Live Intentionally, ditch your phone.
This was a last minute type of decision, and really it was like picking up an old habit. I used to be SO bad at keeping in touch with anyone, and would often leave my phone at home or just turned off all together. We live out in the Midwest, and my parents and younger sister, Bre, live in Washington state. Last week we went to go visit them, and I wanted to REALLY be there. I wanted to live intentionally so that I didn’t miss anything.
I should have at least charged my phone before we headed to the airport (I highly recommend doing so) but it was dead when we got there. The rest of the trip, I decided that I wanted to use my phone as little as possible.
Related content: 7 Unhealthy morning habits you need to STOP now.
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How does turning off your phone help you live intentionally?
Intentional living is being present in every moment, and not letting yourself be distracted from the here and now. We are all constantly distracted by notifications from one of our devices. Sometimes that means staring at a screen for the next hour just scrolling Facebook.
When we choose to use our devices less often, we can shut out distraction and bring our minds back to the present moment.
My experience without my phone.
Honestly, I loved it.
It felt weird to not use it, because I use my phone for my business. I am constantly on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram promoting my blog and working on new things for a Natural Endeavor, so going without it felt like I was ACTUALLY on vacation.
I had to remind myself that, no, my views that week would probably not be great. But that was going to be okay. I set up a scheduler to keep my Pinterest account active while I was away, but I wouldn’t manually pin that whole week.
The benefit to this was seeing my family, and getting to be with all of them fully.
Not being distracted from conversation with my dad, cooking with mom, or sitting around the table playing games with everyone was definitely worth the time away from my phone.
Pretty much the whole week, my phone stayed in our room upstairs on the dresser. Most of the time it wasn’t even charged.
My time in Washington felt very intentional, and being able to live intentionally is one of the best feelings. Because I wasn’t distracted, I will have those memories to look back on for the rest of my life.
What benefits are there to not using your phone?
For one, less headaches!
Screens are so bad for our eyes, and a lot of people say how much better their eyes where before working a desk job, or before they got a smart phone. Using your phone before bed can also keep you from sleeping well, and getting enough RIM sleep.
Below is a list of the benefits you can gain by using your phone less often.
- Less frequent headaches
- Better eyesight
- Better Sleep
- Less time being distracted
- Feeling happier and more satisfied with life
- Better relaxation
- Healthier posture (cell phone neck is a real thing)
- Being more present
- Ability to Live Intentionally
Try doing a screen fast.
I did an article a while back about this thing called “Screen Fasting“. It’s like when you go on any kind of fast, but instead of food or water, you fast technology.
The benefits of this are so amazing, and I promise you will feel great and refreshed afterwards.
Check out my article on Screen Fasting here.
Until next time,
