Take Care of Your Well-Being: Cell Phone Use

Students having their cell phones permanently attached to the sides of their heads is a relatively new thing.  Every day, I see them walking from their cars in the parking lot or walking on campus between classes just chatting away.  And don’t even get me started about the ones who use the little earpiece/headset thing so they look like psychos who are just talking nutty to themselves.  Although that’s really more of a mom-at-the-market thing.

Stop talking on your cell phone so much! 

Oh, I know…  You say, “Well, just driving to school or walking to class…  That’s just wasted down-time for me, so why not use the time to do a little socializing?”

Here’s the deal:  Driving to school and walking to class is NOT wasted down-time.  It is very important time that you should be thinking about school, thinking about life, doing some positive-thinking stuff, de-stressing and just being quiet and with yourself.

I do my very best thinking and creating while I’m driving or going for a walk.  Before I start writing about a topic, I go for a walk around my neighborhood.  It’s a time to clear my head, have some quiet and start thinking about what I want to write.

When I’m driving to school and walking to class, I’m thinking about what I’m going to do in my classes that day and I’m thinking about the students I’m about to see. 

When you are constantly on the phone, you are robbing yourself of this very useful time.  Hey, I’ve seen (on many more than one occasion) students of mine get into phone arguments right outside the door of my classroom – literally 2 minutes before class is going to start!  There have been tears and yelling – the whole shebang!  I’m sure that these students didn’t get a single thing out of my class that day and I’m sure that they sat there completely stressed out the whole time.

Learn to be with yourself and learn to utilize the quiet time.