We live in a disengaged society. We’re disconnected from ourselves and the things happening around us. We’re too busy focusing on other people’s lives rather than our own. There’s a constant sense of urgency in making plans, staying busy, and being a part of things. Except we aren’t. We are showing up physically but fail to show up mentally. There is a constant external focus because society is scared to dig a little deeper and hone into their emotions. Being vulnerable is scary so it’s easier to just tune in all out.
What Does it Mean to be Disengaged?
You may argue that you’re very engaged because you do fun things, you hang out with friends, and you participate in life. That’s amazing. Don’t give up the fun life you have, but all of that doesn’t mean you are engaged in your actions. To be actively engaged is defined as “being fully occupied or having your full attention”. When was the last time that you did something for fun and had your attention fully dedicated to that thing? We often are thinking about the next thing to come and do, what’s happening in areas that you aren’t in, and with people, you aren’t with, and we forget to come into the space that we occupy.
Why We’re Disengaged
We lack a connection between the mind and body. Our minds are in a state of go-go-go, all the time. We’re constantly thinking about our next move but forget to stop and be in the present moment. Life is passing us by with every moment. We fail to allow minds to have the needed time to catch up to the body. Digging deeper into our internal being isn’t an active part of our days. This is causing exhaustion and burn out because there isn’t any processing occurring.
It’s so easy to get caught up in other peoples live’s nowadays. Social media has made us become even more of a disengaged society. This is ironic because you’d think it was bringing people together. There is some of that but more times than not, people are just scrolling. We spend so much time on other people’s social media pages, judging and comparing rather than learning and communicating. It’s so common to be surrounded by a room full of people that matter to you and still be scrolling through the ‘gram.
Why We’re Afraid of Engagement
Society is scared to miss out on something. We’re scared of the inevitable and we’re allowing life to pass us by because of it. We live in an era where there’s so much going on around us. There is a sort of glorification around being busy and we’re worried about not having our plates full enough. We get to where we are going and soon realize that there is a whole other world behind the screen. More to miss out on, think about, and keep track of. There is a constant fear that there won’t be a place for us is we say no or if we put the phone down.
It’s so easy, I know. We often don’t even realize we are doing it until we’re so far in that there’s no turning back. So we do our duties and then some, expecting it to make up for the void in our lives. The void that’s so obviously there because we are too afraid to look within for satisfaction.
How Becoming Actively Engaged Will Change Your Life
Make a shift in your life. It doesn’t have to be crazy or seem life-changing, but gradually, you’ll start to feel it. You’ll feel yourself appreciating the little things and enjoying the small moments. Giving yourself the time and space to reflect will allow you to be active in your choices and your “why”. Connecting your mind and body will create calm and peace around the idea of scarcity.
We may live in a disengaged society, but the shift can start with you. You’ll feel it once you take those baby steps and you won’t want to turn back. Seriously, once you start noticing the little things, you’ll feel alive. Actively engaging in your life isn’t all that hard but you have to be willing to miss out on some stuff. You have to be willing to say no. You can’t make it to every party, work event, etc. or like every picture on social media. Life is going to happen with or without you. Do you want to look back in 5 years and ask where the time went?
