5 Ways to Break Up With Your Phone
These days we are connected constantly through the amazing technology we have in our hands. I don’t know about you, but my mobile is my diary, calendar, camera, to-do list, contact list, music, entertainment, oh and telephone. Whilst it’s so easy to connect, it can’t be denied that there’s an underlying worry – am I spending too much time on my phone? The more connected we are to technology, the more disconnected we become from nature.
How many hours a day do you use your phone? There’s a great little tool on the iPhone that shows you your screen time each day and it will even send you a cheeky report at the end of each week to show you if your screen time is up or down. The first time I discovered this, it blew me away (& not in a good way!). I’m so guilty of being outside and losing myself in the world of Instagram or Facebook instead of taking in the live version right in front of my eyes.
Whilst travelling, I absolutely LOVE having no access to WIFI! How awesome is it to only connect to the outside world when you want to? You can spend the whole day taking in the most breathtaking surroundings, experiencing new cultures and connecting with the locals. When discovering a new destination my phone is only used as a camera, so why does it change the second we are back in our normal routine! I love getting lost somewhere new (I have a terrible sense of direction so this happens to me a lot), at first I found this so daunting but once you’ve asked for directions and ended up meeting some new friends along the way it becomes one of the best parts of travelling.
Of course, we don’t have the luxury of travel right now to pull us away from our iPhones and Androids, so I’ve pulled together my top 5 ways to put your phone away while in lockdown. Check them out below.
1. BAN SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE BREAKFAST
How often do you find yourself scrolling on your phone without really looking at what you’re reading? There’s so much incredible content out there that we’re really doing a disservice to the things we are interested in by scrolling mindlessly. Give yourself certain periods of time throughout the day for social media, now when you log in you’ll actually be engaging with the content that you downloaded social media for in the first place!
2. RECONNECT WITH NATURE
Nature and the great outdoors is something everyone has found a new appreciation for in lockdown. Why not take an activity outside in the morning during your social media break. Meditation or yoga in the garden or in the local park will help put you in a positive mindset for the rest of the day. We highly recommend the Headspace app which offers a free trial or you can find hundreds of free tutorials for both on Youtube (using your phone for guided meditations or yoga doesn’t count, don’t worry!).
3. PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY AT DINNER
How often do you check your phone when you’re out for a meal or a few drinks with friends or family? (Pre COVID-19 of course). Now that countries are slowly lifting lockdown restrictions and outdoor bbq’s and dining out is a possibility again, try out this trick me and my friends used to use. We would put our phones in the middle of the table and the aim was to ignore them for the whole night, if anyone caved they bought the next round of drinks! The night will make you either super social, very drunk or completely broke – the choice is yours!
4. TURN OFF NOTIFICATIONS
Turning off notifications on your phone will stop those pesky vibrations or sounds from encouraging you to pick up your phone throughout the day. Just like having a social media break in the morning, this will allow you to decide when you want to look at your phone. Some apps even have flexible notifications so you can choose to only be notified of the important stuff like work emails or messages from certain contacts!
5. TRY SOMETHING NEW
If you’re not really a walker, try going for a walk somewhere new in your local area. Do some stargazing out your bedroom window at night and admire this incredible universe we live in. Go for a drive and explore the countryside or a local park, you can even try going camping (even if it’s in your garden – do it!), you can even start your own little veggie/herb garden! There is so much we can do to find new hobbies to connect with nature and find some peace in our hectic everyday lives.
Be kind to yourself during this time and find a way to disconnect that works for you. When the time to travel comes around again, we’ll be back at it making memories away from the screen!
WRITTEN BY: Gemma Ford
