A Cyborg is Present

Learning to Switch Off or Unplug is hard. I’m not going to tell you that living your life starts off easy. Like all new things, it takes dedication and the development of life-long habits. I can tell you, however, that especially during this time of year one of the best things that can keep you on track for not living as a robot is to live for the moments. Living for the moment means that when you walk into a friend or family gathering you hug for a few more seconds, you take your coat off, kick your shoes to the corner and snuggle in. Make yourself at home wherever you go!

How do you live in the moment? It comes after Breaking your Programming. It means being prepared for Balance. It comes with being Mindful of the wonderful things that you have all around you. Don’t just start each day off thinking “What wonderful things will today bring?” think instead, “What wonderful things will this moment bring?”. Any day has the potential to be filled with insight, love, and comfort, and even the smallest things can show us this. A smile, a laugh, a hug can all bring tiny moments of understanding. Maybe we live for smiles, hugs, and laughter.

Sometimes families are stressful. Sometimes you’re the one stuck cooking dinner or cleaning up the dishes. Sometimes you’re the new one, or the old one and everyone around you is different. No matter what your situation is, there are special moments to be had. If you’re plugged-in to work, or your phone or thinking of being somewhere else, those special moments are likely to be missed. Pay attention to yourself and how you feel, and pay attention to the people around you. Let the joy of fellowship fill you up because humans are social creatures by nature and no matter what anxieties or fears or stressors you have, once you put yourself wholeheartedly into life, you’ll be surprised at how easy it becomes.

Juste Etre: Just Be suggests in “Just ‘Doing’ to Just ‘Being’” that we should look smaller. Pay attention to the little muscles in our bodies as we act or react. Focus. If living in the moment isn’t easy for you, let your focus take control. Focus on how the chair beneath you feels, or the smell of the house around you. In this, you’ll find that living in the moment can be a spectacular thing. Living for the Moment may make you happier because you can take delight in smaller things. It may make you more grateful because you can find joy in even the simplest of activities.

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Switched Off – The Beginning

Hello Readers!

Although I’ve been very good at living my life as a Female Robot, I’ve decided to return to offer you new advice. As your Human-Cyborg Relations guide, I’m hoping to give you tips and tricks on how you too can live your life as a Functioning Cyborg in a busy world. The world is full of distraction. We can amuse ourselves with multiple social media accounts, blogs, videos and Buzzfeed is one of my favorites too – do you know which Disney Prince or Princess you are?

Anyway – I’m here to tell you that I get it. The world-wide web is a wonderful place. Many of us work there. Tech lets us be connected all of the time. Being connected all of the time for those of us that love to absorb the world around us is wonderful. All things wonderful though – aside from love – should be taken in moderation. Many of us struggle with the ability to be connected to those around us, even ourselves. For some, finding the ability to be connected isn’t just Unplugging, it is Switching Off.

The Difference Between Unplugged and Switched Off

The differences between Unplugging and Switching Off may be subtle, but the main factors here are those that Unplug do so knowing that they have the ability to plug back in at any time. Being unplugged means you’re mobile, your phone may not be at the dinner table with you, but it is somewhere in your purse or pocket. Unplugged gives a balance between our digital lives and our physical ones. Being Unplugged means you can multitask and still find alternatives to tech, or you set your tech aside a few minutes per day – you are a Cyborg, a functioning techie in a world that pulls you both ways. Being Unplugged is about relaxing and finding harmony; switching off is about being free.

Those that take the time to Switch Off are the ones that shut their digital lives off completely. Switching Off allows for many people to turn their physical lives back on. Cyborgs may find Switching Off to be particularly difficult – “How can I NOT have my phone for a day?” They may ask. Switching Off means that you’re admitting to not being connected. You will not be connected because the here and now is what is important. Instead of having their phones in their pockets, Switched Off Robots may go so far as to shut them off completely for a day, or not even bring them! Being Switched Off means that you don’t NEED the tech. You are enough. You are powerful, connected and part of the world as you are.

The benefits of each type of thinking are important. In the next few weeks, I’m hoping to explore Switching Off and how powerful being a Female Robot that takes a day off can be.

The Keys to Switching Off

The keys to being Unplugged as you may have guessed are Mindfulness and Balance. Shutting Off can be more powerful than that. Shutting Off can be an honest and open admission that being Unplugged is too difficult or it can be a way to empower yourself over your technology “I don’t need you today.” Switching Off is powerful because it requires not only the Mindfulness that being Unplugged requires, but it asks of you even more. It is asking you to put YOU first. The ability to stand free of the imaginary constraints we impose on ourselves because of technology. Being Unplugged is an active state of Mindfulness, Shutting Off lets you throw off that constant state of understanding for the one decision of saying “I matter more today”. The most important thing in Unplugged is Balance. The most important thing in Shutting off is YOU.

The Power to find You

Whichever way is best for you – being Unplugged or Switched Off – becoming more mindful and more connected to yourself is a journey worth taking. Do your best to not only take the advice of a Happy and Functioning Cyborg and Female Robot that takes great pleasure in Shutting Off, but be willing to find the way for yourself. I’m here for advice and guidance. You’re here for you. Making yourself a priority is the most important aspect of improving your life. If you take only one thing from this blog, I hope that it is the knowledge to know that more time spent on yourself is never wasted. Find the power to find YOU. Just Etre – Just Be.