Turn Your Phone Off

n this digital age, we need technology to survive. It does not even matter what age you are anymore. You require technology. Whether it is a kindergarten class zoom call or a corporate business call, we all need technology. With our phones and computers at our fingertips, it has become harder to escape.

I was recently talking to a friend about my love-hate relationship with technology, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is like, we need our computers for work and school and then when we want a break from our computers we scroll through Instagram on our phones and then when we need a break from social media, we watch television,” said my friend. And sadly, this is true. When we need a break from one form of technology, we go to another. It is a double-edged sword. We need it, but we hate that we need it, but we also love it and hate that we love it.

During quarantine, I began to really struggle with my relationship with technology. As I said, it is a double-edged sword. So, in reaction, I started to delete apps to lower my screen time slowly. I realized that, on average, I was spending two hours a day on Tik Tok. Two hours of my day went to watching videos on my tiny phone. This upset me. To live more at the moment, I deleted the app. It was a hard adjustment, but I found after a few days, I forgot what I was missing. Just deleting one app lowered my screen time exponentially. I discovered that if I had nothing interesting on my phone, I would not use it. Of course, I still indulge often in Instagram and Snapchat to keep sanity.

I then took it a set further. I started turning my phone on do not disturb. I chose to do not to disturb by shutting my phone off completely for emergency purposes. Turing my phone on do not disturb allowed me to forget that it was even there. I was able to get my work down with fewer interruptions and focus more.

After deleting apps from my phone and turning it on do not disturb, I discovered so many benefits. My headaches decreased because my eyes weren’t being strained, I stopped thinking about what I was missing on Instagram, and I stopped wasting my days watching 15-second videos.

While Tik Tok and various phone apps may be a relaxation method for many people, I suggest that people try a different form of relaxation. I have learned to relax without my phone, whether that be meditating or going on a walk, or even baking. There are so many benefits to cutting down your technology and phone time. Cutting my screen time down has helped me live in the moment more and truly cut my FOMO down. So, this is my advice to take a small proactive step towards limiting your screen time.