About a week ago I lost my phone. It was tragic and frustrating and very stressful. I immediately had to email all my bosses and try to contact my friends in some way.

After my obligations had been taken care of, I began to realize how much I use my phone as a crutch in social settings or as a replacement for conversation.

Since I was leaving for a music festival a few days after I lost my phone, I just didn't get a new one. So for about a week and a half, I haven't had a phone. FOMO, or the fear of missing out, has practically disappeared.

When I wasn't overwhelmed with unimportant details of everyone's lives, it was easy to focus on what I wanted to do.

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Understanding FOMO:

The first change I noticed was certain people immediately stood out as essential to communicate with. These were my family and closest friends, my core people.

When you don't have access to social media, you are no longer up to date with hundreds of people's lives. Suddenly the lives of those you care about are far more important and interesting to you.

The quality time I got with my friends when I didn't have a phone was amazing. When I would sit to talk with friends I could no longer constantly check social media or text other friends to see what they were up to. I either had to sit in silence or have conversations with my friends about my life and their life.

Older generations think we use our phone too much for social interaction. A few weeks ago I would have disagreed.

I would have said that people my age are able to have the same quality conversations while also being on our phones, but that is clearly impossible. When we have uninterrupted access to stay updated on everyone we know, we are overwhelmed.