Bringing Back The Art of “Distraction Free” Conversation

January 12, 2020

When was the last time you had a conversation with someone without having your phone less than five feet away from you? Or even better when you weren’t holding in your hand, saying that you are listening all while scrolling away at your screen?

Ever since deleting all my social media accounts, I’ve began to remember what it’s like to have a full-fledged conversation without the distraction of my phone.

This weekend, I was at my son’s swim meet and except for one or two times to check the time and for messages from my mom (who was watching my other kids), it stayed tucked away in my purse. What happened was beyond incredible…

I wasn’t buried in my phone being anti-social. Really, if I really didn’t want to talk to people, I would have sat in a corner with my book.

During the whole meet, I got to catch up with my friend. Usually, we only see each in passing as we load our kids into our respective vans for car pool. We were able to talk about lots of different stuff going on in our lives while only being distracted when our kids were swimming.

Even afterwards, she sent me a message about how nice it was to actually get to chat. Never once during the four hours we were there, did I think about pulling out my phone. Without the temptation of social media to pull me in, I didn’t worry about FOMO, because life is truly great right here in the present when we allow ourselves to be fully present.

When was the last time you had a belly to belly conversation without picking up your phone?