Cell phones are awesome, until they're not. They help us stay connected to our friends, our schedules, our bank accounts and pretty much anything else you can think of. But cell phones can also make us disconnected from what happens right in front of us. We have become so obsessed with these devices that we can't always recognize when we should put them down. We've all heard not to text at dinner, in class and while driving, but those aren't the only places where your phone is intruding.
Picture a typical day on campus:
You wake up for class and the first thing most of us do is check our phones. Yes, checking your email and texts from Mom are important. No, scrolling through every social media feed you have is not. So maybe you use Facebook or Twitter to stay up to date on current events. I know I do. If that’s the case and you prefer to read the news over your morning coffee, consider only checking the news pages you follow rather than looking through your entire timeline.
After finishing your morning ritual, you head off to class... Probably looking through your phone. Or you could put the phone in your pocket and enjoy the view. Admire the sky, or the trees or that cute guy over there, but give yourself a break from the phone! You’ll also probably find yourself walking faster and avoiding collisions more easily.
Later on in this typical day, you might find yourself at your job. If like me, you work a desk job which simply requires a friendly presence, it can be easy to get sucked into the endless apps, games and websites to browse. While this may seem like the perfect time to play on your phone, it’s also the perfect time to study! The more you study at this time, the more freedom you have during your free time.
Another place you might visit is the gym. Use your phone to listen to your favorite music, but don’t scroll through Facebook on the elliptical. Staring at your phone during your workout is distracting. Focus on you and don’t let any potential stressors invade.
Maybe towards the end of your day or maybe earlier in the afternoon, you watch your new favorite show on Netflix. Think about it, how often do you watch a show or movie without checking your phone? Probably not that often. When you pay attention to your phone rather than the show, you risk missing important plot points or your favorite scene. So watch the show to enjoy it, not as an excuse to stare at your phone screen.
At the end of your typical day, you’ve probably spent quite a bit of time on your phone. While our phones are definitely important, they shouldn’t always be present. As you go about your next typical day, consider spending a little more time apart from your phone and enjoy some freedom from the screen.
