RELINQUISH YOUR PHONE

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Photo by Josh Willink from Pexels
 

A few days ago, my husband and I switched phones for half the day. We didn’t do it on purpose, but it ended up being a funny little experiment.
 
We’re staying at my father’s house, which doesn’t have Wi-Fi, and the personal hotspot function doesn’t work on my phone. I had a Skype meeting to attend so I was using his phone to connect to the internet. In the middle of my meeting, he had to leave and run some errands, so he ended up taking my phone. He was buying some supplies for the house and we needed to be in touch.
 
In the end, we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with the other person’s phone. “Are you sure?” I asked him when he told me to take his phone when I left the house. “Won’t you need it when you get home?” I’m well aware that his phone is his lifeline to his work and he’s constantly in contact with colleagues.
 
“It’ll be a nice break,” he said, and I admired his discipline.
 
In the meantime, I was experiencing separation anxiety. What was happening on my phone? Who was messaging me? Had I received any important news? Although my phone was with Norbert, my brain was with my phone.
 
Just as we’ve been trained over time to reach for our phones, reducing our dependence on our devices also requires time and training—like undoing a nasty habit. It won’t happen in one afternoon. But still, it was shocking to feel the strain of my emotional and physical dependence on my phone—even though I had another phone in my possession.
 
I’ve heard of couples switching smartphones for the weekends as a way to minimize this dependence. You have all the necessary functions at your fingertips—Google maps, phone calls and messaging—without the distractions of your less helpful apps—social media, email, etc.
 
Perhaps we’ll give this short experiment another try, if we’re open to relinquishing our hold on our phones for a weekend—or even a day! Maybe the separation anxiety will ebb with each time. Like they say, practice makes perfect!

Tip of the Week

Trade phones with your friend or partner for 24 hours and see how you survive. Does it bring you serenity or stress? 

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