PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE

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As I’m walking home one day, my phone dies.  Then the anxiety sets in. Why did my phone just die? I swear my battery was at 25%. Is it broken? What if someone texts? These worries run through my head as I walk the next few quiet blocks home. As soon as I walk in the door I race to my charger to plug it in. My phone boots up, and I feel relief.  I immediately check twitter/Instagram/etc. to see what I’ve missed. This is my mindset these days. Why couldn’t I enjoy a walk home without distraction? Why couldn’t I remain unplugged, on a nice night? It’s because I have a problem.

How often do you pick up your phone? Do you feel anxious when your battery is running low? How about when service is sketchy?  I am absolutely addicted to my phone, and I’d like to challenge myself (and you!) to break this addiction.

Here are a few reasons change is necessary:

It’s rude. How many times have you been talking to someone and they take out their phone mid-conversation? It happens all the time, and it’s not a great way to converse. “Why even talk when you can text? It will probably lead to a quicker response.” …those are some of the routines I’ve let myself think are ok. Then there are the cringe-worthy times in the grocery store line and someone is talking on their phone during check-out, not acknowledging the cashier, and simply not caring. It’s affecting everyone in line and the person is oblivious, just chatting away. These are just a couple very avoidable examples where people (and myself) should put down their phones. We should not become accustomed to this type of behavior!  PUT DOWN THE PHONE.

It’s dangerous.  How many times have you changed a song, returned a text/email, or checked a map while driving?  “Oh look that’s a text! I better respond right away!” It doesn’t matter if you’re in Chicago traffic or on a country road.  I’ve had some of my scariest moments driving because I was on my phone. I wish I could say that hasn’t happened, but it has for me, and probably for you. Your arm moves to pick it up, and you start typing, and the car veers. You aren’t the only person doing it, so the odds of hurting yourself or someone else is high. Same goes for walking with headphones and crossing busy streets; at this point, the drivers and pedestrians are dialed in, not paying attention. Pay attention to your surroundings! PUT DOWN THE PHONE!

Lack of sleep. How many times have you laid in bed to hear your phone beep? Then you stay awake until you check it? It happens all the time. How about browsing the web/twitter/facebook/Instagram before bedtime and something catches your eye… then you dig deeper, and the next thing you know, it’s an hour later? These are my struggles. It needs to stop.  PUT DOWN THE PHONE!

So what am I going to do about this?  Leave it for a couple hours in another room, go for a walk/run without it, and turn the sound off at night will be a few things I’ll try to break the habit. There are a few cool apps to try: Moment and Checky.  This is going to be an ongoing battle, but I’m motivated to change. At least after this blog I’ll have something reminding me to… PUT DOWN THE PHONE!!!