When you tell people you are going phone-free for a month, they look at
you like you're crazy. Maybe I am a little crazy, because despite the
looks, I did it anyway. And can I just tell you, it was one of the most
freeing experiences.
2012 Savannah had it all right... TV, phone, and Facebook are all so stifling. In fact, they are downright suffocating.
The first few days of #nophonefebruary were rough. It was weird to not have my nose rubbed up against a screen all day. My morning meetings were so odd. Sitting there in silence instead of connecting with an alternate reality was almost stressful. I am not a cheery person in the morning and I found myself uncomfortable with the awkward silence while everyone else seemed to be chatting with each other or glued to their own screens.
The first day sans cell, I found myself reaching for it constantly while talking on my work phone. I was so bored with real life conversations, I couldn't be bothered to pay attention and felt the need to split myself to find sanity. As I reflected on this later in the day, I was a little overwhelmed by just how much I use my phone as a means to divide myself and attempt to be two places or do multiple things at once. Like I'm purposely opening up and trying to focus on 67 tabs on 6 different browsers all at the same freaking time. My brain already does that automatically, why am I choosing to add to that chaos?!
I was a little more rigid the first few days. I tried not to even carry my phone with me. I wanted to disconnect from it entirely, especially in the presence of other people. I wanted to practice the art of being present. And on day one, I realized that in order for this experiment to be successful, I was going to have to turn off nearly all my phone's notifications. It is crazy how often I would reach for my phone after hearing the pop of a bottlecap, or noticing the flashing blue light. I knew that was going to have to change and there was an intense freedom after letting go of the constant alerts.
In fact, the first week I also invested a little time to go through both of my e-mail accounts and unsubscribe from nearly every newsletter or advertising I have ever been hoodwinked into being barraged by on the daily. It was so liberating to check my inbox after sometimes a week or more and not have 500 emails to sort and delete.
I initially gave myself permission to use my phone for certain things during the month. Camera, google, GPS, calling/texting/messaging real life people. I was on the fence about posting to Instagram but since I had a slew of old photos to post, I gave myself permission share as long as I didn't open the app and start scrolling. Boy was that freaking hard. I don't know where this obsessive/compulsive need to scroll and swipe comes from, but I have really started to hate it about myself.
I kept my phone close to me most days, so I feel a little dishonest saying I was completely phone free. Over time, I definitely became less rigid than when I started out. I am obsessed with taking pictures and I had lots of fun times with my boys and my favorite twins that had to be documented. I couldn't say no to the Snapchat begging and the resulting giggles. And who doesn't love long text conversations sharing funny memes and good music? I still stuck with my original parameters and even set timers to limit the amount of time I was spending on my designated "free passes."
One of the best parts of leaving my phone behind for a month was the amount of time it freed up for activities that were way more soul sustaining than mindlessly scrolling through social media. Already this year I have read more books than I probably read in all of 2017. In February alone I devoured five books after breaking free from the chains of Facebook. It was SO refreshing.
I found myself learning so many new things about myself. I had no idea how much I truly was using my phone to mindlessly numb and avoid things or feelings in my life that are uncomfortable or painful. I'm not going to lie, there were a few times that it was REALLY hard not to resort to my old drug of choice and just lose myself in the mindless monotony. I may have had a few moments that got the better of me, but overall, I stayed true to my commitment and it was SO worth it.
Being able to disconnect online allowed me to develop and experience much more meaningful in-person connections. At one point, I felt like everything in my life started connecting. I would be reading a book (or two) and concepts would just start linking to soulful conversations with friends. This usually in turn led to more books to read and more interrelated connections between totally different books by different authors, written light years apart. Like a giant game of hot and cold that the universe was playing with me, where even seemingly unrelated connections became the nudge of "you are getting warmer, warmer, hot, hot hot!" I love it when that happens.
We are already almost halfway through March and I just want to go back to the freedom of #nophonefebruary. While I have caught myself again getting caught in the trap of obsessive scrolling, I have also held onto some benefits from this little project. I haven't turned my notifications back on. I haven't added any of my old haunts back to my homescreen (making it take more effort to reach them helps me to stay a little more mindful of going there with a specific purpose rather than to get sucked in again). And as much as I don't want to admit it to myself, I realized I actually have a lot more self-control when it comes to my consumption of social media. Now I just need to practice the art of choosing self-control instead of mindless indulgence.
