Would you want to go 48 hours without your phone
Does the idea of two days without your phone totally freak you out? Or totally inspire you? Two whole days. How would you communicate? How would you get around? How would you chat with your friends and family? How would you make plans? Or post photos? Or research that questions you had on Google?
Our phones are used for quite literally everything these days. They’re so smart. But the real question is are they making US smarter? Regardless of if you think you can survive without your phone or not, it’s important to ask yourself if a break from your phone is something you need. Researchers have shown that we actually use our phones a total of 5 hours a day, which on average is many times more than we think that we use them. Can you even wrap your head around that? That equates to 150 hours or more spent staring at that little screen a month, and 7800 hours a year. And that doesn’t even include all the other hours that you might be looking at televisions or computers.
It’s important to get boundaries with your phone. For SO many reasons. Because we’re really distracted when we’re constantly looking at them and checking them…even for no reason. Have you ever looked at your phone for absolutely no reason because you just couldn’t help yourself? Or have you ever been at dinner with a friend and they keep looking or reacting to their phone while you all are supposed to be in the midst of a conversation. You know that it doesn’t feel good. And it comes from basically an addiction to the messages and notifications constantly coming our way.
The more you use your phone, the more likely you are to have mental health problems. Think about how much anxiety you get from looking at other people’s lives, or from constantly going back and forth on email, or from endlessly looking at the news. Instead, what if you used that time to be connecting with your friends and hugging your loved one or doing something that makes you feel creative? Yes, your phone does give you a lot of freedom and convenience, but when when you’re not regulating how much you use it, it can have very detrimental effects to how you’re feeling and how you show up in the world.
So, if when you thought about what it was like to go without your phone for two days, it’s totally normal if you felt a bit anxious about that. But, if you also feel like you’re tired of how much you’re on your phone, that’s totally normal too. One trick people often employ to get their phone use under control is to have “phone hours”. For example, if you are always scrolling on your phone in bed, morning and night, maybe you need to make a no phone zone in your bedroom. Or, if you dislike having dinner when everyone is on their phones, make a friend and family room that you politely ask for no phones at dinner so everyone can connect.
You don’t have to go a full two days without your phone. But we DO want you to think about what part of your day could be phone free. Whether it’s meals with people you love, or during your nighttime routine, pick one time that deserves your full attention and take your phone out of it. You’ll be feeling more present before you know it.
