National Day of Unplugging

 

 

The first Friday in March is National Day of Unplugging. A day where children, teens AND adults should unplug and disconnect from all electronics for a 24 hour period to unwind, relax and do things other than using today’s technology.

 

In today’s world, having a cell phone attached to your hip has become second nature for most people. We eat with our phones, have them on our desks at work, play music from them while taking a shower, and some people even sleep with them. (It isn’t uncommon to find a cellphone charging underneath someone’s pillow at night!)

 

Do you ever find it hard to get through a conversation without checking for an email, or checking a Facebook notification? 

 

In a study, conducted by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, found the average user checks their phone nearer to 150 times per day. Tecmark UK's study results conclude that people will check their phones 1,500 times over the course of one week, amassing to 3 hours and 16 minutes of time spent on our phones per day. Richard Heyes, Managing Director for Tecmark UK, stated "More than 1,500 times a week is a lot of times to pick up a small gadget like a mobile phone and demonstrates perfectly just how ingrained in our daily lives our smartphones have become."

 

If you have ever misplaced your cell phone or forgotten it at home, you are aware of the terrible feeling that emerges from the pit of your stomach. You feel lost, disconnected and even alone. To avoid the fear and anxiety that comes with a lost device, we do everything in our power to make sure we are “connected” at all times.

 

But by having our noses buried in our smartphones, checking emails, researching and documenting our every move through Facebook and Twitter, we can miss out on some of the most important moments in our lives. And believe it or not, constantly stressing over that "one last email" can put a lot of unnecessary strain on our hearts and our overall health. 

 

So unplug and spend time with your partner, kids, family and friends. Time spent chatting with your significant other in bed at night, reading hard cover books to your kids, or taking a walk with your neighbor down the street are memories that can never (and will never) be replaced by technology.

 

If unplugging for 24 hours is asking too much, try unplugging for an hour or two. Get outdoors, hit the gym and connect with loved one!