154. When Technology Distracts You From Life

We are smack dab in the middle of our series covering what I call the “Big Five” distractions. These are the five distractions that were present among the women I polled when writing my book, Right Now Matters. We covered the past and the future in the last two episodes, and today we’re highlighting one I think we can both relate to: technology. We’ll find some help and hope for when technology distracts us from life.

When Technology Distracts You from Life | woman in blue jeans and black shirt sitting across couch holding phone in hands, looking at phone

Technology: we love it and we despise it, all at the same time.

Am I right?

I mean we love having everything at our fingertips. We enjoy accessing instant information, entertainment, social media, photos, and events from our devices in our pockets or purses. We binge watch our favorite shows, and we are able to work on the go easier than ever. Technology is our friend, and where would we be without it?

Yet, is it really our friend? Have we given technology too much access to our lives? The buzzes, dings, and beeps pull at our attention. Playing video games and watching TV allow us to escape the reality of our lives, and social media entices us for hours to watch others live their lives instead of us boldly living our own.

For many, technology is a huge distraction.

I’m not telling you something you don’t already know or that you haven’t experienced. It’s not only a distraction, but it’s also very addicting. How is technology affecting us and the lives God has given us to live?

Technology affects our attention, our mental health, and our relationships. It overstimulates our brains and robs us of our sleep, our time, and our peace. How many times have you picked up your phone to do something, but something else grabbed your attention, and twenty minutes later you found yourself scrolling your favorite social media app? (I’m speaking from experience here.)

I share a two examples of how technology distracts us from living our real and wonderful lives, and we take a three-question quiz to help us understand if we are struggling with this distraction.

What do we do when technology distracts us from living the abundant lives Jesus came to give us?

Click on the player above to listen to the full 14-minute episode.

Just because we use technology every day, it doesn’t mean we have to be distracted by it or addicted to it–it can be our friend. As I say often, life is too important to live it distracted. God bless you!

Links in this episode: