Mindfulness Project

Throughout the semester we were instructed to take note of our cell phone usage and answer questions that relate to it. For starters, we downloaded an application that can monitor the time spent on my phone and even more specifically which applications were being used the most. Just after a week of doing this it seemed like my life changed. Realizing that I was spending 4–6 hours EVERY DAY on my iPhone made me realize that I had to make a change. This process has been extremely helpful for me because without it I may have never fully understood how much I was really on my phone. Throughout completing the weekly blogs, I tried different exercises to try and limit my smartphone time. All in all, it seemed like it is possible to stop using my phone all together or at least limit the usage. It just may take some time to adjust, as using my phone one day for seven hours then the next not picking it up, certainly gives a feeling of missing something and being anxious.

Blog 1: When taking the smartphone test, the results were that I scored 14 out of 15 points. The score index stated that “If your score is over 8 you might consider seeing a psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychotherapist who specializes in behavioral addictions for a consultation.”. This is pretty shocking to realize that the advise for my smartphone habits are for me to see a psychologist.

Blog 2: Typically I use my smartphone to help complete tasks on a daily basis. From things like contacting friends and family, taking pictures, listening to music, using GPS, setting alarms and even using a flashlight. It seems like I have my phone in my pocket and at arms reach at all times of the day. It’s hard to estimate exactly how much I use my phone throughout the day but it must be at least a few hours. Even if Im walking to class or just passing time I feel like I tend to be starring at my phone. When Im bored I constantly refresh my phone just waiting for notifications. I would love to one day soon completely disconnect from my social media and my smartphone and go back to only using my cell phone when I actually needed to make a call.

Blog 3: Two of my favorite applications I have downloaded on my cell phone are SnapChat and Instagram. These are the primary social media sites I use to stay in touch with friends long distance or keep up to date with all my peers. Besides for social media sites I use basic applications that help me start my day such as the weather app, flashlight and alarm clock. It seems like all my applications are either something that helps me go on with my day or something to do with social media. Years ago I many applications on my phone were games and other things to keep me busy when I was bored.

Blog 4: Tracking my iPhone usage has been absolutely shocking. The first time I saw a notification displaying how much time Ive been on my phone the previous day truly upset me. I saw that I was on my phone for over five hours that day which makes me question what Im doing with my valuable time. I immediately went on amazon and looked into buying a razor flip phone thinking that would be a sufficient response for me to eliminate a majority of that time. Today Ive already been on my phone for 5 hours 6 minutes. I was on Snapchat for 1 hour 32 minutes, SoundCloud for 1 hour 11 minutes, Messages for 59 minutes, Instagram for 48 minutes, Lock screen for 50 minutes, Safari for 16 minutes, Phone for 10 minutes, Maps for 7 minutes and a few other random applications for a few minutes. Even after realizing I was on my phone way too much I still have just as many hours if not more of screen time. Getting rid of my smartphone would be a great adjustment to my life becoming more positive.

Blog 5: After discovering that my smartphone usage was off the charts, it was time to start trying to implement ways to get my usage down significantly. The first result I will try to implement is simply turning my phone off. When doing things like homework, going out to dinner with family or even watching a movie, there is no need for me to be checking my phone. Turning my phone off or turning it on airplane mode will stop me from constantly distracting myself by taking it out of my pocket and checking my notifications. The next step is to change my daily routine specifically before going to bed or waking up in the morning. When I wake up in the morning almost always I lay in bed and check all my social media for about an hour before I get up. Before going to bed I do the same thing. If i choose to watch TV or read a book or even go for a run instead of being on my phone that will also eliminate screen time. The last step I can take to get away from my smartphone is to pick a weekend every month and detox from it. This means to completely leave my cell phone at home for a whole weekend to fully get it out of my head.

Blog 6: This past Sunday, I decided to part ways with my smartphone for an experiment. I wanted to see if I would experience feelings of anxiety or relief. Throughout the day I felt different and those feelings were ones typically of anxiety. It seemed like I was missing out on things. The term FOMO (fear of missing out) would be a good way to describe it. I felt like I was missing not only invitations to hang out with friends but felt like I was missing out on potential school work. Half of the classes I take at CCU are online classes. This means I am typically in constant communication with my professors to fully understand lesson plans and assignments. My in person classes are generally classes that I work in groups with so that made me feel like I could potentially be missing meeting times for our group to do work in the library. Besides for social callings and school work I just felt like a piece of me was missing. When I would get bored I would reach into my pocket looking to stare at my cell phone but it was never there. Another problem I faced without having my phone was not having my music player. Walking around campus, being in the car and going to the gym was weird not having my cell phone to play music. In conclusion it was a stressful day but seems like the anxiety would go away if I did this experiment over a longer period of time. The initial one day was just a shocking adjustment.

Blog 7: For this weeks experiment, I had to have my phone in my hand without trying to use it. The first step was pretty tough as I kept drifting my mind and wanted to constantly unlock my phone with my fingers hovering over the button. Seems like I constantly wanted to check if I had notifications regardless if I felt my phone vibrate or not. When not answering my phone right away I definitely feel some level of guilt. I worry it’s my parents trying to contact me, work or school looking to meet or a friend in need of assistance. When looking at my phone I don’t feel anxious not being on it. The feeling of anxiety only follows when Im getting notifications and cant check my phone. My breathing wouldn’t change when looking at my phone and not being on it. This small object in my hand definitely makes me doubt my daily life. It makes me wonder why I need to be constantly on my phone to not feel anxiety and makes me want to get rid of that problem.

Blog 8: Monitoring my phone usage over the past semester has been eye opening. I see that I spend around five hours a day on my phone one way or another. Ive learned that it’s because any instance in which Im bored even for 30 seconds I take my phone out and browse social media or play a game or start contacting friends. Knowing this information it can help me get off my phone going forward in the future. Eventually I would like to delete all my social media which would make me stop browsing on my phone constantly when Im bored, when I wake up and when I go to sleep at night. Spending an hour on my phone in the morning and an hour before bed on top of the constant usage throughout the day really adds up. If I used technology less it would probably clear my mind and let me actually relax which would impact my life positively inside the classroom as well as outside.

Having this data so easily monitored to the point in which I receive a notification every morning telling me how much I used my phone the day before has made this project simple. In reality, it seems like this has been one of the more important assignments Ive done in my education career. It helped me realize how much I was on my phone and showed me the extent of how it could be turning into an actual problem. Testing myself when not having my phone on my for a day was challenging. The constant feeling of reaching in my pocket without thinking and realizing nothing is there was stressful. It made me realize how in any instance throughout the day in which I may be facing boredom I turn to my phone to keep me company. Little things like waiting on line at the grocery store or waiting for lecture to start a few minutes before class almost always results in taking out a cell phone and stalling time that way. When putting it all in perspective it allows me to recognize the problem and will force me to search for solutions to fix it. When taking the exam that measures the use of phone data at the end of the semester I was disappointed to realize that my phone usage was essentially the same as the outrageously high score I received when taking the same exam in the beginning of the semester. Nonetheless, I know that the frequent use of technology in my life is a problem and will continue to explore methods to stay away from my smartphone as much as possible.

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