Weaning from My Smart Phone

I originally wrote this article on July 21, 2015.

I’ve had my smart phone for about 1.5 years, since December 2013.  At first, I used it for texting, checking email, and reading blogs.  It turns out, I haven’t needed long-distance service much at all–which was one of the main reasons I wanted a cell phone.

Later, I stopped using my cell phone to check email.  So, I have only been checking email when I’m at a wi-fi location (I don’t have wi-fi at home)–usually twice a week.  This has been wonderful: eliminating one more distraction, as well as having one less thing to do.

Over the weekend, I decided I would stop checking blogs (which also meant I would stop commenting on blogs) from my cell phone.  I was getting addicted to, daily, reading my favorite blogs and the readers’ comments on them.  It was so tempting for me to comment on the blogs from my phone as well.

Yesterday, I told a few people who I text with pretty frequently that I won’t be texting anymore. Instead, I will be communicating via email, landline phone calls, or in-person.  Like with deleting Facebook, this keeps communication more intentional and not so ‘twitchy.’  And again, it eliminates another distraction.

Now, I turn on my cell phone quickly in the morning to see if there are any voice mails (I don’t have an answering machine or voice mail for my landline).  I do the same mid-day and before bed.

In just two days, without my cell phone on and being away from wi-fi, the swelling in my neck I’ve been experiencing has gone down drastically.  I think my cell phone has been causing issues with my neck–including my thyroid.

I’m considering switching back to a flip-phone eventually.  But in the meantime, I’m sticking with keeping my smart phone off most of the time.  For my health, for my well-being, to continue to streamline my life, to be intentional about what matters to me, and to allow myself to stay present with those who are in my life (myself included).

Warmly,