Are you addicted to your smartphone?
Do you have a smartphone obsession? I know I do…
A few weeks ago, I was in Singapore for a couple of days on a stopover. After an insane bill the previous time I’d been overseas, I turned the data off on my iPhone. There was no wifi where I was staying, so for the first time in a very long time, I found myself completely cut off from the internet. And you know what, it was great. I was completely “in the moment”. I walked around without a soundtrack. I read a book. And I didn't have a clue what was going on in the world. If only I could do it more often.
Are you addicted to your smartphone too?
Is it going to rain today?
I wonder what Sarah’s up to?
I wonder how to make a paleo birthday cake?
Have I been paid yet?
Whatever the question, there’s an app for it. Bored, there’s always something to read or a game to play, right at your finger tips.
Living in the moment
It’s hard to live in the moment when you spend all day on your smartphone. All the incredible views you miss, the people who walk past, who you didn't even see. The real life moments missed when you were updating your Facebook status. The sounds of nature and life blocked out by your earbuds.
What are you missing out on?
Can’t sleep?
You go on your smart phone because you can’t sleep – or can’t you sleep because you've got into the habit of using your smart phone before bed? The blue light that streams out of your phone in a darkened room, is your brain mistaking that as a cue that it is day time and you should be active and alert?
The restaurant challenge
The last time you went out for dinner, did your companions check their phone during the meal? If so, this is a great game to implement next time – and you could get a free dinner out of it!
The phone-fast challenge?
Could you go without your phone for 24 hours? No phone, at all. Leave it at home. I’d love to hear if you’re game enough to go without your phone for 24 hours, what you did instead – and if you felt better for it. Do share in the comments below!
