If you are an iPhone™ owner, it’s almost a guarantee that at some point, your phone screen has shattered. The phone is still completely operable, but each time you look down to send a text, update your Facebook status, or post a photo to Instagram™, you are reminded of the earth-shattering (pun intended) incident. Last night, it happened to me and it truly felt like I would never be happy again. I began to contemplate the severity of my little trauma and I started to feel pretty stupid. I was close to tears and nearing a small panic attack when I came to the obvious realization that it’s just a phone. On top of that, it’s happened to me before and still, I’ve purchased iPhone™ after iPhone™, hoping this would be the one not to fail me. Slowly, but surely, I am accepting my fate and realize that this is in fact, a grieving process and something to work through. In an effort to speed up this process, I’ve outlined some major ways of grieving that really do help when thinking about your poor, shattered little iPhone™.
Get It Fixed:
Although this may seem like an obvious answer, the $250 Apple™ fee to replace the screen is an instant turn-off for many who suffer from a shattered iPhone™. However, seeing as this is a “First World Problem,” many of us actually do have the resources and option to get the phone fixed. We just choose not to and complain about it instead. If it’s bothering you that much, stop complaining and do something about it. There are many places that will fix a cracked screen for just over $100, like www.ubreakifix.com. The website charges $119.99 for a screen replacement, plus fix and will get your phone back to you in as little as two days. It’s that simple.
You Are Not Alone:
Unfortunately, almost no one can escape the fate of the shattered iPhone™ screen if you choose to own one of these revolutionary, yet very fra-gee-lay devices. Family, friends, and strangers…anyone you talk to that owns an iPhone™ most likely has a story for you about their very own personal “trauma.” I’ve found that it really doesn’t even matter how responsible you are or how cautious you are. Dropping it the wrong way just once can leave you with a screen so horrifyingly broken that all you want to do is curl up in the fetal position and cry. Of course, you should feel a little more guilty if it happened while you were out on the town, carelessly disregarding the fragility of your phone while sipping down your 7th Long Island. Either way, it happens to the best of us and you are certainly not the first person this has happened to.
Maintain Some Perspective:
Okay, face it. The moment your iPhone™ hits the ground, most of us instantly experience a minor heart attack. You’ve heard countless stories from your friends, families and even strangers about their horrifying experience of picking up their phone, only to find the screen completely annihilated. Even you might have had this happen to you at some point in the past. So when you pick up your phone, praying it will be okay, there’s most likely going to be a time when it’s just not. And it sucks. However, you need to realize that there are worse things that could happen. It may feel like you’ve just been hit by a train and nothing in the world will ever be okay again. But the truth is, it really will and it’s important to remember that. Looking down at your once perfectly pretty little phone is difficult and a constant reminder of what happened. But there are a lot of bigger things going on in the world and your iPhone™ trauma is really very miniscule.
Stop Talking About It:
Not only is this annoying to others, but its only going to keep the incident fresh in your mind and make it feel a million times worse. You are already reminded of it each time you use your phone, so what’s the point in talking about it all the time? The best thing to do is just act like it didn’t happen. If you’ve decided not to get it fixed, this is your fate and you need to accept it. Your iPhone™ will never look the same and there is nothing you can do about it (because you have made that CHOICE!)
It’s A Fact of Life:
The world of Apple™ and the iPhone™ in general have become a part of our culture, whether you want to admit it or not. When my phone shattered, I instantly made a Facebook status about “how much I hate myself and how I can’t believe this happened again.” Boo hoo for me. I was flooded with replies in merely 10 minutes. Some were suggestions on the best places to get it fixed, some were volunteers willing to fork over their old 3gs so I wouldn’t have to “suffer,” while others were just sympathizing with me over my “trauma.” It’s kind of miraculous how we have so easily accepted the shattering of the iPhone screen, as it’s just another on of those things that happens in our world. As a result, accept it. You chose to be a consumer of a product that is known to have this problem and are now part of the culture of “The Shattered iPhone™.”
Whether you like it or not, the iPhone is like our very own grown-up security blanket. It connects us to the world in a way we never thought possible and provides us a level of technology that has revolutionized our culture and world. The iPhone™ is a wonderful thing but just like anything else, it is not invincible. And at the end of the day, it’s just a phone. It may be a remarkable phone, but that’s all it is and you can survive even if it’s not completely perfect. If you find yourself in a situation like myself, remember to keep the “trauma” in perspective and give yourself time to grieve. It may be a “First World Problem,” but it still sucks and it is something every owner probably will have to deal with at some point. Grieve away!
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Sources
Shattered iPhone, Shattered Dreams