A few weeks ago I was scolded by a woman at a bus stop, for being on my phone when I could have been talking to my boy. Usually I'm politely dismissive of unsolicited advice but I had to admit that this woman had a point. I realised that rather than being a tool of communication my phone had become my friend, a beacon of hope in the ocean of motherhood. The next day I decided to leave my phone at home, just for an hour, to make sure I was completed engaged in parenting. I was astonished by how hard it was and how many potential disasters I envisioned occuring in those sixty minutes. In the end I had to shake it off and discovered that sometimes ignorance is bliss. If you're reading this and think you might need a phone sabbatical, here's 7 signs you might be over invested in your mobile.
- You've ever panicked about where your phone is and then realised that you're talking on it
- You look at your phone first thing in the morning and last thing at night
- You feel anxious if your phone battery is low whilst you're out
- You've ever checked your phone in company without excusing yourself first
- If your kid does something cute and the first thing you do is reach for your phone
- If your phone has more accessories than you
- You use your phone as a source of comfort, for example if you're alone at a party or in a restaurant
Any of the above might be a sign that you're letting life pass you by. Don't wait for a lady at a bus stop to knock some sense into you. Why not try a data detox with the following:
- Don't have your phone in your bedroom at night
- Leave your phone at home when taking short trips
- Turn your phone off for specific periods of the day when at work or engaging with your children
- Turn off notifications when in company
- Have set times for checking social media on your device
Let me know what you think makes for healthy phone habits. Sometimes I use my phone to upload pictures to instagram.
Guilty! Sometimes my phone keeps me sane and helps me get through my day but I am too reliant on it and now that Baby Girl is so impressionable I need to be careful. I love your idea of leaving the house without your phone. I may just have to try it X #fromtheheart
ReplyDeleteArgh. I couldn't agree more. Since I've recently embraced social media in all its forms I've developed a love/hate relationship with my dear Samsung. Love it when I'm out and about and forget the phone even exists...
ReplyDeleteI completely agree!I would love to leave my phone at home but if I am out while my husband is at work I have to have it with me as he never knows what time he will finish until that day, and I pick him up so need to be in contact! However if we are just going to the shops as a family then I do leave it at home :) I usually ignore it unless the hubby rings when I am with baby but I do check it when I wake up and when I go to sleep!xxx
ReplyDeleteThis is some excellent advice. I was very late to the smartphone party when I dropped my old brick on the road late last year and it was run over by a convoy of 246 trucks... pretty much the only way it was ever going to break. Then I sort of got shamed into it at the phone store when I said I just wanted one that I could talk on and that's it and the guy said "well this is the simplest model I can recommend. It's the one I got for my mum who doesn't know how the internet works." I never thought I'd ever use my phone for anything other than as a phone so I've been surprised at how addictive it can be. Luckily I'm also very irresponsible and absent minded and I hardly ever know where it is. Almost nightly when my husband gets home from work I have to get him to ring it so I can find it! :) #fromtheheart
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