Are you constantly distracted?

Discover a hobby to unplug.

You wake up to the notification sound from your phone. You start to scroll through your social media feeds following the notification you heard. The feeds keep you occupied for over an hour before you realize you are already running late for work. You rush out of the house, skipping breakfast, and join the morning rush hour to get to work. The radio is on, and you become frustrated with both the news and the traffic on the road. You arrive at the office exhausted and angry. Your phone keeps buzzing with notifications and missed calls. You are late for a meeting, and your day continues with your head down on your computer and mobile phone. You go home with your phone in hand and rejoin the evening rush hour on your way home. You repeat this same scenario the next day.

Such is the description of our modern life. The daily routines promise to keep you occupied until retirement. What does this constant distraction do to our brains? It overstimulates our brains, making it harder to focus and retain information. This then conditions your mind to be passive; it no longer thinks critically. It also leads to anxiety and depression over time, according to an Oxford study on brain rot (Oxford’s 2024 word of the year), caused by chronic overstimulation from screens. On the other hand, the Bible instructs us on what to think: Whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Are you allowing your mind to be constantly distracted?