by Bobbie Smith

Created on: July 17, 2009   Last Updated: August 17, 2009

A ring tone from your BlackBerry wakes you in the morning. Before you drink coffee or get a shower, you've already checked your emails, tweeted your state of mind on Twitter, published your Facebook status, and you can't wait to check your online chat to see if anyone replied to your late-night question.

If this sounds familiar, the devices and social sites in your life have become your life. The idea of social networking was meant to draw you closer to people; instead it is drawing you into your hand-held device. Staying in touch with friends is not easy in a busy world. Sometimes you have time only to send a quick message. Using the technology, you communicate, but how connected are you from a friendship standpoint? You share many snippets of your life, thoughts and other distractions, but what do you get in return? What emotional value are you getting when you receive a 140-character tweet from an acquaintance? Do you have 602 Facebook friends you absolutely need? Are they your true friends? If the answers are not much, no and no, then maybe it's time to rethink how much you are giving to relationships where the emotional value does not match the energy you put in.

Look for balance in your online presence. Choose one outlet and make a promise to yourself to check it once every two to three days. Consider reaching out to an online counselor who can help you explore the meaning behind your urgent need to tweet, post and ping, when you could be connecting with friends and spending quality time together. Whether it's fear of being alone or fear of being with people, a trained professional can help you understand your own motivations without all the electronic interface that can clutter your day and ultimately your soul.

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