Well, well, well. A week is not
sufficient to break this mindless-ness habit! In week 7, I set out to
crack my phone addiction. I think I'm part way there, but I have a
way to go.
I tried the silent technique – what a
gem. With my phone on silent and turned face down on the bench
(instead of in my pocket or next to me wherever I go), I felt a much
lighter pull to check it. When I was playing with my son, eating
dinner, talking to my husband, there was no opportunity to be
interrupted by rings and beeps (well, not from my phone anyway). When
my phone hasn't been on silent, I've worked on resisting the urge to
rush to it immediately when its rings and beeps call my name.
Of course, there have been times when
my 'old' ways have fought and won – the urge was strong and my will
was not. I'm comfortable with baby steps, and I'd be kidding myself
and everyone else if I set out to be perfect. And you know what? I
don't actually want to be disconnected from my phone. I had some
really important conversations this week. I spoke with friends, I
organised stuff for our move … I connected when I wanted and needed
to.
Perhaps what am aiming for isn't so
much 'switching off' as it is 'tuning in' – becoming a mindful user
of my mobile phone. I should be in control of my usage – not that
nagging urge that comes from 'addiction'!
One thing I'm loving about these
challenges is the way they're able to show me a little of myself.
This week I've noticed that I tend to struggle more with my
challenges when I'm tired. The more tired I get, the more restless I
seem to become, and the more tempting it is to drop into mindless
habits. Along with that comes the need to 'fill in the pauses'. It's
like I've lost the ability to do nothing. As soon as I have a moment
that seems 'idle', I seek to fill it – and it's often with a quick
look at my phone. I know I have a problem when I'm sitting in traffic
or at a red light and it seems like a good opportunity to check my
emails …
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