Putting Your Phone Away For More Happiness

Often what’s happening in those moments where you're sitting in a coffee shop, there's going to be an instinct to fill that time with some increased sense of pleasure. We feel that conditioning of the mind that rapidly wants to fill that gap to entertain itself. It’s a cycle we can easily reinforce by playing it out in a single second. When your mind feels that desire to fill the gap and gets that desire met, the desire can feel stronger in the future.

Next time this happens, see if you can relax into that void where we feel a pull to be entertained. When you pause and notice that tension, you’re actually starting to recondition the mind in relation to that desire. And then subsequently, in the future, that desire has less of a grip on you and creates less tension within you — ultimately leading to a greater sense of peace in the mind.

Filling our seemingly mundane moments with entertainment can be a slippery slope. The phone is more entertaining than a salad — we can't deny that. But what happens when we fuel that initial impulse? The subtle pleasures that might come with the simplicity of whatever we’re doing, such as eating a meal, become seemingly less compelling. We may not notice the sight, taste, and quality of the food.

Set an intention for your next cup of coffee or tea and see if you can be with the subtle joys. Take a sip, and then take a breath. While being still, let the taste settle in your mouth. And then, try it again.

As you practice this, you’re cultivating a resilient mind — one that's a little less busy and more at peace.

We hope this inspires you to put down the phone for a moment, and see how you experience life, hands-free, and have fun exploring this idea. It’s all part of the journey of practicing being human.