This Fourth of July, my friends and I decided to tube down Apple River in Wisconsin. Because I am in love with documenting my life on Snapchat, I decided that it would be a great idea to bring my phone on the tube with me as I drift down a very shallow and rocky river. It only took 15 minutes for my phone to take a plunge into the cold river.
Phones are not water resistant. Although some phones are able to take a dive into a body of water and survive (the rice trick really works, by the way), I was unable to have this happen with my phone. Devastated but determined to survive, I had to go the rest of my Fourth of July without a cell phone to take pictures, tweet, post on Instagram/Facebook, or text anyone. I knew that I was in for a long day.
That is exactly what it was: a long, productive day. We constantly complain that we never have enough time in a day to get all of our work done, but we have 24 whole hours to be productive and make a difference every single day. Although I wasn’t able to connect over social media with my friends that day, I actually connected with them on a more personal level since I was more aware in the moment and not using my phone almost 24/7. The peacefulness was nice and my stress went down at least 50 percent of my normally high levels of stress and anxiety.
Without my phone, I was able to recognize and concentrate on other areas of my life that needed more attention. I cleaned my room, got my car washed, vacuumed, went for a run, cooked an actual meal, wrote a letter to my best friend abroad, and authentically socialized with friends in person rather than over social media. It was crazy how much I was able to do in a day without my phone. I was able to sleep better at night and wake up more refreshed, something that I have been trying to do for a while now.
So to summarize my point, I learned a lot from the drowning of my phone. Here’s a quick list:
1. Spend more time with friends in person, rather than through social media.
2. Turn off your phone by a certain time each day. This ensures that you will receive quality sleep that your body needs to function correctly.
3. Know emergency phone numbers. Don’t be like me and not know your own parents’ phone numbers.
4. Dedicate more time to having “quiet time.” My friend Mallory calls it her “Mal time.” This is basically defined as having an allotted amount of time daily to unwind and relax. Activities include journaling, reading, cleaning, etc. -- just whatever makes you relax and quiet.
5. Put your phone away when with friends. Sometimes I check my phone when I am with friends (I know, I am an awful friend), but concentrating on the conversation and being in the moment enabled me to redirect my energy and become closer with the person I was initially with.
