It was a busy yet quiet morning commute on the train. When I noticed a curious new passenger. A toddler sitting on her mum’s lap, quietly studying the commuters around her one by one. I followed her gaze and realised that every single person was looking down at a screen.
As I watched her, our eyes met, hers wide with surprise. I smiled. She smiled back. I ducked behind the seat in front of me. She sat very still, waiting. When I reappeared, she burst into a loud giggle. Heads began to lift. One by one, our fellow passengers looked up, their curiosity piqued. The sudden attention made her giggle again, prompting more grins. Within minutes, the entire carriage was smiling, and this little girl was beaming with joy!
It was one of those rare, magical moments revealing the power of:
- looking up
- a smile
- eye contact
- human connection
That morning, 10 years ago, was a turning point for me. I realised that by looking down at my phone so often, I had been slowly disconnecting from my surroundings, from others and from myself. And I was not the only one.
As an emotional wellbeing practitioner, that moment deepened my work in ways I hadn’t anticipated. As my awareness of automatic behaviours with technology grew, I began exploring how to use it more consciously and then empowered (or enabled?) my clients to do the same.
Here is an invitation to try this tiny experiment. Wherever you are, look up from your phone, it could be when you are:
- at the bus stop
- waiting in line
- on the train
- sitting in a café
- at the playground
- at the beach
Look up from your screen when someone speaks to you at home. Fully. It matters more than you think.
We live in an age of fast-evolving technology, yet the most meaningful moments still happen in the space between people, not between a person and their phone.
May is the perfect month to practice this. The days are longer, nature comes alive, and bank holiday weekends stretch comfortably to 3 days. Small moments of connection are everywhere, waiting to be noticed. Look up this month and “dare to be the change” you want to see in your organisation, family, community and life!
Do you ever get the niggling feeling that you’re spending too much time on your phone?
Do you find yourself reaching for your device without even thinking about it?
Is it difficult to stop using your phone evenings and weekends?
Join me for this 7-day exploration of the relationship you cultivate with your mobile phone (I make the double assumption here that you are a ‘mobile’ and ‘smart’ phone user).
👉 More information and preview “Dear phone, we need to talk“
Recalibrate your Internal Compass
1:1 Sessions
If you are navigating menopause, the always-on culture of screens and notifications can make an already heightened nervous system feel even more stretched.
We can work together to recalibrate your internal compass, finding stillness amid the noise, identifying what is truly pressing your buttons and restoring a sense of perspective and ease.
Because you deserve to feel well in your body and in your relationship with the world around you.
Dare to find your centre again.
Get in touch: mathilde @ daretobethechange.today – 07947 319 362
Would you like to organise a Women’s Circle of Change in your local community?
Life is a mosaic—beautiful, messy and ever-changing.
Whether navigating life transitions, seeking community, reflection or wanting to be heard, this safe and nurturing women’s circle is for you.
We connect through authentic storytelling, finding wisdom and inspiration in each other’s experiences.
Let’s co-create a space where you and your guests can soften, breathe, express, explore and just be.
Get in touch: mathilde @ daretobethechange.today – 07947 319 362
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Our Editorial Team are writers and experts in their field. Their views and opinions may not always be the views of Wellbeing Magazine. If you are under the direction of medical supervision please speak to your doctor or therapist before following the advice and recommendations in these articles.
