Like most of the people reading this, I am guilty of overusing my phone. I use my phone for typical “phone stuff” but also for researching things, weather, social media, to-do lists, etc.
Over the past year I have become extremely annoyed of my smartphone. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t know what I would do without it and I am greatly appreciative of everything I can do with it. However, I find that I spend too much time on it. It’s addicting. Being on my phone has evolved from something I did when I needed to talk to someone or look something up to something I do so that I am literally never bored ever. Think about it, when was the last time you were actually bored and didn’t scroll mindlessly though your phone to avoid sitting in silence? Waiting at the doctor’s office? Phone. Red light? Phone. Professor leaves the room to print something? Phone.
Isn’t this getting a little ridiculous? No wonder I am so stressed about school, work and everything else in between. In the few free minutes I have each day when I could be thinking to myself, reflecting on my day or having a few moments of deep breathing and meditation, I reach for my phone instead. I am not Kim Kardashian. I do not need to check my phone this much. I know this.
I realized that my bad habit needed to stop when I was watching Netflix one night (a bad habit for a different day). I had to rewind my show THREE times because I missed what was happening. Why? Because I was on my phone, mindlessly Pinterest-ing, Instagramming and Snapchatting. Enough was enough. The next time I went home I dug up my old-school alarm clock and brought it back to college with me. I had always kept my phone plugged in near my bed so I could use the alarm clock, but once I brought the clock back I moved my phone charger to my desk (out of reach from my bed).
The next few weeks I noticed drastic changes in my ability to relax before bed and get a good night’s sleep. When I got into bed to watch a show or read a book and fall asleep, I fell asleep much faster without my phone to distract me. I have also had better quality sleep because if I ever wake up during the night, I just roll over and fall back asleep. With my phone nearby, I used to check it in the middle of the night; which could keep me awake much longer.
Aside from resting better and enjoying a more relaxing period of time before bed, I also noticed that my mornings were much more enjoyable when social media wasn’t the first thing I did when I woke up. Before, I would lay in bed on my phone for around 10 minutes before getting out of bed. With my phone across the room, I usually don’t even check it until I grab it to run out the door to class or the gym.
This may not work for everyone, and it is a hard habit to break, but overall I think my old-school alarm clock is drastically helping me to relax and sleep better. Not to mention, starting my day off with my own thoughts, not what I see on the Internet, is extremely refreshing. If you have an alarm clock, I would highly suggest trying this even just for a week. In this world of constant Internet connection, it’s important to connect with our own thoughts and ourselves.