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Golden Years: Is Your Phone Creating A Chaotic Mind?
By Sarah Pastore, Executive Director, Village in the Village
What was the first thing you did when you woke up this morning? If you own a smart phone, experts say that up to 80% of you looked at your phone within the first 10 minutes of opening your eyes. Despite the recommendations for good sleep hygiene, there’s a pretty good chance it was the last thing you looked at before you closed your eyes last night too.
I’m not here to tell you not to look at your phone—it’s already hard to remember life before the convenience of always having a computer in our pocket! But for all the ways they make our lives easier, the constant notifications can also become burdensome.
I recently read a social media post about the content which we consume that stopped me in my tracks. Author and speaker Carlos Whittaker talked about a study which found that the same amount of content and data created from the dawn of humanity until 2003 is now created every two days. He went on to talk about another study that concluded we consume the same amount of content in the first 15 minutes we wake up as our grandparents consumed in a month!
This made me think about the digital content we view in terms of physical content. What if all the emails we saw first thing in the morning were actual pieces of mail? What if we had stacks of sale flyers, bills, and reminders stacked on our nightstands when we opened our eyes? What if the people we follow on social media were lined up outside our bedroom windows, waiting excitedly to tell us about stories that happened to them (and their friends and their neighbors), gadgets that will solve our problems and vacations that will change our lives? Doesn’t that sound exhausting?
I haven’t even covered the barrage of terrible news headlines yet—imagine a news anchor standing in your yard shouting about global events, national disasters, and local gossip! My first inclination would be to pull the covers over my head and forget about all of it—the mail, the news, even the friends—but somehow on my phone I hungrily consume more and more.
I believe the warp speed of content that’s created is more than we can physically handle. Our brains weren’t designed to handle the levels of information, stress and fatigue that humans have been able to create. It’s no wonder we are seeing record levels of depression, anxiety and panic at every age level! Even if all the information we consume is GOOD (which would be a real feat), it’s all too much.
Despite how it may sound, I still don’t think the answer is to eliminate the content itself. We just need to be better stewards of our time and curators of what we opt into.
On smart phones, it’s easy to set daily time limits on apps, or screen time in general, to become more aware of how much time we’re spending. Whittaker suggests buying simple alarm clocks and newspaper subscriptions, rather than using phones as alarms and scrolling the endless news cycle on a device. Reassessing the content that we receive can also be helpful—unsubscribing from big box store emails where you no longer shop, unfollowing the “friend†on Facebook (who you haven’t actually spoken to in decades) whose consistently negative stories always leave you feeling edgy, subscribing to “good news†sources who highlight positive events.
Whether or not you’re in your Golden Years, each moment is truly golden. Be careful about allowing too many moments to be tarnished by things on a screen. If you’re a senior looking to connect with others in person or ways to get involved in your community, check out what Village In the Village does at www.VillageInTheVillage.org, or call (505) 274-6206.
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The Comment invites guest columns from readers, provided you stick to facts and aren't mean. The opinions expressed do not imply endorsement by the publisher or paper. Submit your own by emailing editor@corralescomment.com
Golden Years: Is Your Phone Creating A Chaotic Mind?
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By Sarah Pastore, Executive Director, Village in the Village
What was the first thing you did when you woke up this morning? If you own a smart phone, experts say that up to 80% of you looked at your phone within the first 10 minutes of opening your eyes. Despite the recommendations for good sleep hygiene, there’s a pretty good chance it was the last thing you looked at before you closed your eyes last night too.
I’m not here to tell you not to look at your phone—it’s already hard to remember life before the convenience of always having a computer in our pocket! But for all the ways they make our lives easier, the constant notifications can also become burdensome.
I recently read a social media post about the content which we consume that stopped me in my tracks. Author and speaker Carlos Whittaker talked about a study which found that the same amount of content and data created from the dawn of humanity until 2003 is now created every two days. He went on to talk about another study that concluded we consume the same amount of content in the first 15 minutes we wake up as our grandparents consumed in a month!
This made me think about the digital content we view in terms of physical content. What if all the emails we saw first thing in the morning were actual pieces of mail? What if we had stacks of sale flyers, bills, and reminders stacked on our nightstands when we opened our eyes? What if the people we follow on social media were lined up outside our bedroom windows, waiting excitedly to tell us about stories that happened to them (and their friends and their neighbors), gadgets that will solve our problems and vacations that will change our lives? Doesn’t that sound exhausting?
I haven’t even covered the barrage of terrible news headlines yet—imagine a news anchor standing in your yard shouting about global events, national disasters, and local gossip! My first inclination would be to pull the covers over my head and forget about all of it—the mail, the news, even the friends—but somehow on my phone I hungrily consume more and more.
I believe the warp speed of content that’s created is more than we can physically handle. Our brains weren’t designed to handle the levels of information, stress and fatigue that humans have been able to create. It’s no wonder we are seeing record levels of depression, anxiety and panic at every age level! Even if all the information we consume is GOOD (which would be a real feat), it’s all too much.
Despite how it may sound, I still don’t think the answer is to eliminate the content itself. We just need to be better stewards of our time and curators of what we opt into.
On smart phones, it’s easy to set daily time limits on apps, or screen time in general, to become more aware of how much time we’re spending. Whittaker suggests buying simple alarm clocks and newspaper subscriptions, rather than using phones as alarms and scrolling the endless news cycle on a device. Reassessing the content that we receive can also be helpful—unsubscribing from big box store emails where you no longer shop, unfollowing the “friend†on Facebook (who you haven’t actually spoken to in decades) whose consistently negative stories always leave you feeling edgy, subscribing to “good news†sources who highlight positive events.
Whether or not you’re in your Golden Years, each moment is truly golden. Be careful about
allowing too many moments to be tarnished by things on a screen. If you’re a senior looking to connect with others in person or ways to get involved in your community, check out what Village In the Village does at www.VillageInTheVillage.org, or call (505) 274-6206.
Offered as Commentary
The Comment invites guest columns from readers, provided you stick to facts and aren't mean. The opinions expressed do not imply endorsement by the publisher or paper. Submit your own by emailing editor@corralescomment.com
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