Feb 24
unplug
Posted by madameblogalot at 11:22 am in home, kids & family, life

I turned on the radio in the middle of a discussion about the amount of electronic input our teens are using on a daily basis. Since I came on in the middle of it, I did not hear the premise of the talk, nor the conclusion. I did catch however the part about it affecting sleep habits and even developing into a depression. One older teen/college aged student talked about how she feels pressured to keep up with everything using things like her cell phone and Facebook, and when she hasn’t been able to for a day or two, it causes real stress, like she is getting behind. The expert mentioned how using this amount of media every day is causing a type of depression. It is not considered a clinical depression and does exhibit the classic signs of depression. It is however manifested in a type of apathy, an inability to find pleasure in the little things. I think it is a true sign that it is necessary for both our bodies and minds, as well as our souls, to spend some time away from these gadgets to find some balance and joy in our lives.

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  1. Montucky wrote:
    February 24th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    It seems as though folks are always doing their best to become slaves to “things”. I remember the words of a wise old computer systems analyst when I bought a business computer from his company: “Just don’t let yourself fall in love with the tool”.

    Maybe the reason is that many don’t really know who they are, therefore they look for direction outside of themselves and are easily led into distractions.

  2. Shelly wrote:
    February 24th, 2009 at 10:12 pm

    It is so true that we let the stuff fill up our every waking minute, so much so that we are bored half to death when it ceases.

    Solitude used to be a thing to be coveted.

  3. madameblogalot wrote:
    February 25th, 2009 at 9:29 am

    thanks for these great comments and insights. when my son was still homeschooled, even as a big kid, he treasured his “quiet time” in his room every afternoon, since our evenings were so filled with activity. w/ him often gone 12 hours a day for school and sports, I don’t know if he knows what to do if he ever gets those quiet moments these days (other than homework and sleep!)

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