The blood drained from my face and unnerving panic sunk in. My day was ruined, the future was bleak, and the world had ended. My cell phone had decided to jump out of my pocket and take a swim in the toilet. No amount of rice would help, and the phone was broken... just like my soul.

After a painful hour of feeling how Taylor Swift must have felt after the release of “Reputation,” I came to a conclusion. I was sick. I had become grossly dependent on my phone so much so that I felt as if a close family member had died. The next morning I woke up without a phone and decided to go on hiatus.

Little did I know that it would evolve into a 6-week social experiment filled with frustration and agony but also clarity and freedom. I am living proof that going phoneless is possible. I navigated without GPS and communicated through language. Here is what I learned:

1. Your true friends will find a way to contact you, or you will find a way to contact them

I was worried once the phone broke that I would be socially isolated and on my own. If anything going phoneless made me closer to people as I had to be with them in order to know plans and events.

2. Everything is less planned

Serendipitous experiences happened to me about every day. For six weeks I had no idea of what people were doing or where they were. I would bump into friends and acquaintances everywhere and be delighted because I didn't know or expect them to be where I was. I did not look at their Snapchat or Instagram to know that they were at the same party I was at.

3. It annoys other people

Although there were many perks in not having a phone, I did feel slightly bad. I knew I had people texting me about important issues that I could not respond to. I was unreliable and people, understandably, began to get annoyed with me.