Technology Relieves Stress?

Does it really? Does all of this new technology make our lives easier? I say no. The world, in fact, life itself is more difficult and more complex than ever before. Lap tops, cell phones, Ipads, etc.etc. have all been invented as the general public wants everyday life to be readily available at the push of a button.

We do not like to wait…not even for a second. We don’t want to have to manually open our garages, so we have a garage door opener. We don’t like having to keep up with keys, so we have cars and homes we can open without one. We don’t want to fight the crowds in the stores so we buy items online. Paper bills? You must be joking. We go paperless. It saves trees but that’s not why we do it. We do it because it’s easier. We do not have time to watch our shows on TV, so we use the DVR or on demand viewing. Banking…you think I actually go in to that place I frequented so many years ago? Oh hell no. Without that magic box with the money in it, I am lost. Oh, and the box had better be a drive through….

The list is endless. But stop and think about it for a minute….

Have any of these devices made life less stressful for you?  All of this wonderful technology has turned a 9 to 5 country into a 24/7 country. Why? For convenience. To make our lives easier. In many ways, that convenience has proven to be an inconvenience. The problem we face today is that we cannot get away from point and click world we live in. And THAT is stressful.

We are married to our cell phones, addicted to our laptops, and cannot live without social media. Our cell phones are now tiny computers and we use them all day, everyday. 24/7… I’ve actually had people call me and say, “I knew you were up because you posted something on Facebook”.  AHHHH! There is no escape!

Gone are the days when you could jump in your car and go for a drive to clear your head with NO potential of anyone cutting into your “me” time. And here’s the whole point to this blog: We ALL need “me” time! We cannot even go on vacation without our phones and computers. I mean, what if something happens to someone we care about and we weren’t reachable??

Guess what folks? 25 years ago, that’s exactly how we lived. Work was done during work hours and home time was home time. Our off time was spent organizing our lives and living it. I miss those times. I also know that we will never return to those times. So the question now is, how do we balance out our lives in a 24/7 world? As it stands, we work harder and longer than ever before. If we are sick, we “work from home”. We hold conference calls at 3AM to accommodate our peers in other countries and time zones. When, exactly do we get a break?

It’s not all bad. In fact, the very items I am talking about enhance our lives in other ways. Our favorite song is available at the click of a button, face time with family around the world is an everyday lift. Don’t feel like talking? Send a text. Don’t feel like typing? Use talk text. We can meet and reconnect with people we would otherwise have no way to locate. Pretty awesome stuff.

The biggest “Pro” of modern technology is that we are a click away from our loved ones. The biggest “Con” is that we are a click away from our loved ones. Today’s teens hate it. But they don’t hate it enough to get rid of their beloved phones/computers.

As a fun little test I would like to propose a CHALLENGE to my readers and it is simply this: Turn your phone off for one week, 7 short days and enjoy the extra “me” time you will experience. If a week is too long, try it for one day! If you accept my challenge, be sure to comment on this blog and let us know how you are doing with it.

I will be taking part in my own challenge next weekend. Well, more like I will be forced to because I will be on a cruise and I won’t pay 8 zillion dollars a minute to keep my phone working.

But for now, I must sign off. I have blogs to write, statuses to update, tweets to tweet and selfies to instagram. Say cheese! xoxo