How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?
I can recall a time a little over 20 years ago when the warm weather and long hours of daylight signaled a craving to be outside. At this age, I was a young teenager and couldn’t stay out all night, but the video gaming season was over, and as a NYC girl, it was “hanging out on the stoop season.”
There are many of us who can recall these times when the cell phone boom was just starting, and unlimited calls happened after 9 pm. Now, as a society, those days are long gone, and our brains are now wired to our phones 24/7. We now have to force ourselves to look up and out into the world. To be present for the people before us who we have limited years to be with.
With this, that’s how you know when it’s time to unplug. When you reflect on the past. Remembering when as a child you wanted to live outside. Seeing the sun and wanting to get closer to it. When you recognize life is not forever and we must appreciate the things and the people who surround us.
On this last month of Mental Health Awareness Month, we must recognize that more people than ever are struggling with this condition now. What has been one of the biggest things to happen in the last few years, the rise of the machines and the social media attached to it, which have many staying in the house more. To save ourselves, we must know when it’s time to unplug from media and enjoy the sun, just like when you were that kid.