What Are You Clicking On?

We click or tap on a tremendous number of things throughout our day. We press onto letters to send a chat to our friends or coworkers. We click a like on someone's post, and we click onto an ad which leads to more clicks. We click several times before finalizing an online order and double-checking that our shipping address is correct. 

It has become second nature to us. To click, tap, to interact through a screen. But has this caused a disconnect? Would I have spent $40.00 on mascara if I had been browsing in the store instead of clicking away online? Would I find a way to reach out to my distant ex to confess something if I couldn't just click send?

With a tremendous amount of content flashed in front of us hourly through our screens, it is important to take a break. Mindfulness is a great way to become present and pause to think before we click. 

Mindfulness is essentially a meditation or state of being when you are fully aware of what you are sensing and feeling in the present moment.

Mayo Clinic provides a great list of mindfulness techniques such as: 

Focus on your breathing. When you have negative emotions or are overwhelmed, take deep inhales followed by slow exhales. Focus on your breathing and try to block out any other thoughts. 

Accept yourself. Have your inner thoughts reflect how you would speak to a good friend in their time of need. 

Pay attention. Take a break from what you are doing. Notice the colors in the room around you. Be present. 

Tap into yourself before tapping on more through a screen.