A modern day break-up
I broke up with my phone…
Last week I stepped outside of my comfort zone and decided to have a “no-phone Friday”.
I had just been feeling overwhelmed by all the noise lately and it was the perfect opportunity since my entire day had been cleared due to canceled travel plans.
I was anticipating feeling anxious and stressed - and maybe a bit out of the loop. But that anticipation alone made me confident it would be a good exercise in detachment 🫠
I turned off and stowed away my phone Thursday night and didn’t turn it back on until Saturday morning. I also decided to enhance the experience by stowing away my laptop as well. I even went as far as to print some maps ahead of time so I wouldn't need to rely on my devices for any reason. #nostalgic
What I noticed
The first thing I became aware of was my attachment to time (and with that - planning ahead). Removing the need to schedule in advance put me in a place of absolute flow! I had the rare opportunity to actually check in with myself and my body, and do what felt best in that moment. My life is normally so planned out that this felt foreign to me. It is an absolute gift to the nervous system to do what you FEEL like doing.
Admittedly, it is generally important to schedule things ahead for my work-life balance, but even on a day with nowhere to be, I still felt that itchscratching at me - like this incessant need to have control over what’s to happen. Which, by the way, sent me down a whole rabbit hole of understanding my internal desire to control everything in my life. Oof.
📱I most notably missed the utility functions of my phone - the camera, maps, music, weather app, and even flashlight. Which made me grateful that we have such a multifunctional resource with us at all times!
I spent the day doing things that would never normally make it onto my schedule - Among other things I made a collage, did some creative writing, went thrifting, watched some educational videos on things I have ben wanting to learn about (don’t worry - I did this without my phone or laptop),and ended the night with a long, boujee bubble bath 🛀
I did have a few habitual urges to check my texts - and even a few phantom pocket vibrations - but I was pleasantly surprised at how little I actually missed using my phone.
Overall, my key takeaway was the importance of creating more space to flow. I have decided to start implementing unplugged time into my regular schedule. Oh, the irony of scheduling unscheduled time 😁
Maybe there’s another area in your life you feel hesitant to detach from. Remember that sometimes what feels like a mountain ahead, is merely a speed bump. AKA Sometimes things won’t actually be as difficult as we anticipate.