Lose Your Phone, or Lose Your Relationships

Submitted by david.thacker on
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Most of the time we use cellphones when we are bored or we don’t know what to do. Being on a cellular device when you are around other people is stealing from your relationships.

Imagine you are in your teenage years, going to high school, hanging out with your friends, going to football games! Well you just got asked out by the person you have liked for a while and you are so excited. When they pick you up, they are on the phone, so they just honk their horn instead of walking to your door. When you get to the restaurant they end their call, but when you are seated, they pull it back out and start typing. The whole night is ruined by a 6 inch screen and a person who can’t live an hour without their phone.

Do we use our cellphones when we are with our loved ones, playing a video game because we can’t find anything else to do or things are getting awkward? If you answered yes, your relationships are going to, or are already starting to lack.

A lot of the time our society uses technology as a crutch to get out of an incompetent situation. This is affecting people of all ages. Parents are showing their kids it’s alright to be on their phones when they are with others. While using their cell phones they talk to their kids less, respond more slowly, and overreact to being interrupted. Then they get mad when their children act the same way. This happens at restaurants, game nights, even movies!

When we are with our friends and our family, we need to find something to do besides sitting on an electronic. Find another solution to boredom and awkwardness.

Instead of getting out your cell phones, play a board game. Before you pull out your tablet, go outside and get some exercise. In place of watching a movie or TV, have a dance party!

In an article from mannersmentor.com it says, “When people are addicted to their phones, meaningful interaction with them is almost impossible.”

I completely agree with this article. We need to commit to being in the moment if we ever want to get past our boredom habits. It is time to take some action.

So ask yourself,

-Am I using my devices as a distraction from awkwardness?

-Am I losing my relationships because I am paying attention more to a little screen then to those I love?

-Am I becoming addicted to my cellular device because I am just using it to stop my boredom?

Comment your answers down below so we can know your opinions and answers

Let’s be the generation that stops our cellular addictions, before they start getting out of hand!

Attributions
by Ally Marks