Living in the Here & Now

Here & Now is all we have. But more and more people prefer to spend their time heads down, eyes glued to their phones. At the dinner table, kids are playing games on their tablet devices, teenagers and adults get distracted responding to incoming texts and emails. At any given social gathering, people are taking selfies, and devising a witty caption that will get them the most “likes”. At concerts, a sea of floating illuminated screens held up by fans recording the event.

It’s nice to keep mementos of special moments in our lives, but when does it become excessive and detract from the actual experience?

A party can be just as fun even if that high school classmate you hadn’t talked to in 10 years didn’t see it on your Instagram story. A concert can be just as lit in your memories and probably sound a lot less screechy than the audio recording on your phone. Emails and texts can wait till after dinner. If it was really important, they would call. Remember calling?

At Salt Spring Coffee, we are challenging ourselves to be more mindful. And we would like to celebrate the Here & Now with you!

Screen Time Versus Quality Time

Perhaps one of the most effective ways you can focus on the here and now is to switch off your phone and other devices. At least for a little while. It is estimated that we are now spending an average of 11 hours every week staring at screens of one kind or another¹. Almost five of those hours are spent watching TV and the rest is spent on other devices such as smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles.

Tweens (9 -12 year olds) spend most of their daily screen time watching television which takes up 2 hours and 51 minutes. For teenagers the preferred activity is their smart phone which they use for around 3 hours 35 minutes per day².

While everyone seems to bemoan the number of millennials glued to their phones it is, in fact, something that affects many different sections of society, with reports suggesting that 51% of teenagers feel that their parents ignore them in favor of looking at their phones³. The same report suggests 15% of adults admit that their phones distract them at work.

And we have now reached a point when being temporarily without your phone can lead to real feelings of anxiety. It even has a name: nomophobia⁴.

The long term impact is hard to tell as it is still a relatively new phenomenon. But even on a day to day basis, the impact can be seen in the way it can disconnect us from what is going on around us. Recent research⁵into the screen habits of American students found students who used their phones for just under one hour per day were happier than those who used it for longer periods. Moderation is obviously the key.

More than just a cup of coffee

That is why it’s so important to take some time out to enjoy life’s simple pleasures, like meeting a friend for coffee, or brewing a cup in your own home with love and care. At Salt Spring Coffee we believe there is more to enjoying a cup of coffee than pouring hot water into a mug. It’s about the aroma and taste of freshly ground coffee. It’s about getting the right coffee grind profile for your favourite brewing method.

It’s good to know that by choosing our organic fair trade coffee you are choosing a sustainable product which strives to minimize the impact on the environment. You are also helping to ensure that coffee farmers in Latin America, Africa, and Sumatra are getting a better deal which gives them a guaranteed income and protection against the fluctuations in the world market. Fortunately, more and more people are thinking about these issues before they buy. According to a survey⁶, more than two thirds of millennials stated that they prefer to buy coffee where they know that the farmers are receiving a fair deal.

Spreading the love this Valentine’s Day

So if you want to make time to invite someone special around for coffee, or even, if you just like a bargain, we have a great Valentine’s Day offer for you. When you buy a 400g bag of any coffee you’ll get another one at 40% off. You will find our coffee all over Canada in major grocery stores as well as smaller independents, natural food and wholefood stores. You can make the most of this offer knowing that you are having less impact on the environment without compromising on taste. And if you prefer to cut out the caffeine but are concerned about the chemical processing, don’t worry: our decaf is perfected using the traditional Swiss water method.

Terms & Conditions

*Discount only applies to coffee products, with the exception of subscriptions. Can not be used in conjunction with other offers, with a maximum 5 bags per customer with the discount. For a limited time only.

Shop Now: https://www.saltspringcoffee.com/collections/classic-coffee

Sources:

1.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/tech-happy-life/201812/how-much-screen-time-is-too-much

2.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/research/census_executivesummary.pdf

3.

https://www.business2community.com/tech-gadgets/the-unspoken-addiction-adult-screen-time-02112045

4.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-study-nomophobia-mdash-fear-of-being-without-a-mobile-phone/

5.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/sdsu-pta011818.php