Well-Being: Being Present (September 2017 Newsletter)

Driving past a bus stop the other day, I noticed an all too common sight. Every single person was either talking on the phone or reading it. The ever-present phone has made our lives insular and global at the same time. We reside in our heads and are divested from our beings. In so many ways this is not a good thing.

Cell phones have become our constant companions and our connection to the world. It is a good thing in that it allows us to be safe, and tune in immediately to the needs and companionship of family and friends. How did we ever manage without it? It's a bad thing in that it makes us lose touch with the world around us, never looking around, never looking up. People watching and nature watching can relax and restore us. It allows our minds to calm down from the constant chatter. Why would one want to add more information to an already cluttered brain? In the few minutes you have between here and there, (and if you don't take the bus, make it a daily walk,) turn off all sound, be unavailable for just 30 minutes each day.

Oh yes! And what about what it's doing to memory and hearing? Nowadays, one immediately refers to the phone for the schedule, the address, the details of a personal/official contact. Why not exert the brain? Pretty soon, unfortunately, neuro transmitters will stop firing and creating less brain and less nervous (as in relating to nerves) energy. Memory? The best way to keep it active is to use it. As for hearing loss, it's a serious consideration. Science is still studying the effects of constant electronic vibrations and abnormal frequencies bombarding the ears over long periods of time, but it can't be good.

We shouldn't feel we need to be 'doing' something all the time. JUST BE! JUST BE PRESENT for a change!