Hi! It’s my birthday today, and for most of the day, I WILL detach from my cell phone. (Other than to grab some BD calls and posts – full disclosure.) But here’s a post about the hazards of making that cell phone your best FRIEND instead of your best TOOL. Hope you find it useful…

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The technology that we have to stay connected to each other and the world is amazing. One of the best inventions ever…

But with every great invention, there can be a risk of overuse, and over attachment. Here are some of the risks of being overly attached to that cell phone:

• Missing moments. With so much focus on that screen, you run the risk of missing your surroundings. From the more serious side, driving while texting can be lethal. But the small things can be missed also – your child taking her first step, not noticing that your best friend is sad, enjoying a beautiful day. Life can feel much happier when you start being more aware of what is right in front of you, in addition to knowing what’s going on in out there in that digital world. You can do both.
• Isolation. Sometimes, without realizing it people who become more and more attached to their technology become less and less attached to friends and family. While I happy balance of all of these can be very healthy, pure isolation can lead to issues of self-worth, lack of purpose, and even depression.
• Lack of involvement. Having a sense of purpose can fuel your well-being, and defaulting to technological connectedness may impede your willingness or ability to get involved in your family, your friendships, your community, your philanthropy. That next email or Facebook update is nowhere near as important as the benefits you get when you have enjoyable interactive moments with people you respect or enjoy.

This is not meant to be a “the sky is falling” post – the whole point here is to find a healthy balance between human interaction and technological attachment. Sometimes habits take over before we even realize it, and I’d just like to suggest that you take a look at yours, and make sure they are fueling you!

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