The days of the old land-line phone is going the way of the dinosaur. More and more individuals are going will line free hand-held devices. In the old days, families had one phone that was used for messages and conversations. Actually, those days weren’t that long ago.
From BlackBerries, to cellphones, iPhones and Palms, more people are using smart phones and other hand-held devices for communication with work, family and friends. Emails, texting, videos, pictures, weather, sports, Facebook and Twitter make staying connected very easy.
However, all of this can lead to addiction of a technology device. Addiction to a hand-held device is no joke. Some individuals have actually started calling Blackberries and other hand-held devices as “Crackberries.” These items can cause added stress, which is bad for the heart.
People are being pulled in different directions by the use of hand-held devices. These devices have become a necessity as well as a burden. Besides the stress, there is also a higher probability of an accident to an individual or someone around them. A good example is the train wreck, where the driver was texting.
So how can you tell, if you are addicted to your mobile device?
1. If you check your device more than once an hour to see if you have been called, texted or emailed.
2. You stop what you are doing, when you get a message.
3. You feel the need to respond immediately to that message.
4. You regularly interrupt a face to face conversation to reply to a message.
5. You excuse yourself from work or a meeting to answer a message.
6. Your device interrupts a part of your life that is more important. It could be sleep, work, and lead to bad relationships with your spouse, friends and family.
7. You take it with you every place. You just can’t leave it at home.
So what can you do to help yourself?
1. Turn off your phone, when the work day is over. It is over!
2. Set rules and stick to them. Establish certain times that you will answer calls, emails and texts. Stick to these rules.
3. Communicate in advance. Let others know that you have down time for answering messages.
4. Turn it off, when you are operating a motor vehicle or a machine at work.
5. Turn it off, when you have a family function or when you sleep.
Finally, spend some time doing something else. Go for a walk, jog, movies, shopping, church or just play with your children, without your hand-held device being on. This will reduce your stress.
