I wake up in the morning and check my phone for the time. I switch on the internet, and my phone starts beeping to the notifications of Whatsapp, Gmail, and other apps. I glance through my Whatsapp messages to see if there's anything important. I then check my inbox and impulsively delete the emails from the 'Promotions' tab. Well, that is a small part of it. Then, there's Instagram, the 'Search' tab that opens up random posts of total strangers - as decided by some weird algorithm. I haven't mentioned the Ecom apps that also reside on my phone. Coming out of the virtual world, I hear a rooster crowing loudly in the neighborhood. There's the sound of the mixer grinder coming from an apartment nearby. The list of sounds goes on.
Why am I writing about all this? Well, it's because we live in an age of distractions. Yes! Our world is filled with distractions - not just our virtual world, but our real world as well. Our attention is constantly moving from one thing to another. We give a few minutes or maybe even seconds to each thing. There's so much going on! It is overwhelming. Everyone, irrespective of age group, is affected by distractions.
I don't know what will work for everyone, but below are some points. I hope someone finds them helpful.
Acknowledge that there are distractions.
Most of us don't even know we are distracted. We are on auto-pilot. We live a life based on society's terms and move through each day.
Note down your biggest distractions.
Distractions could be social media apps, online shopping apps, music, television, virtual games, etc. They could be something from the non-virtual world - your neighbors' loud voices, vehicle sounds, crows, social functions, etc.
Now the best part - finding solutions.
With the virtual apps - you could switch off the notifications. I did this with apps like food delivery, shopping, and even Gmail. I check my email a few times a day, but that's it - no notifications. You could uninstall certain apps - that aren't adding quality to your life. These steps made a huge difference in my life.
Alone time.
We all need those moments with ourselves - to reflect, to tune in, and to just be. This is what brings us back to us. I really think it is best to do this without our phone, or with the phone on silent mode. We can use this time to journal, think, and let go of the outside world.
Letting go of FOMO.
Back in the past, people just lived their lives without watching the highlights of others' lives. In today's world, we see perfect pictures of the best moments of other people's lives. We see their accomplishments - their relationships, marriages, homes, career updates, travel highlights, etc. Most of us silently compare ourselves to these projected lives of others. I know it's hard, but we really need to remind ourselves that life is not a competition. There is no reward for who traveled the most, made love the most or got married the earliest. It all happens according to universal timing. If you find it difficult to let go of FOMO, take a social media break, or plan the amount of time you spend there. Also, take time to write a gratitude list of the nice things in your own life.
We're all trying to create the best life, with the knowledge we have. Every time we falter and fall into the trap of distractions, we need to free ourselves using ways that work best for us.
