How many emails would you say you receive a day? What about text messages? How many of these messages are requesting your service or an instant response? For me, it is way too many. I feel like as I have gotten older, I constantly get emails ranging from advertisements, updates for work, and teachers changing our due dates.
There is nothing wrong with this and it is nice to stay in the loop and be able to have communication facilitated through our devices. However, at what point does it become just too much? Studies have shown that for the average American, heart rates have been seen to increase each time an individual opens their email account. The stress of seeing multiple messages requesting your immediate attention is just draining for a person.
Sometimes my friends will get annoyed with me for taking a long time to respond. In our modern technological culture, there is a new untold form of etiquette in which you are expected to respond to something right when you see it. For me, I have no intention of being rude or ignoring a message. Sometimes, opening my phone and seeing 10 texts is so overwhelming that I have to put my phone down and turn it off.
The point I am trying to make is that we are not bound to our texts or emails and we are allowed to turn it off or ignore it sometimes. Constant connection to everyone is not good for us. Sometimes, we need to sit in peace (which unfortunately is not a frequent occurrence in our fast-paced society.)
As an adult, I will continue to regularly get solicitations from multiple organizations as I enter the workforce and it is important that I remember that ‘Delete' is the most powerful key on the board. I will have good conversations over text with my family and friends as an adult, but it is important that I remember that I don't always have to have a response.
Having the ability to instantly contact others or obtain information can be a gift. However, I would argue it is essential to be mindful of the control constant communication can have on our wellbeing. So don't feel rude turning your phone off and sitting with yourself and don't be afraid to take a power move and hit 'delete' on that pestering email. It's okay! The texts and emails can wait.
