Time to break free

Mona

All of a sudden, we’ve lost a lot of control. We can’t turn off our Internet; we can’t turn off our smart phones; we can’t turn off our computers... Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak, recently made this statement and how true for a majority of us!

Our overdependence on technology is a stark reality and a sheer matter of concern. Some believe that modern means of communication have sabotaged our lives. A recent study that puts a whopping 60 per cent of adults surveyed in India claim that their partners pay more attention to their smartphone than them even on a date only confirms the belief.

Internet addiction, gadget fixation are the new age problemsand they already have rehabs being set for it. Before it’s too late, here is how not to be enslaved to modern means of technology and communication.

Prioritise, delay, time out — is the three-step approach that child psychologist Dr Roopali Virk advocates, “When you are reaching out to the world but getting distanced from your own family is when one needs to get alarmed and take corrective measure. From proud parents proclaiming how smartphone savvy their 4-year-old-kid is to those very parents coming with complains of internet addiction, Dr Roopali has seen it all. Way out? “One must prioritise. No need to check phone at every beep; or carry it as a body appendage, take reasonable time out.”

Smartphone addiction is taking alarming proportions agrees counsellor Punita Singh but labels it a very ‘fixable’ one, “It’s all about discipline. The similar issues arose when TV came and telephone; with a smartphone since it is in your hands all the time, it needs just a bit more of discipline.” She suggests first of all communicate to all near and dear ones not to expect a reply to every phone text instantly; make a time schedule on when and how to deal with calls/texts/social media and at night not keep the phone close by so that the constant beeps and blinks don’t interfere with sleep.

The easiest way to see if someone is addicted to technology is to see the reaction when one with without the phone or internet. “If a person gets anxious or irritable when the battery is out or the network is down, it’s a sure sign of overdependence on phones,” says Dr Sachin Kaushik. Also, when online interaction take precedence over human to human one or social media hold the key to your mood, things have reached at alarming heights. How to deal with it? Dr Sachin lists, “Just like any addiction stay away from the phone for stipulated period of time.” Sports are another effective way to curb the temptation of checking onto the phone time to time.

Social media is another portal that drains one of one’s time and energy, strategy here? “Be one social media platform to keep connected with the world,” he suggests.

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