What do you do when you wake up? When you drive to work? While you sit with you family at dinner? As you fall asleep at night? You check your phone. From the moment you wake up in the morning until the second you fall asleep at night, your iPhone, Android, or other smartphone is glued to your hand and your eyes are glued to your screen. You may be thinking, yeah I use my phone a lot, but why is this a problem?

You are completely missing out on your surroundings and the in-the-moment experiences of life. You are taking yourself away from genuine communication, and unknowingly ignoring the most important parts of life. When was the last time you went a day without checking your phone, or even just one hour! The time you spend staring at your phone screen you could be spending exploring the wondrous world around you and the people, places, and things it has to offer.

When you walk in your house, do you ever just plop onto your couch and use your phone for 30 minutes straight without even looking up? We're all guilty of getting lost in our phones because there is always social media to check, a photo to edit, a person to text, an ugly Snapchat to send, or a person to stalk. The possibilities on your phone screen are endless, which is scary because it lets you forget about the endless possibilities of the world around you, as well as your responsibilities.

Our generation is lucky to have access to this type of technology at our fingertips every day, but it also serves as a major disadvantage. Don't get me wrong, your phone brings you immediate news, weather, communication, and picture taking, but it is also easy to get lost in your phone and use it for pointless things, just to pass time. So next time you are bored, instead of using those 30 extra minutes to update social media, you could spend it cleaning your room, reading the newspaper, going for a run, or researching something of interest to you. You can learn how to ride a bike in 30 minutes, so imagine all the other things you could be learning to do when you're not so absorbed in your phone.

Back in the olden times, there were no phones, no laptops, no Netflix. Kids and adults sat around and had meaningful conversations, played music and danced, played ball in the streets, and cooked food in the kitchen together. People make the excuse that things just "aren't the same anymore." But that is absolute bullsh*t. For a few hours a day, it wouldn't kill you to help your mom or dad cook in the kitchen, play a game of baseball or kickball in your backyard with your siblings or neighbors, or even go on a nice walk with your grandparents.

So once in a while, take a second to put life into perspective. Yes, you can communicate through texts and Snapchats, but there is nothing genuine or valuable about that. Real human communication and conversation is what really matters. In 20 years, you won't care about that one Snapchat My Story you posted or that one heated group chat conversation; you will care about the little moments in life you missed when your face was glued to your screen.

This is a struggle that all of us face. It is not easy, and it is also not our fault. We were given access to this technology at such a young age that we are prone to using it all day and relying on it constantly. I am not saying to throw out your smartphone and get a prepaid phone, but I challenge all of you to spend less time on your phone and more time learning new things, exploring the world around you, and spending time with the ones you love. I promise that your friends will survive a few unanswered texts and your Snapchat buddies will live 24 hours without knowing exactly where you are and what you are doing. A little mystery never hurt anybody. Try doing this over the summer and you will see how much your quality of life could improve. If you start caring less about social media and what other people think and care more about your life experiences and those you spend your life with, you will be grateful in the long run. So, put your phone down and go do something worth your time.