Nowadays, I think there’s more pressure than ever to be everywhere. There’s more pressure to post, more pressure to respond, and all of this is done through more platforms than ever.

For some, they could care less. They’ve always done their own thing and never cared what anyone else thought or said. And for them, that’s great.

I also know there’s others that live under that pressure. They check what everyone else is doing frequently before getting direction on where they themselves should go. They compare. They stress. And overall, they just haven’t yet found a way to balance their technology use.

I’d love to say I fall somewhere in the middle between those people. I know at times I’ve definitely been the latter. I think all of us, if we’re honest, would say the same about ourselves. We’re human. We’re built for community. Of course we’re going to at least somewhat care what others say about us.

But there also must be some form of self preservation. How can we balance all of the connection and all of the constant connection without losing sight of our real purposes?

Do we give it all up completely and not hear from anyone ever? On the flip side, do we make sure that we respond to every message, every minute, everyday? How do we find that balance?

Again, I think it’s somewhere in between. I propose that anyone who wants or needs to take a break from the noise should be allowed to do so without any shame or guilt from others. If you follow any news, you’ll know that mental health has become an increasing concern in our day and age. Many popular publications including Forbes, The New York Times, and ABC news, have all reported about increased loneliness in America. It’s been called an epidemic, and many are linking our loss of real connectivity to our attempts to substitute real connectivity with ‘online connectivity.’

We are, after-all, the first generation in history to experience this. We are the technology age and are still figuring this out. In the grand scheme of history, all of this is very new and untested.

Anyway, if you need a break, take a break. If it helps you not to respond to every comment every time, then don’t do it. Real friends and real family will support you either way.

Forbes Article:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/carolinebeaton/2017/02/09/why-millennials-are-lonely/amp/