I'm going to try leaving my phone in another room when I go to bed, once summer break starts. I've been using it for audiobooks to quiet my mind as I try to sleep. What do you use for an alarm clock? an alarm clock? do they even make those anymore? 😂
Oh my gosh Lance what a great read and so relatable!!!!!!! Being on the computer all day, I am trying to stay off my phone for the evening and am feeling so much better. Just not healthy to be hooked to work at all hours. “Just catching up”should not be my norm!
I thought of you this morning when I got up and went to immediately check my phone! Do you have a separate alarm clock? Or just trust that the kids will wake you up at the right time? One thing I've found that helps stop the doom-scroll is having ebooks on my phone. I can remind myself to read instead of going on social media. It's still a screen, but it feels less terrible because it's a book?
I love that you thought of this post ha! Yeah, we have a separate alarm clock (with a light you can push on to see the time when you're up in the night) which, you've reminded me, we bought a few years ago when we were first wanting to try keeping our phones elsewhere at night (didn't take!). Ebooks on phone is good! But when I do that, I always find myself "celebrating" the achievement of finishing a chapter by checking other stuff on my phone.
"Or the photo of yourself from ten years ago that your phone decides now would be a great time to show you."
This one is always like....whyyyy.
My phone controls my medical devices, so I have to depend on airplane mode and self-control to keep from using for anything else at night and it's hard!
I've tried this by charging the phone on the other side of the room, but then found some reason to bring it back to the night table. At times, I do simply turn it off and the hassle of turning it on acts as a barrier to using it. It's insidiously addicting as you say and affects much more than sleep, but also reinforces our neurosis of avoiding psychological space of any kind. We get anxious when any kind of uncertainty arises, and the phone solves that problem because we needn't relate to ourselves, we have that external validation. Next step, try going to sleep without reading a book if you want to stir things up even more. HA!
I'm going to try leaving my phone in another room when I go to bed, once summer break starts. I've been using it for audiobooks to quiet my mind as I try to sleep. What do you use for an alarm clock? an alarm clock? do they even make those anymore? 😂
Ah, love it. I do indeed use an alarm clock as an alarm clock. Go get one at Target!
Oh my gosh Lance what a great read and so relatable!!!!!!! Being on the computer all day, I am trying to stay off my phone for the evening and am feeling so much better. Just not healthy to be hooked to work at all hours. “Just catching up”should not be my norm!
I love that, Jean! Yes, we all gotta take the time to disconnect. Helps us feel better in so many ways
I thought of you this morning when I got up and went to immediately check my phone! Do you have a separate alarm clock? Or just trust that the kids will wake you up at the right time? One thing I've found that helps stop the doom-scroll is having ebooks on my phone. I can remind myself to read instead of going on social media. It's still a screen, but it feels less terrible because it's a book?
I love that you thought of this post ha! Yeah, we have a separate alarm clock (with a light you can push on to see the time when you're up in the night) which, you've reminded me, we bought a few years ago when we were first wanting to try keeping our phones elsewhere at night (didn't take!). Ebooks on phone is good! But when I do that, I always find myself "celebrating" the achievement of finishing a chapter by checking other stuff on my phone.
"Or the photo of yourself from ten years ago that your phone decides now would be a great time to show you."
This one is always like....whyyyy.
My phone controls my medical devices, so I have to depend on airplane mode and self-control to keep from using for anything else at night and it's hard!
Ahhh that does make it significantly harder. Maybe keep it in a drawer so it's at least out of sight most of the time...?
I've tried this by charging the phone on the other side of the room, but then found some reason to bring it back to the night table. At times, I do simply turn it off and the hassle of turning it on acts as a barrier to using it. It's insidiously addicting as you say and affects much more than sleep, but also reinforces our neurosis of avoiding psychological space of any kind. We get anxious when any kind of uncertainty arises, and the phone solves that problem because we needn't relate to ourselves, we have that external validation. Next step, try going to sleep without reading a book if you want to stir things up even more. HA!
Amen! Wise words, Dad. This book elimination plan is a bridge too far, though. Ha.