If you’d asked me a few days ago whether I had an unhealthy, co-dependant relationship with my phone I would have side-eyed you AND then out-and-out denied having such a relationship. Heck, I would have probably   proclaimed that the amount of time I spent on my phone couldn’t be anymore unhealthy than the general population.

*insert manic laughter*

It turns out that Denial is not just a river in Egypt, after all…

My phone met its untimely end when a rather enthusiastic dance move I was attempting to execute went very wrong.  My face wasn’t unlike Rihanna’s in the gif above when I took in my phone lying on the floor with its black, shattered screen.

Upset doesn’t even begin how I was feeling. One of my well-meaning friends actually tried to console me with the phrase, “It’s just a phone, Vim.” Words NO ONE whose phone has met its recent demise ever wants to hear.

Fast-forward to present day and it turns out the last 10 days I spent without my phone taught me quite a bit…you know, once I got past the initial hectic withdrawals and gnashing of teeth period that was Day 1 – 3.

So I thought I would share a few random lessons from this experience here:

1. Buy An Alarm Clock

Hands up those of you who rely on your phone to get you up first thing in the morning. The most unpleasant side-effect for the first couple of days was having no concept of what time it was whenever I woke up. I eventually learnt to figure out what time it was by the sounds around me and the quality of light streaming into my room. My ancestors would be so proud, lol.

2. No Money, More Problems

So doing any online banking was virtually impossible as all my payment verifications are set-up to come through my phone.. On the plus side, my bank balance thanked me profusely..

3. Productive Mindfulness

Without the incessant prompts to check or updated my Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Whatsapp and respond to incoming email notifications meant that my to-do list actually got done and then some. Heck, I found myself coming up with viable solutions to solve Third World Debt in just one afternoon. A great reminder of what you can accomplish if your put all your mind AND attention to it.

4. Boundaries are healthy

One of the great benefits of having a phone is how accessible you are. One of the great downfalls of having a phone is how accessible you are. For 10 days nobody could contact me directly and I felt…relieved. One of the more surprising emotions I felt during this period.

Communication was now way more deliberate and was scheduled for when it suited me, and not the other way round.

5. Joy of Missing Out (JOMO)

As I already mentioned, the first couple of days my separation anxiety from my phone showed up as a strong cased of FOMO (fear of missing out). Thankfully, by Day 4 I was over it. Life will go on, whether you’d like it to or not. And that’s okay.

So yes, my name is Vimbai and I am a recovering nomophobe, and it has been about 45 minutes since I last looked at my phone 🙂

Have a great weekend and try to keep off your phone.

V x

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