Technology is running our lives. Everyone is constantly checking their text messages and social media. No one ever lets their cell phone leave their side and sometimes never even their hand.

While there are some definite benefits to phones and technology, sometimes I think it can all become a little much.

I would challenge you to turn it off or put it away for a minute and just truly unplug.

The constant stream of technology can negatively affect our lives and moods in ways we may not even be aware of.

I will present a few reasons on why we would put the technology away every once in a while, and the benefits to doing so.

First of all, frequently checking social media can make us depressed and even lead to jealousy. When we begin to live through what we see on social media, the things we see on there can make us sad.

If we see our friends regularly posting pictures of the good times they are having without us, it can start to make us upset. While we are just sitting there, doing nothing except liking the pictures of others having fun, it can put us in a rut.

We can start to question our value and why we weren’t invited. We can start thinking that we are boring or that we have no life. We can start to lose confidence in who we are.

So, maybe you are looking at that screen too much and checking social media far too often if you start to feel this way. Put it away for a minute and go live your own life.

Now feeling jealous about this is not an okay feeling, but it can inevitably happen when we spend too much time vicariously living through others joy.

So, challenge yourself to turn off the social media for a second and instead go make your own memories. You’ll feel better about yourself and free from the screen time that can overwhelm us.

Secondly, technology can cause us to lose touch with nature. We can become so used to just staying indoors and binge-watching Netflix. But, this is no way to spend your life.

There is so much beautiful nature and outdoor activities to do with yourself and friends, so don’t waste it. Unplug your laptop and just enjoy your life outside for a little while.

It will wake you up and make you feel like you are doing something good and healthy for yourself.

Sometimes when I sit there staring at a screen for too long, I can feel bogged down and like I’m in a slump. But, I never feel this dreadful feeling when I’ve spent time breathing in fresh air and enjoying this world we live in.

Lastly, technology can cause us to lose touch with people. It can lead us to have relationships with people that are purely rooted in texting or lead to relationships where we are only staring at our phones when we are with them.

Neither of these results is proper ways to form and grow friendships with others. When we are with our friends, we need to take time to focus on them and learn to appreciate the beauty of a face-to-face conversation.

Don’t let technology take away the special nature and path of growing friendships with others and living your life to the fullest.

So, as you can see sometimes technology can start to take over too much of our lives. Technology is for sure not all bad and has many benefits. But, we can’t let technology stop us from living our lives and enjoying it.

Challenge yourself to just unplug for a little while. Go outside, hang with friends or read a book it doesn’t matter. Just unplug, unwind, and enjoy a life separate from technology from time to time.