I am excited to meet up with some friends this weekend for dinner.
We will have a meal together, listen to live music, dance, tell stories, and share in laughter.
It will be a great time of connecting that will nurture our souls and spirits.
We are propelling into a world of technology. Everything is online. We meet through Zoom. We are glued to our phones. We text and don’t talk. Our attention spans have shortened.
And addiction to social media runs rampant.
Who knows what our future holds at this rapidly evolving pace?
I recently listened to an exciting talk on the importance of staying connected to the physical world, which has become increasingly digitized. The speaker stressed the importance of staying connected to things we can smell: our families, friends, pets, books, the ocean, and flowers. Real things. Not digital copies of actual physical reality. These are things that we can trust. They cannot be manipulated or altered, or edited. We need this in life. For thousands of years, humans have lived in communities. This is the first time in the history of humanity that we have ever experienced a “virtual reality.”
There is an epidemic of loneliness as we have become more “social” online. So how can we combat this? Here are some strategies that I use.
1. Start living in the real world more. Limit your screen time, especially on social media
2. Call more. Yes, text is convenient, but hearing someone’s voice puts you in touch with what is going on with them emotionally, and as humans, we are emotional creatures. We are not Artificial Intelligence.
3. Be part of a community of people. A community is more than just one or two people. It’s a group. Being part of a community coming together for a deeper purpose can be one of the most rewarding things we can be part of. Whether it's a community service project, church, synagogue, or club, building relationships with others is vital to our well-being and purpose.
4. Get out in nature. Listen to the sounds of the birds, feel the breeze, the sun, and the ocean spray.
Connect with REAL life not just for your well-being but for our future generations.
And as you do this, take time to savor all the positive emotions you experience from keeping connected.
My best to your health and wellness,
Yvette
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