If you’re closer to your cell phone than you are to most people in your life, learn why breaking your cell phone addiction is the best thing you can do for yourself.
1. Do your family and friends complain about your constant cell phone use? Pay attention to what they are saying.
- Do people comment on your constant cell phone use? Remember: you can never make up for lost time.
- Last year I walked out of a lunch date with a person who wouldn’t put down their cell phone. After trying multiple times to get him to realize that constantly answering the phone and talking while sitting across from him was inconsiderate, I got up from the table, told him I was leaving, and wished him a good lunch. Not that I was there to teach him a lesson, but I’m sure it was a lunch he’ll always remember.
- Do you have any idea how difficult it is to drive consciously and talk on your cell phone at the same time? Go online and start reading the studies. Getting off the phone isn’t just an opportunity to spend more quality time with the people you love and care about; It’s a chance to stay alive.
- Personally, I don’t drive as a passenger with a person who is constantly on the phone. I like my life and I want to stay in one piece for as long as possible.
2. Do you feel anxious when you forget your phone or can’t take a call?
- Do you feel disconnected from the world when you leave your phone at home? Can you drive from point A to point B without having a phone with you?
- Are you one of those people who calls back the phone numbers you see on your caller ID even when you don’t know who called you, so you’re afraid you’ll miss a call? I hate to say it, but that’s really pathetic.
3. Do you answer your phone at meals and social times? This is rude and unappealing.
- When I’m out with someone, I leave my phone off or in the car. If I’m expecting an important call, I say so beforehand and let the other person know that’s the only reason I would answer the phone.
- Spending time with another person is about connecting. If you want to talk on the phone, stay home.
4. Does the ringing phone make you feel important? Do you talk just to talk?
- Be honest. Do you feel important every time your phone rings?
- It’s not hard to accumulate a group of people who have nothing to do all day but call and text. Remember: constant talk is not the same as a life of substance. In fact, it is the opposite.
5. Can you ever turn off your phone? Try it for a day.
- Do you want to know if you have a problem? Turn off the phone and leave it at home. How do you feel?
- Be aware of your anxiety, of how bad you feel. These feelings are wreaking havoc in your life, whether you are aware of them or not.