A few months ago, I remember feeling very foggy. I felt a surge of anxiety, but I could not put my finger on the issue. The one thing I noticed was that I was spending a considerable amount of time on my phone. I was getting notifications from my phone that my screen time had increased dramatically. From the social media apps to my not setting firm boundaries with people contacting me, I came to the conclusion I was feeling burnt out from constantly being on my phone. All of this made me come to the decision of “putting my phone away” for a week. As much as I want to say I did, I was not able to completely turn off my phone. I had it on “do not disturb,” and limited to checking my notifications once a day. This was just to ensure I was monitoring any emergencies anyone was having. However, other than that, I did not touch it for a week.Â
My Initial ThoughtsÂ
The first day, I did not know what to do with myself. I had come to the realization that I gravitated towards my phone whenever I was bored or had a break in my schedule. I had an unhealthy addiction to my phone, so much so that I would just press the power button and look at my lock screen and time when I had nothing else to do. I discovered this compulsion in the absence of my phone’s presence. Immediately, I started to compile a mental list of other activities I could do while I was bored. One thing I noticed was the amount of free time I had. Realizing I had so much free time throughout my day made me realize how much time I spent on my phone. I never understood where “you spent nine hours on your phone today” came from. This led me to pick some other activities to fill my time with.Â
A Day in the Life Without My Phone
In the mornings, I started to go on walks. Starting my morning off with some fresh air and sunshine made me feel refreshed, and it was a great way to start off my day versus spending my waking moments scrolling on social media. When I would get back from my walk, I would do yoga. The walking combined with yoga really helped clear my mind and put me in a great mindset to start off my day. Starting my mornings off slow gave me time to reflect on what I wanted to get done that day. My mornings felt calm and enjoyable versus rushed and stressful.Â
After this, I would go about my day, doing things such as any assignments I had to do, cleaning my house, and doing laundry. I was able to get a lot done without the distraction of my phone. In my free time from assignments, one task that I took on was coloring. I was able to go to the dollar tree and buy a coloring book, as well as some crayons. This activity was something that was my go-to when I was not on my phone. It was a fun brain break for me. When I felt that I had enough, I would get back to whatever other task I was doing. It gave me the same joy without feeling like I could not put it down.Â
Another activity I utilized was journaling. For me, I was a bit nervous to try this. Journaling does not come very naturally to me, and I did not know where to start. If you are feeling this way, sometimes looking up journal prompts can be a very helpful thing to do. Depending on how you are feeling, there are many different prompts that you can find that will guide you in journaling. I had some written down so I did not have to use my phone to access it. Journaling helped me to further identify my feelings of stress and burnout and helped me clear my thoughts.Â
The evening was another obstacle. A typical evening for me was to spend time on my phone. Without my phone, this led me to have a large amount of time on my hands. This is when I rediscovered my love for reading. I could not remember the last time that I had just picked up a book for fun. This was a great alternative activity, and it is something that I now have put into practice every night before bed. Another thing that I did was have a spa and movie night. I bought candy, made popcorn, and turned on some of my favorite movies. I could not remember the last time I got through an entire movie without looking at my phone. During this, I did a face mask, as well as painted my nails. It felt freeing to not be attached to my phone throughout the evening. I finally felt like I was really doing something for myself. At the end of my day, I felt like I was productive and I was resting better than I ever had at night time.Â
What did I learn?
All in all, this little self experiment was very helpful for me. I was able to identify an unhealthy cycle and somewhat break it. I was able to really come back to the present and practice mindfulness. After that week, I felt very refreshed and so aware of my immediate surroundings. Every now and then, I still take small breaks from my phone. I feel that implementing these breaks when I feel burnt out is extremely helpful. From this, I still like to take my mornings slow. I try to stay completely off of my phone for at least the first hour of my day. I also now take time for myself every night to read instead of scrolling on my phone. If you are feeling overwhelmed by technology, do not be afraid to give yourself a little break from it.