I recently went through a short breakup. I knew the day was coming and, in the beginning, I was fraught with anxiety, but I survived it.
For one day I didn’t turn on my cellphone.
I’m not saying it was easy but I had to do it because I was becoming addicted to a portable three-by-five-inch mind-numbing electronic device.
I unlocked my phone dozens of times each day to check the weather, even though I had checked only an hour earlier.
And I constantly kept track of the time of day. I also needed to check for the text messages that dribbled in. Generally, they were just reminders of upcoming dental or medical appointments.
My day with my iPhone started early. I’d wake up, have a cup of coffee, a bowl of yogurt and feel a mild rush of adrenaline when I saw that there were 15 unopened emails from the night before, just waiting for my undivided attention.
Disappointment soon followed, however, as one after another were simply repeats from the days before. I was bombarded by sales pitches for cheap life insurance, reverse mortgage deals that would allow me to cash in on the equity in my home to take a cruise to nowhere.
There was also the chance to renew my passport from the comfort of my living room. All I had to do was provide all my personal information online. What an opportunity!
Once I deleted my messages, which usually took about 30 seconds, I enjoyed catching up on the box scores from the previous night’s professional and college basketball games. How else could I know that Lebron James is only a few contests away from playing in the most career NBA games ever?
I can also tell you how many career wins Geno Auriemma has as coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Connecticut, even though I struggle to remember what I had for dinner 12 hours earlier.
When evening came, the madness didn’t stop. I watched a movie with my wife, it wouldn’t be long before I recognized an actor’s face but couldn’t remember the name. So out came the phone.
I had to know the answer and that generally took a few minutes research. During this quest for information, I wasn’t watching what was unfolding on the show. My wife grew increasingly annoyed when I kept asking her what I missed. We eventually decided it would be best if I watched television in the basement.
My self-imposed sabbatical—no matter how short it may have been—changed some of my wicked ways. I’ve drastically reduced my time with the phone, a change that comes with benefits. I’m now allowed to watch movies in the living room again and no longer ask others to fill in the blanks.
When I leave to do errands, the phone stays behind and I feel more relaxed. This is apparently consistent with what professionals say happens when smartphones are put aside for greater periods of time.
Indeed, mental health experts generally agree that excessive smartphone use can lead to increased anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation and fatigue.
I find it ironic that the device is called a smartphone, because most folks don’t use it wisely. They spend hours scrolling through Instagram or in chatrooms “speaking” to people they’ll never meet in person.
Recent studies also show that Americans unlock their phones, on average, more than 100 times a day, a staggering statistic. And every time someone hears the phone ring or ding, it activates one’s sympathetic nervous system – the fight-or-flight response in the body that increases heart rate and triggers the release of cortisol, a stress hormone.
If it’s impossible to unplug for a day, experts say turning off automatic alerts and unsubscribing from email lists can help. But sometimes it’s just best to put the world around you on hold for a while.
Dave Dunleavy was a longtime reporter and columnist for The News-Times in Danbury. He lives in Kent. His column “View from the Front Porch” runs monthly.
