Creating a Healthy Relationship with Your Phone

Creating a healthy relationship is a difficult task within itself. Nowadays, we’ve got all sorts of relationships: friends, family, and even that trusty pocket companion—the phone! Despite being a pocket-sized game machine and TikTok trend hub, that little inanimate object wields immense power. There are apps readily available for you to scroll through for hours on end and answers to any question you could possibly have! Like, who was the inventor of the toilet? Important things that we must know. However, like with anything we have in life, a healthy relationship is always important.

Here are some helpful tips on how to create a healthy relationship with your smartphone:

1. Make environmental changes where needed. Using your phone as an alarm clock? