly - it kills our spirits, our creativity and our lives when people text and drive or text/walk. You Tube is filled with videos of people walking into holes, poles and oncoming traffic. I don't find these videos funny; I find them horrifying.

 So, how do we wean ourselves off of media? As someone who can become as addicted to media as the next person, I work by mindfully tracking my use of "screen time."  

I have to use the computer for work, but I make sure I get up, walk around, talk to coworkers and breathe deeply every half hour or so. At home, I do the same thing. I get up, move around, talk to Roger, take a walk, go out in the garden, and work on creative ventures. In fact, I try to have something creative going all the time, so that I spend time doing that and not sitting in front of a screen. I have also, thanks to my daughter who gifted me with notebooks, taken to writing on paper.  

Many young people are addicted to Facebook and chat sites. Others are addicted to games. My suggestion...get some friends together and play the games in real time. Old-fashioned, I know, but there is great benefit to being with others.  Banana-grams, Scrabble, Boggle and Upwords are all great fun. Playing them allows you to do what you were doing alone on your screen of choice, while giving you the pleasure of having family and friends to play along with you in person.  

Don't get me wrong. Media is a great benefit to us all. Personally, I have been able to reconnect with friends and family that are miles away from me. What a blessing! In addition, we can stay up to date with what is going on in the world. But, when we become so ensconced in screen-time and lose contact with those around us, we are in trouble.

Let's face it...we all need human contact. Facebook can't hug you or hold your hand. Twitter can't wipe a tear away. WhatsApp can't laugh along with you at something silly. We can't dance with Google or walk hand-in-hand with Instagram. These are things we can only do with another human. We NEED to do these things for our emotional and spiritual as well as physical wellbeing. 
 
In the week ahead, let's try to get off the phones, tablets and computers and connect with each other. Blessings!

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