I want to break up with my phone!

Splitting our time and not feeling good in those situations. I have been feeling more and more called to break up with my phone. Although, as I type this out on my phone, I still have yet to do so. 🤷‍♀️ 🙈 😳

My phone does so many things for me. Provides me so many quick distractions. And in my mind creates an easefulness as most things are at my finger tips as my phone follows me everywhere!

I have recently deleted Instagram and Facebook off my phone. I felt called to get off those platforms as they were my top two distractions on my phone. Allowing me the opportunity to reach for something else when I wanted to be entertained or looking for a distraction. Only accessing the apps to share some thing that feels really important to share. Although likely isn’t… But I’m not perfect, I’m a work in progress trying to break up with my phone.

I also turned off a lot of notifications for apps on my phone. I might go a couple days without accessing my emails now without the notifications calling me to see what wants my attention. There is a part of me that is considering totally removing my email app off my phone. Pairing downs what I have on my phone. In the hopes that my attention isn’t split.

The idea being that if I want to read emails, scroll Facebook, or access my banking information, I would need to go to a desktop. In my mind going to the desktop means I’m focussing on one thing at a time. And not trying to split my focus or time.

What too often was happening for me, was I was trapped scrolling Instagram or Facebook and my children were also demanding my attention. Maybe not so bad, but for me it brought up a lot of frustration. I was in the presence of my children, but I was not present. So their demands while I was trying to also scroll through my social media felt very challenging. It felt like an impossible situation, as something on social media had my full attention and my children also wanted my full attention. And I wanted to give my children my full attention, but also wanted to read whatever seemed intriguing on social media. Or I reach for social media as a positive distraction, instead found myself triggered by someone’s post or a recent news event. This activation leaving me in a poor headspace and not in a good place to parent my demanding toddlers.

So this idea of breaking up with my phone is becoming stronger and stronger. My phone has been my safety blanket for a very long time. I have spent more years of my life without it then with it. Yet, it feels like it’s a very necessary part of my day to day life. Which is likely more a belief than a truth. But, I have become attached as I can’t say it is not a necessary tool in today’s society. It creates convenience that I feel helps me in my life. But, at the same time starting to notice that the convenience it’s creating more disharmony than harmony for me.

And as I believe the universe is always sending you driftwood. Aka, signs of where you need to be focussing your energy or guiding you down a path. I do not think it’s a coincidence that I recently listened to a podcast by Kaileen Elise Sues, called An Honest Conversation about Instagram. She is an intuitive who is looking to step back from social media and she has been reading a book about breaking up with her phone. The podcast so resonated with me!

I also just held space for an Inner Knowing Session today and her inner guidance was to spend more time outside in the sun and take a step back from technology. Hello, more guidance that a breakup with my phone might be aligned for me.

And desktops are not convenient. When I moved Instagram and Facebook off my phone, the amount of time I spent on those platforms decreased significantly. And for the most part I do not really miss that. They were very important to me in the past and maybe again. But at this moment in my life, as I’m working to find a new balance. My relationship with my phone and social media platforms is starting to look like an addiction, my drug, my way of numbing and avoiding how I’m really feeling. This numbing can be very important, especially if you are not ready or do not have the support team to help you safely access these big feelings. But I am in a space where I have a solid support team and I am creating space for those emotions that felt unsafe to access until now.

My phone has also been my way of distracting myself and not being present with my kids. A distraction is great, we can’t parent 24/7. But I now see that distraction doesn’t serve me when the distraction is in the same room as my kids. I am with my kids a lot, but I have struggled to be present in the past. I felt obligated to reply to someone on Facebook instead of being there for my children who are actually right in front of me. Basically I have went through a phase (and sometimes it still happens) of checking out while still in the room with my kids using my phone.

I am now seeing benefits of checking out by actually leaving the room totally, leaving the house, leaving the city! When I check out both physically and mentally, I have a better chance to be more present in each situation. I can be more present with the activity I wanted to check out with. And then be more present with my kids when I come back. It feels so much better when I can be present in both situations separately.

My journey right now is to allow myself more opportunities to escape completely. Take time to cruise the internet on the desktop. Take time to go for yoga (been feeling so good to focus back into my body). Take time to turn my brain off and watch a show on Netflix’s. Take time to be in nature hiking.

I would love to hear if you’ve been on a journey to break up with your phone. What is working for you or inspired you. Any advice you can give me as I continue down this path of trying to break up with my phone.