Almost every time I deliver a mindfulness training program for an organization, someone in the audience asks, "What effect do our devices have on our ability to be mindful?"
This question is extremely important today. In fact, as many Huff Post readers are aware, there's actually an entire conference series, called Wisdom 2.0, dedicated to exploring why we should keep wisdom alive in the digital age, and how we can do it.
We are certainly facing problems in this digital age. Many people are in an almost constant state of anxiety, people don't seem to be present with each other while interacting, and people's attention spans appear to be rapidly dwindling.
However, the problem isn't with the devices themselves. Smartphones and tablets and laptop computers are all very helpful devices that can help us in many ways.
The problem is our relationship to the devices. It seems that many of us are addicted to them, compelled by the neurotransmitter dopamine to seek the pleasure of the opioid neurotransmitter we receive when we interact with them, as Dr. Susan Weinschenk wrote in an article for Psychology Today.
Have you ever seen a person driving on a freeway at 55 mph or faster, with a child in the backseat of the car, pick up a smart phone and not only read a text, but reply to it? That extremely dangerous act sounds quite similar to the risky behavior a person addicted to crack cocaine might engage in to get another hit. That's how powerful the addiction to our devices can be.
We need to change our relationship with our devices. It can start with some hard rules about when and where we check e-mail or text messages, doing so only during deliberately scheduled times, when we're not walking or operating a vehicle, and when we're not interacting with a real person who is right in front of us.
But we can go much farther than that. We can actually make device use one of our daily mindfulness practices. We just need to change the way we interact with the device.
Here's how.
Instead of multi-tasking, rushing to complete whatever task you're engaged in with the device, caught in your thinking in a state of mild to moderate anxiety, you can interact with devices in a much more healthy way. Before using a device, pause for at least one breath, and remind yourself to be mindful while using the device. Simply keep your awareness alive to what the device feels like and what's happening in the body. It may be helpful to occasionally note in the mind, "Texting," or "Typing," to re-establish mindfulness.
By practicing in this way, you can transform an activity that often increases anxiety and makes you less effective both personally and professionally, into one of your anchors for daily mindfulness practice.
Device use can become an opportunity to not only connect with another person or find important information, it can be an opportunity to actually let go of some of your anxiety, to be more present for your next encounter with a person, and to be more effective at whatever task you engage in after using your device.
Please leave a comment below to share your experience with the practice of mindful device use.
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Matt Tenney is the author of Serve to Be Great, and the forthcoming book The Mindfulness Edge: How to Rewire Your Brain for Leadership and Personal Excellence Without Adding to Your Schedule. To be among the first to get a free preview of Matt's new book, visit www.TheMindfulnessEdge.com.
Image Credit - https://www.flickr.com/photos/jhaymesisvip/6497720753