Why Do We Feel Guilty When We Don't Answer Our Phones? | Day 14 of 30 Days of Showing Up

Do you ever feel guilty when you don't answer your phone or reply to a message straight away? I've been thinking about this quite a lot recently. Growing up in the 1970s and 80s, life was very different. We had a landline at home, and if somebody didn't answer, you simply assumed they were out doing something. There was no WhatsApp, no read receipts and certainly no expectation that everybody should be available 24 hours a day! But somewhere along the way, things changed. These days, we carry our phones everywhere. Even when we move from one room to another at home, the phone often comes with us. And when somebody sends us a message or an email, there's this strange feeling that we should reply immediately. I know I'm guilty of it myself. In today's video, I'm having a little rant about our relationship with mobile phones, why switching off has become so difficult, and whether we've lost something along the way. I also talk about how socialising has changed since I was growing up, when we'd simply head out to the park and meet our friends without arranging everything by phone. And here's something I've noticed. Sometimes, when I'm somewhere without mobile phone signal, I actually feel more relaxed! There's no temptation to check messages or respond to emails because I physically can't. Perhaps that's telling us something. ⏱️ VIDEO CHAPTERS 00:00 Why Do We Always Feel We Have to Be Contactable? 01:11 Whatever Happened to Picking Up the Phone? 02:57 Why Do We Feel Guilty About Switching Off? 05:05 The Unexpected Freedom of Having No Phone Signal 💬 I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS! Do you carry your phone everywhere, even around the house? Do you feel guilty if you don't reply to a message straight away? And if you remember life before mobile phones, do you think things were better then, or has modern technology made our lives easier? I'd genuinely love to hear your experiences in the comments. This is Day 14 of my 30 Days of Showing Up challenge here on Just Blog Life. I'm sharing honest, unscripted thoughts about everyday life, self-employment, living abroad and figuring things out in my 50s. Thanks for watching! If you enjoy these conversations, please give the video a like and subscribe to Just Blog Life. See you in Day 15! #DigitalOverload #MobilePhones #DigitalWellbeing #LifeBeforeSmartphones #JustBlogLife