5 Reasons to Airplane Mode

I love my smart phone.  It is one of the main things on my person at all times.  That being said, I am learning daily how to better balance my interaction with media, others and the outside world. I routinely turn airplane mode on my iPhone 6 when I am with my daughter, on a date, at home on the weekends and connecting to nature.  

Why?

1)  To be present in the moment with others, what I am doing and the world around me.  

We have gotten used to experiencing the world and others with a screen in front of us.  When we connect with the things around us we should be giving it our undivided attention.  How much do we truly miss when we are checking our likes, retweets, news feeds etc?  Being present with our friends, family, work and hobbies is irreplaceable.

2) To model to our children how to best use technology.  

Our children are now growing up with a different culture around them.  Screens are more than just 'entertainment' they have become everyday 'necessities' for many.  Keeping our screen usage in check will not only be healthy for ourselves as adults but will be a model to our children that playstations, TV's, iPads, iPhones, etc are a part of our lives but not our whole life. 

3) To take a break from demands.  

Having a smart phone with all it's notifications can be the equivalent of having a door bell rung in our homes every few minutes.  It is intrusive to our private lives and very easily becomes a source of pressure when we feel incapable to keep up with the 'most recent'.  

4) To use our technology as a tool.

When we put our phones on airplane mode we are enforcing the concept that the 24/7 feature of the device is not required.  We can use our phones as a tool to the life we want to lead instead of being lead by our phones.  

5) To force a break and focus on other things.

It's easy to get caught up in Facebook, Buzzfeed and other mind numbing apps that encourage us to decompress, but there are other ways our bodies, minds and souls need to decompress.  A walk outdoors, a conversation with a close friend, a drive to the ocean, playing an instrument, gardening, cooking, reading a book are all things that one can do to take a break from lifes' stresses and reconnect with other parts of ourselves.