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There’s actually a word for people who can’t live without their phones: Nomophobes. According to Scientific American, this fear of no-mobile-phones is defined as: “(1) the feelings of anxiety or distress that some people experience when not having their phone (“I don’t know where my phone is!), and (2) the degree to which we depend on phones to complete basic tasks and to fulfill important needs such as learning, safety and staying connected to information and to others (“I’ll just get my phone to help me”).”
In our age of connectedness, it is almost impossible to be present and focused on just one thing. So much so, that France recently had to make a law that allows workers to ignore work e-mails after work hours, giving them the right to disconnect. You read that right—a country had to pass a law allowing citizens to not have to work when not at work.
A recent study showed that the average attention span of a human is now less than a goldfish. Do you see where this is going?
In a world where focusing has become almost impossible—I can’t be the only one who catches myself checking social media while watching TV—exercising is the perfect time to disconnect and just…be.
So the next time you absentmindedly grab your headphones before heading out for a run or hitting the gym, maybe think twice and allow your mind to wander freely. It may be uncomfortable at first, but that extra bit of mindfulness may be the only down time you get that is distraction-free all day. Take advantage of it—your brain will thank you.