Hello, HC Cuties! With the stench of finals on the horizon and the promise of Memorial weekend on my mind I decided to cross one of the things off my Bucket List and try going cell-free for the weekend (yes, I know Memorial Day weekend was technically a three day weekend but give me a break okay?). Now I wouldn’t say that I’m addicted to my phone in the least. Although I do check my social media maybe once or twice every few hours, I’m not really active on them besides liking my friends’ posts. I have to say that I did learn a couple of things about myself and how dependent I am on it (more than I’d like to admit). So here I’ll share with you guys some of the things I learned and why you should try it too!
You lose track of time
I don’t know about you guys but since I got a phone, I completely stopped wearing a watch. This whole weekend going without my “digital watch” I felt so lost in space. Some hours seemed to pass by quickly, while others felt like I was waiting for grass to grow. I had to rely on the clock in the car, the microwave and other people to tell me what time it was like every five minutes. Maybe this is a sign that I should get a watch?
When you hear something vibrate you automatically look for your phone
Maybe it’s just me but do you guys also instinctively turn to your phone when you hear a sound like a vibration to let you know you’ve gotten a text/email? That is literally how I felt the whole weekend. Whenever my mom or dad’s phone would ring I would almost flinch and quickly turn to look at my phone before I realized it was hidden in the back of my sock drawer. I also realized it’s kind of weird that almost everyone in my family has the same ring/text tones.
It’s nice to get away from the pressures of social media
This weekend I not only decided to give up my phone, but also going on social media (I made emails an exception in case of work/school-related stuff). I knew I wasn’t going to be doing anything particularly exciting this weekend and sometimes spending your day looking at all the fun other people are having makes you feel depressed about your life (there are studies on this ) so I was kind of glad to not have that hanging over me the whole time.
You don’t have to put up with people’s crap
I wanted to give up going on my phone for several reasons, the main one being that it was on my bucket list and because I really wanted to spend some quality time with my family before disappearing on them for the next two weeks while studying for finals. In addition, I was honestly just really tired of putting up with some people. This way I could have an excuse to not have to talk to them for the weekend and just feel free.
I actually talked to my family
A lot of times whenever I spend time with my family, whether it be going out to eat or just at home, even though we’re together we’re not really together. I couldn’t get my parents to ditch their phones for the weekend because they could miss important work calls but I did get them to spend a little less time on them. It was weird to actually talk to them about what was going on in our lives without having to stare at the back of their phone/laptop/tablet.
I *gasp* went to the park
On Sunday my mom, sister and I decided we didn’t want to spend all day inside watching movies so we packed up and went to the park. I think I spent more uninterrupted time outside just that day than I have in the last few weeks (sad, I know). We had a picnic, we pigged out on junk food, played volleyball, tossed a frisbee around, and even colored in some princess coloring books.
I felt like I wasn’t tied to my phone
Overall, it felt like a huge load off my shoulders. Whenever I felt the need to check my phone, I just grabbed a book or talked to my sister about what was going on in her life. At the park, instead of incessantly checking who posted what on social media, I just relaxed and watched the clouds roll by. Having no phone made me feel more at ease and less stressed about everything, which I really needed now that finals are coming up.
Even though it seemed daunting at first and I wanted to quit by the end, I was glad I stuck through it and finished what I set out to do. It really was an eye-opening experience and I would definitely recommend it to all you collegiettes who have their phone glued to their fingers. I promise you guys won’t regret it.
Happy Memorial Day, HC Cuties!