Every time I feel a buzz from my smartphone, a voice comes up inside of me, "Oh, there is something for me that needs attention."
If I were to look in my brain, I'm sure I'd see a surge of dopamine (多巴胺), the pleasure-seeking chemical that drives us toward addictive substances. Now, I'm a promoter of technology, but the following story can show you exactly where it gets in the way and how we can turn it around and use it for good.
A while ago I was on a walk with my little boy and found myself checking my email and responding to a colleague. My colleague learned that I was on a walk with my son, he responded, "That is great; now get off the phone, AND BE PRESENT!"
She was right. I was on autopilot, caught in a habitual cycle of engaging with this little machine. For me, I noticed it was starting to take away from my experiences of being present with the world around me, and with my family.
This has actually become more dangerous as people are feeling forced to engage with these machines while driving not only at stop lights, but while actually driving.
If you do not have one of these little machines yet, at some points, it is highly likely that you will, so maybe this can help preempt the addictive behavior from occurring. What can we do to break this cycle once we're in it? We can actually use the machines to help us. I have begun to schedule little reminders that pop up with a link to a short video that helps me take a minute to be present.
Yes, using the technology for good. In doing this practice, we can become aware when we are on autopilot with our phones, ground to the present moment, and then choose how we want to proceed. We actually create opportunity to have more choices in our lives over what we really want to be doing. Moderation can be so difficult, but this can support us.
