It was a sunny afternoon in the middle of October. Usually, autumn in Hong Kong is warm, 18 degrees and the perfect T-shirt weather. I had a meeting with my close friend Sabrina for weekend brunch in my favourite place Le Pain Quotidien. I could be found there reading a book or just enjoying my almond cappuccino in their garden.
I have always been a person, who likes to challenge myself and I often say, that I am my own experiment. The metamorphosis, I experienced last year, really woke me up. Maybe you are feeling the same way if you are between 25-30 years old, you are in a search of yourself and bringing meaning and purpose to the world. I am telling you all of this, because I find it very essential that you are familiar with me, as a person.
Back to the story. Sabrina knows me from 3 years and she is the most cheerful person I know. I still remember what she said to me there: “ROSIE, YOU DON’ T DRINK COFFEE, YOU EAT MEAT AND YOU DON’T BRING YOUR PHONE WITH YOU OUTSIDE. WHO ARE YOU? ARE YOU THE SAME PERSON??!”.
I laughed!
But she had a point. Was I the same person?
We as humans, like to define ourselves with labels. Rosie. Bulgarian. 27 years old. Fashion Model. Vegetarian. Coffee snob. Sounds like someone’s bio on Instagram. Those were my labels.
The current situation was: no longer vegetarian (because of health reasons), I stopped the caffeine intake (for more than a month, I will write about this in another post) and I stopped bringing my phone outside of my apartment in Hong Kong.
If you are a young millennial, you spend 5 hours a day on your phone, which is around 76 full days a year! Numbers are scary! What is scarier is that the smartphone – a technology made to connect us with friends and family on miles away, disconnect us with “reality”. I have been there myself, as a model, I need to be always reachable and I used to have mini anxiety attacks if I don’t answer a message immediately after receiving it. Always living life as anticipating something to happen.
Keep on reading for my easy tips on how to create to break with your phone and create a safe relationship with your phone.
Do you remember what is boredom?
The feeling you get while sitting in the dentist’s waiting room and the only thing around you are some old magazines. The feeling you get when you are in the metro on the way to work. Boredom used to be a thing. Nowadays, smartphones are making us prisoners of technology. We lost the ability to sit back and just be in the moment. We are constantly stimulated and we have trouble paying attention.
A notification on your phone even the anticipation of one releases dopamine – the chemical, responsible for controlling your brain reward and pleasure centre. And we keep coming back for more.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying smartphones are bad but we forgotten the phone is an audio communication device for URGENCY AND EMERGENCY purposes. Not a tool, that has the power to control and dictate our lives.
It’s an addiction. But how to find a balance and finally break with your phone-addiction?
The first thing is to think about what would you do with those “extra hours” in the day.
If you use your phone less, you will end up with more free time. It’s essential to decide on several activities you’d like to use this time for. If you want to read more, put the book on your coffee table, where it will be easy to grab it. If you plan on getting in shape, prepare your work out clothes from the night before.
My EASY tips and tricks on breaking up with your phone today :
- Charge the phone in another room while it’s turned off
- In addition to this one, try to NOT check my phone 2 hours after waking up. Did you know that 69% of people check their phones as soon as they wake up! Crazy!
- Getting an actual alarm clock
- Turning off Push notifications – I keep the calls, texts and alarms. You don’t have to be interrupted by every “like” your picture receives. Go to Settings > Notifications. Voila!
- Meditating – looking for something worth paying attention to
- Try to use the phone as consciously as I can
- Organize your phone in folders – for example, I keep Google Maps on the front as it’s an app you don’t end up scrolling for half an hour!
- Leave your phone at home – as I recommended my technique to a friend, she left her phone at home for a few hours and read a book. Be productive. Get uncomfortable.
The outcome of the project Leaving My Phone at home taught me a lot about being present. I start paying attention to mindfully organizing my days. My friends got frustrated and start coming on time for our meetings. I would go hiking and would be able to see nature without a screen in front of my face.
I suggest you, next time when you are waiting on the line of your coffee shop, don’t let yourself getting into the “zombie check”. Get uncomfortable, feel the boredom and be a person for a moment. Smile, be kind to someone, I guarantee you, it’s much more rewarding than getting an artificial stimulus. So why don’t you try something new and see what happens!
Which of the mention strategies and tricks would you incorporate in your life today? Share with me
