Unexpected things I learned from being a phone addict

THINGS I LEARNED FROM BEING A PHONE ADDICT: What is that one thing that spends the maximum time with you? Even more than your loved ones? Of course, your phone. Tirelessly scrolling through Facebook, replying to ever growing Whatsapp messages and sharing and liking pictures on Instagram, we have often thought about disconnecting from this device. Failing every single time.

FOMO (FEAR OF MISSING OUT): How long do your Whatsapp messages go unchecked? Mine, not more than 5 minutes, sometimes even less. This, when I have disabled the option of incoming Whatsapp alerts on my screen! I had developed this terrible anxiety to check my phone, like not seeing it would turn things around, like I would be missing out on things that are important- commonly called the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).

PHONE ADDICTION: Phone addiction is real, as real as it can get. All of us use more phone than we would like to. And we have somewhere become hopeless addicts. I have been through the panic of not finding my phone in my bag, multiple times and it has put me in many embarrassing situations.

Well, this addiction was lingering on until one day something snapped in me. I was bottle feeding my baby and she was taking a little longer than normal. I got so restless that I held the bottle with my left hand and started checking my phone- mindlessly checking my Whatsapp and my Facebook, Instragram timeline. She moved with a sudden jerk and the bottle got out of my hand and landed right on the floor. She was hungry and I’d just spoiled her feed. That minute I felt so terrible and disgusted for prioritizing my phone over my child.

Here is how this handheld plays havoc with our lives...

KEEP US AWAY FROM DOING THINGS WE LOVE: We all enjoy technology but also wish somewhere that we had more time to do things we love. On a recent vacation, every single thing that excited me urged me to click it and share it on Instagram. By the end of my vacation, I felt so empty. I had packed a couple of unfinished books with my luggage and they all stayed there all through the break. I was so busy scrolling through my phone that I barely found time to do what I love the most.

MAKES US ANXIOUS: I was once in my car when I realised I had forgotten my phone back home. I was so scared and started imagining the worst things that would happen that minute, and how I wouldn’t have my phone to reach out to anyone. I panicked so much that immediately I turned back to fetch my phone.

MAKES US FEEL LONELY: How do you feel when you see a friend vacationing for the best part of the year, while you are stuck in your cumbersome job? When your social posts don’t have enough likes, does it make you feel unloved? It did all of that to me.

So distance yourself from this device that gets to spends the most time with you and see how much more there is to life….