It dominates our lives and almost anywhere you go people are staring down at their phones checking in with the latest social media app, it is often the first thing you view when you wake up and the last thing that you look at before you sleep.
With research telling us that we spend more than 18 hours a week staring at screens, the question to ask is what impact is this seeming addiction having on our relationships?
Psychotherapist and relationship counsellor Melissa Ferrari will explore how the constant checking in on what is happening outside our relationship is impacting the health of our relationships and what you need to do to ensure that you alone and married to your phone.
• When commencing a relationship, put your phone down and make the effort to really get to know the person you are with
• Do not use your phone to communicate with your partner, when you do you will not pick up the reaction in their eyes, resulting in that funny becoming an argument
• Be mindful with what you post and do not post things of a personal nature from your partner without their permission to avoid causing potential embarrassment
• Create phone free times within your relationship, where the two of you can focus on you, without the distraction of technology – yes that means switch your phone off at dinner
• Make time for each other, make it a ritual that the last thing you do before bed and the first thing you do when you wake is to connect with your partner, not your phone
Listen to the podcasts here.
Melissa Ferrari is a Sydney registered psychotherapist and counsellor with more than 20 years of experience in couples counselling and individual therapy. She is one of Australia’s most sought-after therapists and is regularly called upon as a relationship expert in national media.
click here to visit her on the web