Game Plan

Hey Zeteo community,

Have a great end to your week everyone! It was nice to see so many people at the last Zeteo event at Chesterton house, and I hope to see many of you at the next one which will be a dunk tank at the Family Life Conference and (unofficially) some campfire songs at the Berube site! Yep, step on up and take your aim at dunking mum or Tina!

If you have any comments, or anything to add to the blog, please feel free to contact me! I would love to incorporate other people's testimony!

God bless,
Olivia

Week One: Game Plan

The theme of the last Zeteo event was Screen Addiction, and to be honest, it feels like kind of a touchy subject to me. After hearing Therese MacDonald's talk on this subject, Tharin and I got into the truck at the end of the night and decided we were going to stop going on our phones when we go to bed for the night. At the very least, this seemed easy enough to do.

Tharin plugged his phone in across the room for the night, and I did not, without thinking much of it.

Now it has been almost a week, and neither of has stuck to the decision we made to keep technology out of our bedroom. It is so much harder than we thought it would be.

Technology has permeated most of our lives without us even realizing how dominate it is in our daily routines. I know it is usually the first thing I look at in the morning, and the last thing I look at before going to sleep.

This is pretty telling of a problem in my own life. Therese spoke of a proper order of attachment we all should have, beginning with God, and ending with things - such as technology. There is an obvious mix up of my order, if the first thing and last thing I give my time to is technology; a bookend to my day that should properly be prayer-time.

The saddest part, to me, is the fact that I can go days without giving adequate, substantial time to my prayer-life, yet never go a day without checking Facebook, Instagram, or doing some other time-wasting activity on a technological device. Even if it does not seem like a prevalent claim to my time, it is. I know it is difficult for me to sit through a movie, or a car ride, without going on my phone.

I do not know if I would necessarily label my technology use as an addiction. Not yet. But I know, if I do not curb my habits, that is where I am headed. And maybe a lot of you are as well.

Therese listed the signs of screen addictions as:

- thinking about it when you are not on it (especially for gamers)
- gradually needing more and more time on a device to feel satisfied
- repeatedly trying to cut back/control usage and failing
- restless, moody, irritable when trying to stop
- staying on for longer than intended (who has ever got caught up watching Youtube videos for hours. Darn you Jimmy Fallon.)
- not being able to shut off technology without anxiety
- jeopardizing real relationships (getting in the way of prayer-life)
- have ever lied to conceal extent of involvement
- a means of escape from real life

If you answered yes to many of these, you may have a problem on yours hands. Therese offered some solutions, and I am wondering if you want to take a drastic measure with me?

First of all, you need an accountability partner. I know Tharin will gladly be mine, but I was hoping you all would be as well. For the next two weeks until the next Zeteo blog is due, I am going to cut back on my technology usage, and get my cellphone out of my bedroom. This means that I intend to pray first thing in the morning, and make it the last thing I do as well. This is the second solution Therese offered, a type of technology fast to correct some of the patterns I have created with my technology usage.

And thirdly, something I am already aware of, but will continue to work on is not being on technology when I am with other people. The hardest part of this, is not being on my cellphone when I am around Tharin. It is easy enough with other people, but with Tharin I forget - even though it is just as insulting, or hurtful to him if I am ignoring him to be on my phone. It is strange that it is has become acceptable to be on technology with the people we are closest to, the people in our everyday lives, when really, these are the people that we should be most respectful and attentive to.

So that is my game plan for the technology disorder in my life. What will be yours?