Cell Phones Are Useful, But When Does It Become an Obsession?

Can you remember what it was like before the days of the cell phone? How did we ever get anything done?  Cell phones connect us to each other, work, school, information, travel, entertainment, our money, and just about every aspect of our lives.

So when is it too much? Read on!

Here are the Seven Signs that You Have a Cell Phone Obsession

You carry your cell phone everywhere.You eat or watch tv while looking at your cell phone.If you forget your cell phone or the battery dies, your day is completely “off.”Your day begins and ends with checking your cell phone. In fact your notifications are on 24/7, and you will get up to check them, even if you were asleep.Others complain about your cell phone usage.Rather than talk to someone who is in the same room, you text them. You’re more interested in who is on the other end of a text, email, or social media post than the person in front of you. You notice that you spend more and more time on your phone, but even when you try to cut back, you can’t.

Did you know that this issue impacts 10 – 20% of people? It negatively impacts their lives by creating anxiety, distraction, stress, relationship issues, loneliness, and other health problems.

Maybe it’s Time to Unplug

One way to tackle this issue is to unplug.

Just turn your phone completely off one day a week (like Sunday), or after a certain time of day.

If you need more obstructions, you can remove the battery and put the phone in a locked box. It won’t stop you from taking it out, but it may give you enough time to consider what you’re doing.

Fill your phone free time with something exciting, relaxing, or productive so your mind doesn’t wander.

If you are idle and unfulfilled, it may be too tempting to pull your phone out.

Too drastic? Here are some other ideas.

Turn off notifications

Those notifications can give an adrenaline hit that you don’t need.

Delete your favorite apps

If the biggest time wasters are gone, you will have less incentive to tune in.

Track your screen time

For some, seeing how much time they have wasted is a huge incentive to keep it brief. Hard numbers are not easy to overlook.

Letting go of screen time isn’t always easy, but most people report that real life is far more enjoyable than a virtual one.