This past weekend I went on a cruise with my family. On this cruise I had to go almost five days without any type of wifi or cellular data. Although it may sound ridiculous, it was extremely difficult for me to get through even a few days without being able to check any form of social media. Even though it was extremely stressful because I felt that I was missing out on what was going on in the rest of the world, I was able to survive the technology-less days. Here are the many different phases I went through in mourning the temporary loss of phone connection.

Stage 1: Ignorance

As the ship sailed out of the port and my bars of phone service began to decrease, I continued to check my recently posted Instagram, ignoring the fact that soon I would have no service at all.

Stage 2: Denial

As my cellular data was eliminated, I began to furiously refresh my email, but the only type of communication I was now getting was the "cannot get mail" notification. I could not accept the fact that this was now a reality.

Stage 3: Grief

It didn't take much longer for me to realize I would not have service again for a few days, but it didn't mean that I was okay with it. I became frustrated as I played the same two game apps, the only ones I had remembered to download when I did have service.

Stage 4: Envy

I jealously eyed my dad on his phone, as he had connection for work. How could he be allowed to contact the outside world when I wasn't?

Stage 5: Confusion

Also known as the question's phase, this is when you start to question everything you know about the outside world. For example: Will I ever have connection with anyone ever again? What's going on at home? Did I get any Snapchats? What if I got an email from my boss? What if something imoprtant happened and I missed it?

Stage 6: Acceptance

As the cruise was in full swing, I found it easier to enjoy my time with my family without the constant distraction of social media. It was nice to be able to sit at a table for dinner and look around at everyone's faces, instead of looking around at people staring at their phone screens.

Stage 7: Relief

As we pulled back into the port and the connection was back, I eagerly opened the texts and Snapchats I had missed over the past few days. At the same time, I was able to appreciate being able to contact my friends even more. I was also extremely grateful to have experienced the time I had with my family.

Although it's extremely easy for us to be attached to our phones in today's world, it's important to take time off from the online world and actually take part in the real world around us.