One week WITHOUT a cell phone
#TheCellPhoneChallenge
Last week, I decided to attempt going a week without a cell phone. I did this for no particular reason, other than just to see what changes, as a result of not having access to a cellular device. I did make a few rules for myself though.
- Keep your phone on – You can’t text or call anyone but just in case of an emergency you need to have your phone on.
- Parents are excluded – I kept in contact with my Mom because Lord knows she wasn’t having the idea of me not speaking to her for an entire week.
- Reflect on everything – What do you notice from not having a phone?
In this generation, we are almost completely dependent on all kinds of technology. We can’t call our friends without searching their numbers up, we can’t sit in a room and make conversation because our faces are in our phones, we can’t pay attention in class because we’re paying attention to our notifications, and we are almost nearly trapped by this device that humans lived perfectly fine without for years.
I noticed for myself that being on my phone so often was actually causing quite a few issues, although they were minor they were factors I had let go unnoticed for so long.
I noticed that:
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Even if NOTHING important was going on, I was on my phone. Quite frequently between taking notes I’d be on phone. I’d check to see if anything funny was on Twitter or Snapchat or continue scrolling past the same Instagram pictures that were there during the day. I didn’t understand why I kept feeling compelled to check my phone, looking for messages or pictures that I wouldn’t care for years from now.
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The need for an impression. I realized I would Snapchat everything. It was as if I felt some type of need to show everyone I was happy and having a good time. I wanted to fix this, instead of recording the good moments I wanted to live them. Not having my phone on while hanging out with people or going to parties was actually amazing because I could just sit and enjoy the vibe instead of recording it for everyone else to see.
- People finding a way to come talk to me. I guess you could say I’m the friend who keeps my friendships running through communication. My biggest fear was that without my phone I’d feel so lonely because I’d have no one to speak to. Quickly, I realized that if people want to really see me or communicate with me they will, I would get messages sent to my laptop or twitters just because people wanted to speak to me.
- I found that sleeping at night became a breeze. A lot of time I’d check my social media or text “one last time” and end up having full-blown conversations that pushed my sleep back an hour or two.
- Not having my phone but watching people use theirs allowed me to observe their behavior as well. I noticed so many people genuinely can’t sit in a room without being on their phones, we’re the generation of people who can’t have face-to-face conversations because we get too uncomfortable to enjoy the comfort of others, very tragic.
In the beginning, I felt isolated from the world. By the end, I felt relieved to understanding how much I’m actually not missing. This generation highly relies on cell phones to do everything from checking the weather to knowing what the homework for the next class is. These are all things people have discovered in the past without the use of a cellphone. Although I’m back using my phone, I don’t use it nearly as much as before, and I feel free for doing so.
I challenge everyone who reads this to try going a few days without their phone and record the results!