When phones were just for making calls…

I was 18 when I got my first mobile phone, before then it was a pager, and before then it was one of those BT cards that allowed you to call anyone from a payphone and your parents picked up the tab.

Almost every adult in the UK has a smartphone. WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Tik Tok, Twitter, BBC news, The Guardian news app, Kindle app - these are main staples in many smart phones (not to mention the games). The amazing things we can do with phones now to keep us connected and safe and entertained is INCREDIBLE.

But this has a negative side effect - we can waste hours on our phones, it can induce mental health issues, and it can leave us feeling unworthy.

You don’t need me to tell you the stats and facts - you hear them all the damn time.

A few months ago, I realised that sometimes I used my phone in a way that didn’t make me happy. I would be watching TV and scrolling at the same time. I would get angry and frustrated at the things I saw and read. If I woke in the night and looked at my phone that was me awake for the rest of the night.

So I decided to make a few small changes and see how I felt. If you have issues with your phone I am hoping these help.

1) No phones while eating or watching TV.
If I am eating or watching TV I was going to focus on that. I started noticing when I wanted to reach for my phone, but not reach for it. If I felt the TV show was boring, I would stop watching and do something else (read, tidy, play with the kids).

2) No phone after 8pm.
So this one I sometimes break, but usually after the kids are in bed - the phone stays upstairs away from me.

3) I removed most of my apps.
The only social media ones I have now are WhatsApp and Instagram. I have no news apps. I have apps for music and podcasts, some for work (canva, inshot etc), and then handy lifestyle apps like a period tracker, Fitbit app, life insurance app, banking apps. This keeps scrolling to a minimum - if I don’t have the app I can’t scroll.

4) I stopped following LOADS OF PEOPLE.
Less content to consume - less reason to look. I also stopped replying right away, I reply when I can and when I have the time and inclination to. Unless it’s important of course.

5) I became aware of my phone usage, and tried a few things out.
No phones on a dog walk unless I was listening to a voice note or podcast. Turning off notifications. Leaving my phone at home for the school run. Little things to keep me looking OUTWARDS at the world instead of DOWN on my phone.

There is so much more to explore -

The reason WHY we use our phones so much has to be addressed - when I want distraction, I look on Insta Reels, and that’s okay. But what am I distracting myself from and why do I want to distract myself from it?
What can I do with the free time away from my phone?

Awareness is the key here, awareness of my usage, of the consequences (good and bad) of using my phone so much, or how I feel without my phone. There is a high chance that I may go back to using my phone more, but for the moment this way works for me. And I like it.

Let me know what your thoughts are using the usual channels!

L xx