Live in the Moment

School starts back soon, and we all know what that means. For parents, a break from entertaining kids tirelessly and sending them off to face even more boredom. For students, we typically revert back to daily routines of getting up early and returning to the habit of looking at phone screens.

People normally believe the assumption that the season of summer is when teens typically use their phones the most. However, research says the school year is actually when students view their screens the most. Why, you might ask?

Lots of people my age attend camps or programs like Moondance, during the summer, where phones are not allowed. This enables teams with the opportunity to fully engaged themselves in their surroundings and learn to live in the moment. It develops a sense of community among individuals without the temptations caused by phones.

This summer, I spent lots of time reflecting on the things most important to me in life. I didn't have my phone for around 6 weeks this summer, and I was able to establish goals and ambitions for myself and for this coming year. My philosophy this summer was "Live in the Moment" and it seemed like the only way to do so was to eliminate all distractions such as phones and social media.

This summer I truly discovered the person I want to be and who I want others to see me as. I was able to truly be myself without fear of rejection or judgement. Without phones and other temptations we are ultimately forced to reconsider what are morals and ambitions are in life. I believe our phones teach us to love the person we portray on our profile pages. Instead we should learn to love ourselves as the unique individuals we are, not the so called "perfect" person we portray on social media.

I challenge you to be your unique self without the fear of rejection that our phones create. Whether that means taking breaks from our phones or just spending time thinking to ourselves and focusing on discovering your own aspirations and goals for this upcoming school year.