“Fact: people who say they don’t have time for mindfulness, poop with their phones. If you don’t have 3-5 minutes to breathe while you do the do you need 1 of 3 things. Fiber, Jesus, or Breath.” ~ Dr. Chris Lee 

I was taking a leisurely morning stroll down to the beach while camping and I wanted to throw my phone.

I thought I would then metaphorically title an article, “I threw my phone in the lake and never looked back.”

I was realizing how consumed I was with this 4.7-inch rectangle, how distraught I was when I didn’t have WiFi, and how much I was wondering about likes and comments.

I emotionally took it and threw it out into Lake Superior, so I could relax, decompress, and unwind.

I had a beautiful serene view and a huge beach with sand, but I craved the time I could sit on a bench with my head down, staring at this piece of glass and raw materials.

My higher self, or God-consciousness, told me to hide it. Get rid of it. Take time without it.

Here were my little epiphanies: 

1. Feel the sand in my toes. Ground to the Earth.

2. Breathe. Connect within. Find your natural rhythm. Breathe some more.

3. Decompress. Stop worrying about tomorrow. Relax.

4. There’s more that will come to you when you let go and stop trying to control every outcome.

5. Look at the splendor of my beauty. Take it in. Don’t miss it while focused on Instagram or Facebook. Don’t miss it while focused on readers and posts.

6. Yes, life can be a struggle. That’s why it’s so important that you take this time for yourself.

7. Rest easy. It will all work out in the end.

8. The pressures are great. Your fears have been out of control lately. It’s time to remember who’s in control of your life. Faith and trust are your keystones.

9. Believe in your highest good in mind at all times—expect the most beautiful things to happen.

While trying to decompress and disengage, these reminders are for us to engage with the people around us versus the people on the screen.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my “screen friends” too, but I notice when my family is talking to me and I am looking down at my device, I don’t fully hear them. I can’t fully interact with them.

When I am speaking to my family and they are only half listening because they are engrossed in their screen, I feel slightly empty and frustrated.

We owe ourselves and our loved one’s eye contact and connection. I think many of us are emotionally dying from disconnection in a “connected” world. We have everything we could ever want to know at our fingertips, but we’re missing out on the “joy juice” or oxytocin that comes from personal, heartfelt interaction.

I have yet to watch the “Social Dilemma.” I’m not a Netflix person, but I know the ill effects of screen addiction and feel pulled to my device when I should be pulled to nature and other humans. I have to make a conscious effort to put it in a drawer or upside down and away so that I remember to focus on what truly matters.

There are 65 million other Generation Xers who are raising families right now. Let’s be the example of self-control for our children and grandchildren. I don’t want my children to say I was emotionally distant because I was always staring at my phone, but to be honest, that may have already happened.

We can start by taking those mindfulness breaks and breathing—a little more Jesus and fiber wouldn’t hurt either.

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