Life is all about finding balance, and when you’re a parent, you get to help your kids find balance too. Technology is one of those areas I feel I’m constantly harping on my kids about. Yes, smartphones, tablets, and the endless apps they use, can be helpful tools. But if they’re glued to your hands 24/7, you now have a problem.

Life, real life, doesn’t happen inside those screens. Spending too much time there pulls you away from the necessary physical interactions that connect you with the people around you. Without these interactions, feelings of isolation can grow. A disconnect that can easily lead any person toward depression.

Stop the cycle. Make a concerted effort to put the technology away and interact with those around you more often. The joy you will find by doing so is well worth the pain of separation you might feel at first for peeling the smartphone from your hands.