This doesn't happen very often, but the other day I recieved a very rude and annoying voicemail. I have to admit, this voicemail affected me for hours. I became so irritated after listening to it, and I think my evening classes were extra brutal that day! When I got home after work, I was snippy to my husband and I couldn't stop talking about how ridiculous that message was.
I was mad, not just at the message-leaver, but I was especially mad that I was allowing this to literally change the direction my day was headed in- I spent time and energy thinking about and discussing the message with other people, when we could have talked about so many other interesting things.
I realized that I was not only mentally reacting, I was physically reacting. I felt tense, I wasn't fully inhaling or exhaling, my heartrate increased.
Can we blame cell phones for increasing our stress levels? I love having a cell, but I think they can be blamed. Cell phones increase our percieved urgency. We have to, and can, get things done immediately. Ever feel an overwhelming need to call someone while you're in the shower, and actually attempt it (admit it, you have)?! If I see that I have an unheard voicemail, I must immediately listen to it, even if I'm carrying five bags of groceries, a gym bag, and walking the dog...somehow, I try to balance the phone between my ear and shoulder.
Forgetting the phone at home one day, leads directly to a feeling of impending doom. Accidently leaving the ringer on during a pilates class is completely jarring and distracting, leaving me guessing who that probably was and why they were calling, when the hour was originally meant to be my personal time to focus on myself! And forget it if my ringer goes off when I'm the one teaching class! That's just embarrassing, and distracting, and annoying, and.....
What is the answer?
Maybe Vince Vaughn has the answer. I was randomly reading an interview with him and he said he decided to get rid of his cell phone because whenever it would ring, he would dread answering it. He would think, "oh no, someone is calling me".
I so feel that! Its not at all that I don't like hearing from people or I'm avoiding people... I just can't really explain it. But, Vince, completely get rid of the celly? That's like asking me to completely stop drinking coffee (more on that another time). I need it.
At least we'll always have the "ringer off" option!Read more!
I was mad, not just at the message-leaver, but I was especially mad that I was allowing this to literally change the direction my day was headed in- I spent time and energy thinking about and discussing the message with other people, when we could have talked about so many other interesting things.
I realized that I was not only mentally reacting, I was physically reacting. I felt tense, I wasn't fully inhaling or exhaling, my heartrate increased.
Can we blame cell phones for increasing our stress levels? I love having a cell, but I think they can be blamed. Cell phones increase our percieved urgency. We have to, and can, get things done immediately. Ever feel an overwhelming need to call someone while you're in the shower, and actually attempt it (admit it, you have)?! If I see that I have an unheard voicemail, I must immediately listen to it, even if I'm carrying five bags of groceries, a gym bag, and walking the dog...somehow, I try to balance the phone between my ear and shoulder.
Forgetting the phone at home one day, leads directly to a feeling of impending doom. Accidently leaving the ringer on during a pilates class is completely jarring and distracting, leaving me guessing who that probably was and why they were calling, when the hour was originally meant to be my personal time to focus on myself! And forget it if my ringer goes off when I'm the one teaching class! That's just embarrassing, and distracting, and annoying, and.....
What is the answer?
Maybe Vince Vaughn has the answer. I was randomly reading an interview with him and he said he decided to get rid of his cell phone because whenever it would ring, he would dread answering it. He would think, "oh no, someone is calling me".
I so feel that! Its not at all that I don't like hearing from people or I'm avoiding people... I just can't really explain it. But, Vince, completely get rid of the celly? That's like asking me to completely stop drinking coffee (more on that another time). I need it.
At least we'll always have the "ringer off" option! Read more!