Preservation of Sanity in an Overly Connected World
Image source: Pixabay

Preservation of Sanity in an Overly Connected World

Does being always on have its own perils and is our smartwatch culture going to be the death of us?

Your sanity for an Apple Watch hardly seems like a fair trade, or a very informed one. And yet, alas, it is the predicament I find myself in.

Why?

Because SO. MUCH. BUZZING!

Every notification feels like a gremlin digging into the cute compartment I store my nerves and my sanity, and doing a wretched little fiddle.

The always-on obsession and a strange desire to regularly check my vitals is just plain malarkey. I mean, do I really need these to get through the day? Methinks not. Methinks it’s just a little bit too much.

So why can’t I quit it? I cute mute WhatsApp notifications but it doesn’t feel as simple as that, somehow.

Why is it just that much harder today to just… switch off?

We feeling disarmed without our phones near us, almost incapable of survival if we don’t look at our messages (or socials) every 3.47 minutes, and have a constant need to “check in”.

Proof of life is a WhatsApp message or a post on your Insta story. This is what we’ve devolved to, folks.

If I were to Google a possible correlation between smartwatch purchases and heightened anxiety, I’m willing to bet psych majors and shrinks galore would have many a thesis to share, many a paper to reference and just a whole lot of data to support the observation that people are feeling buzzed the eff out. (And not in a good way, mind you.)

It’s the figurative equivalent to someone barging into your room or office without warning and just launching into their diatribe.

I mean, I like a knock first, please?

Ask if I’m free, seek the desired minutes before you just unleash.

My smartwatch doesn’t knock. And quite frankly, I find it kinda rude.

Old school for the win?Source: Pixabay

Old school analogue and metal strap it shall be, and perhaps a modicum of sanity and a small side of my nerves back could well be the case. That’s the hope, at least.

Farewell, Apple Watch. We had a good run, but now in the spirit of Frozen, I’m gonna have to Let It Go.

(Sorry, Apple. A major fan generally, promise!)

Even though — perhaps especially because — I work in tech, I have extremely strict boundaries around contact. I don’t set up emails on my phone, I don’t discuss work via Whatsapp, my phone is automated to change focus settings based on location or time, so it is often on silent and when it’s on silent, I am unreachable. I am quick to remind people that any device I choose to purchase is for *my* convenience. It may seem selfish but I am a massive proponent of rest, not just sleep but recuperative rest, which in this heavily connected world is often put aside. But our bodies remember (or keep score according to the book) and it catches up over time, and if we’re not selfish about our time, we won’t have much of it left. But morbid but, life.

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Tebogo Seabo

Sports Solutions Contractor ][ Community Builder ][ PR & Marketing Chairperson - Botswana Softball Association][ Grassroots Sports Advocate

1 å¹´

Let me say you were bound to 'relapse'?? For someone in your line of work coupled with the pace of digital adoption it's almost impossible not to stay connected. But for sanity sake, intentional effort is needed to manage your digital interactions. Set boundaries and prioritize taking a break from digital noise. Since September 2022 I've been MIA on Facebook and IG, I also disabled online status in my Whatsapp which annoys some people but I'm at peace. I've never owned a smartwatch and can only imagine the madness.

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