Recently I find myself more engaged in my phone than my surroundings. I know I need to put my phone down, but the more I try, the more I draw towards it. When I found the book How to break up with your phone by Catherine Price, I immediately started reading it. I think anyone with a smartphone needs to read this book, however I know that not many people will promote it. So, I thought I would give a quick summary of what the book has taught me and why it’s detrimental that we make a change in our phone habits for our future and the future of mankind.
The first part of the book goes on to telling you how smartphones affect you. I’m sure you have heard all these reasons over and over again, but here is a list.
- Increases anxiety
- Increases depression
- Increases rates of suicide
- Increases solidarity
- Increases mental instability
- Decreases real human interaction
- Decreases memory power
- Decreases the ability to think
- Decreases productivity/work time
- Poor spelling/grammar
- Poor creativity
- Poor concentration/focus
But then there is also a list of all the good smart phones have also done, such as:
- Give you access to internet with one click
- Access to GPS/maps
- Access to home alarm/AC system/lights
- Social interaction and virtual friendships
- Tools; Alarm clock, camera, calculator, etc.
Price goes on to saying how alcohol abuse, smoking and drug use have all decreased, but this constant addiction to smartphones have been rising in the past decade. Although children are getting into less trouble physical (from going out and doing risky things), they are more mentally unstable. Along with the negative side effects stated above, there are also other risks, such as radiation and poor focus. For people who have children, constantly giving your phone more attention over your children will cause them to be insecure and feel unloved. (Even my dog doesn’t like it when I am on my phone and not giving him attention!)
The second portion of the book is harder because it gives you a daily challenge to come out from this addiction. It’s a 30 day challenge in which you take small steps to limit your phone usage, reduce the cues and break off the habit. Listed are some of the daily tasks (not in order) ; this can be your 1st call to ACTION!
- Track how many times you pick up your phone and how long you are on it. You can download an app for this purpose. (This will show you that you are on your phone a lot more than you think.)
- Limit/remove all notifications
- Remove all the games/social media on your phone. (You can still access via computer)
- Change your charging station to outside of your bedroom
- Get an alarm clock
- Unplug for 24 hours
These are just a few of the daily challenges Price tells you do work on. Check out this book if you want to go in depth and learn about this addiction and it’s side effects. (Not sponsored) If you don’t think your phone usage is a problem, take the quiz in the beginning of the book to see where you are on the scale. The idea behind the book (and my post!) is not to get rid of your phone completely, but to use it mindfully and purposefully.
Call to ACTION #2: If you are reading this on your phone and have been ignoring the children sitting a few feet away from you OR not helping your parent or family member who might need a hand right now, this is your wake up call. I hope reading this blog post will make a difference in your life, break your phone addiction and learn to use your phone as a tool, purposefully.
But if you’re reading this mindfully and on your own free time, check out my other daily posts here 🙂