Which makes it perfect that this month's challenge for me is #meditationmarch. With my newfound desire to leave Facebook in the dust, I figure I need a new escape. What better retreat than into the recesses of my mind to find some real peace? A daily meditation is just what the doctor ordered.
Wish me luck!
The first few days of #nophonefebruary were rough. It was weird to not have my nose rubbed up against a screen all day. My morning meetings were so odd. Sitting there in silence instead of connecting with an alternate reality was almost stressful. I am not a cheery person in the morning and I found myself uncomfortable with the awkward silence while everyone else seemed to be chatting with each other or glued to their own screens.
The first day sans cell, I found myself reaching for it constantly while talking on my work phone. I was so bored with real life conversations, I couldn't be bothered to pay attention and felt the need to split myself to find sanity. As I reflected on this later in the day, I was a little overwhelmed by just how much I use my phone as a means to divide myself and attempt to be two places or do multiple things at once. Like I'm purposely opening up and trying to focus on 67 tabs on 6 different browsers all at the same freaking time. My brain already does that automatically, why am I choosing to add to that chaos?!
I was a little more rigid the first few days. I tried not to even carry my phone with me. I wanted to disconnect from it entirely, especially in the presence of other people. I wanted to practice the art of being present. And on day one, I realized that in order for this experiment to be successful, I was going to have to turn off nearly all my phone's notifications. It is crazy how often I would reach for my phone after hearing the pop of a bottlecap, or noticing the flashing blue light. I knew that was going to have to change and there was an intense freedom after letting go of the constant alerts.
In fact, the first week I also invested a little time to go through both of my e-mail accounts and unsubscribe from nearly every newsletter or advertising I have ever been hoodwinked into being barraged by on the daily. It was so liberating to check my inbox after sometimes a week or more and not have 500 emails to sort and delete.
I initially gave myself permission to use my phone for certain things during the month. Camera, google, GPS, calling/texting/messaging real life people. I was on the fence about posting to Instagram but since I had a slew of old photos to post, I gave myself permission share as long as I didn't open the app and start scrolling. Boy was that freaking hard. I don't know where this obsessive/compulsive need to scroll and swipe comes from, but I have really started to hate it about myself.
I kept my phone close to me most days, so I feel a little dishonest saying I was completely phone free. Over time, I definitely became less rigid than when I started out. I am obsessed with taking pictures and I had lots of fun times with my boys and my favorite twins that had to be documented. I couldn't say no to the Snapchat begging and the resulting giggles. And who doesn't love long text conversations sharing funny memes and good music? I still stuck with my original parameters and even set timers to limit the amount of time I was spending on my designated "free passes."
One of the best parts of leaving my phone behind for a month was the amount of time it freed up for activities that were way more soul sustaining than mindlessly scrolling through social media. Already this year I have read more books than I probably read in all of 2017. In February alone I devoured five books after breaking free from the chains of Facebook. It was SO refreshing.
I found myself learning so many new things about myself. I had no idea how much I truly was using my phone to mindlessly numb and avoid things or feelings in my life that are uncomfortable or painful. I'm not going to lie, there were a few times that it was REALLY hard not to resort to my old drug of choice and just lose myself in the mindless monotony. I may have had a few moments that got the better of me, but overall, I stayed true to my commitment and it was SO worth it.
Being able to disconnect online allowed me to develop and experience much more meaningful in-person connections. At one point, I felt like everything in my life started connecting. I would be reading a book (or two) and concepts would just start linking to soulful conversations with friends. This usually in turn led to more books to read and more interrelated connections between totally different books by different authors, written light years apart. Like a giant game of hot and cold that the universe was playing with me, where even seemingly unrelated connections became the nudge of "you are getting warmer, warmer, hot, hot hot!" I love it when that happens.
We are already almost halfway through March and I just want to go back to the freedom of #nophonefebruary. While I have caught myself again getting caught in the trap of obsessive scrolling, I have also held onto some benefits from this little project. I haven't turned my notifications back on. I haven't added any of my old haunts back to my homescreen (making it take more effort to reach them helps me to stay a little more mindful of going there with a specific purpose rather than to get sucked in again). And as much as I don't want to admit it to myself, I realized I actually have a lot more self-control when it comes to my consumption of social media. Now I just need to practice the art of choosing self-control instead of mindless indulgence.
Which makes it perfect that this month's challenge for me is #meditationmarch. With my newfound desire to leave Facebook in the dust, I figure I need a new escape. What better retreat than into the recesses of my mind to find some real peace? A daily meditation is just what the doctor ordered.
Wish me luck!
