Being Truly Healthy Includes Putting Your Phone Away
Jonelle Summerfield
Life can sneak up on you. Habits change in increments and you might suddenly realize that your life has changed, that you no longer meet people in stores, no longer enjoy twenty minutes of silence while eating your lunch, no longer make time to call a friend, or enjoy sitting in the sunshine reading a magazine.
We make our own choices, but some of them are subtly made for us. The biggest change in the lives of many Americans is THE CELL PHONE. These instruments can be wonderful.
They allow connection to family and friends and an easy way to store the phone numbers for the library, the electrician, the plumber, the doctor etc;
They provide a certain amount of security on an journey, short, long, train, car;
Today my phone even reminded me of a friend’s birthday; I immediately called her;
But cell phones can also affect our health. You’ve already read about this:
They increase stress. Letting a phone always determine what your next action or decision will be takes away from the calmness of personal planning. Interruptions can increase your heart rate and blood pressure.
For young people who are trying to find a steady place in the world, info about what others are doing can make them question their own decisions, their place on the planet.These are mental health issues.
Eye strain and squinting can develop over time.
But even more importantly, our phones can distract us from basics of LIFE and its values–they can alter some of the good habits we used to have.
Saying hello to people when you are out in the community or even in a busy city connects you with another human. A smile from a stranger can increase endorphins. We were created to connect with others.
But now the ability to order everything online, on a phone and avoid the cityscape, the town center–changes drastically the American custom of walking into a store and shopping. This is not a good thing. Stores and malls provide connection with other humans. You meet people, talk to them, run into friends. Maybe that’s why people who travel to Europe and stay, enjoy the camaraderie of walking to “the shops” frequently for food and just to BE with other people. Yes, we still have the coffee shop, but could that also go away?
My husband and I enjoy going OUT to the theatre now and again, seeing a film on the big screen. But now people are eager to have a home theatre which will again keep them away from community. Come on people–get out there and smile at a stranger!!
Yesterday, I said hello to a fellow in my community, and on a bright Sunday afternoon, he just looked at me, earplugs in his ears. He didn’t hear me, didn’t make a connection. It’s a symbol of a small thing that will have larger consequences.
Eye Contact, Physical Touch, Personal Secrets and Quirks
We also have moved into a cultural phenomenon that allows people to work from home. This can be a good thing–as long as occasionally the folks in the business get together to talk about their progress, to debate ideas, to share a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. But even more importantly, to KNOW ONE ANOTHER. How awful to work with someone and not really know that they tell amazing jokes, know more about soccer than you do, or have written poetry all their lives.
Other jobs are geared to personal contact every day. Occupations that require you work out in the community as a teacher, nurse, as a member of the police, fire or social service network. These people have so much contact with others, that they crave the quiet room. And maybe the turned off phone.
The Bottom Line
This morning, with my phone off and a cup of coffee at hand, I read the NEWSPAPER. The physical newspaper. I do this every day. And there was a piece written by an RN, Christie Watson, who is also a novelist and has written a memoir, THE LANGUAGE OF KINDNESS. She writes that she recently helped an older woman simply by holding her hand, covering her with a blanket and letting her talk about her life. Watson writes: ...nursing remains the most undervalued of all professions. If how a society treats its most vulnerable is a measure of its humanity, then any nurse will tell you that humanity is in trouble. …Compassion and kindness are just slogans to earn likes on Instagram, not career goals. …our cultures promote isolationism and revere narcissism. We have abandoned empathy and community alone with it.
More and More Lonely People
Talking to another human being for five minutes can brighten their day. It also feeds our hearts, because though we might not be aware of it, we crave connection. That’s why the cell phone is so popular. Okay. Let’s transform that into a more HUMAN connection. Watson writes about a future situation where we might find ourselves nursing a loved one: And at that time, we will understand that the only things that matter in the end are the qualities that unite humanity, ones that are almost but not quite forgotten: compassion and kindness.
What do you think? Can you put your phone away today and talk to someone?
Thanks to Jonelle Summerfield’s amazing artwork.
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