Fullerton Observer Column by Michelle Gottlieb, Psy.D., MFT

My email is down today. I am angry and frustrated. In a little less than a month, I will be on a vacation. I am excited beyond words that I will not be able to access my email. Wait a minute, how can both be true?

I am slightly addicted to email. I check it constantly. It is a way for me to connect with friends, family, colleagues and clients. I want to make sure that I am available for people who need me. I want to be able to connect with those that I care about.

I love being able to completely disconnect from everyone. I love knowing that someone else will deal with whatever emergencies that may arise. I love knowing that I can catch up, later, much later!

This is the reality of living in this century. We are very connected to everyone everywhere all the time. But, we need to disconnect sometimes, too. We are easily overloaded with information and connections. We need to remember that we are a human being, not a computer. We need to remember that there is something more to us than how many Facebook friends we have. We need to take the time out to find the meanings in our lives.

So, ha ve an experiment: unplug! Take an afternoon off and actually look at your children’s faces, not just their profiles as they look at their Facebook page. Take an evening off and actually speak to your spouse and not just send her a text message. Take a whole weekend off and play with your family with no electronics involved! Who knows? You might even like it!

Time to Disconnect
Michelle's Column in the Fullerton Observer

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Time to Disconnect Michelle's Column in the Fullerton Observer