She Empowers: How I’m Choosing to be More Present

by Torrie Oglesby | Jul 1, 2015 | Learn + Grow

We live in a digital age where we are constantly connected and reachable. It can be overwhelming, over-stimulating, and have a negative effect on our health and happiness. We are so use to having our cell phones by us that when they aren’t it feels like we are missing a limb. I recently realized that most of my time was spent scrolling through my Instagram feed, checking my emails, texting people back immediately, and staying in the know. I believe that by constantly being engaged in our digital world and not being present in and with the real world causes disorder and chaos internally. I couldn’t focus, I couldn’t sleep, I was eating unhealthy, I was stressed out, and I was always anxious! The need to always be connected to pixels and not present with the people around us is truly a negative fruit of our faster and more convenient technology filled lives. Finally, I put my hands up and said “Something has to change!” I decided to change my behavior and surrender the need to be connected. After doing this for a week, I wanted to share some of my new habits with you all and encourage you guys to be mindful of the seconds and minutes that you are giving to technology, because those seconds and minutes turn into hours and days that you can’t get back!! Let’s be aware of our time and energy and watch your health and happiness be restored!

Torrie’s tips for being more present:

1. No phone until 10:00 AM

I’m a mother of two little ones who need my undivided attention as soon as they wake up! By choosing to not touch my phone until my youngest takes his morning nap and my oldest has her TV time, allows me to have a more peaceful morning with them because I am fully concentrated on them! Not what has been posted on social media or the latest news stories. This has been a life saver and peace maker for me!

2. Scheduled work hours

I’m a writer who works from home! Therefore being mindful of when I’m working is vital to staying out of the monster that is technology over load! If you work from home, try setting specific hours that are dedicated just to work and emails. For me, this is when both kids take their afternoon naps! I limit this time to 1 hour! That means when I begin I’m fully focused on the tasks that I need to complete making my time more effective.

3. When out, put your phone on sleep mode

This is my favorite new tip and has saved me so much energy!!! When I’m out with the kids at the park, running errands, at the library, out to eat ect. I click the moon icon on my phone and I am instantly not disturbed when someone calls or texts. Some of you are probably thinking “BUT WHAT IF IT’S AN EMERGENCY?” Guess what, it’s OK! Surrender the need of missing out or missing something to God. Trust that if it is indeed an emergency, you will happen to look down or pick up your phone just in time to answer and see. Be present and be aware of your time. When you’re out to eat with your friend, be there wholeheartedly. Don’t be consumed by that little device.

4. Don’t carry your phone in your hand

I got this one from my husband. He often leaves his phone in a hiding place in the car or keeps it in his pocket. Out of sight, out of mind is the principal here and trust me it works! Throw that phone in your purse or pocket. As a mom I get caught up in feeling like I have to constantly have my camera out to capture moments, but I encourage you to surrender that feeling to God as well. Not everything needs to be a picture, a post or a tweet. Again, it’s about being present in the moments!

5. No screens after 7:00 PM

Screens before bedtime can affect your quality of sleep! My children go to bed at 8:00 PM so for us, we decided to cut out all screens by 7:00! Now of course, you can watch a movie with your significant other or look up videos on YouTube, but the goal here is to not fall asleep with screens on! If you do search the internet late or watch movies late, I strongly suggest reading a book after for 15 minutes before choosing to go to sleep. Not only am I getting better quality of sleep, but my children are as well! Instead of bringing my phone to bed with me, I bring a book, a magazine or just have a great conversation with my husband! Then my brain is at a peaceful state and ready to rest.

With love and big smiles,

torrie.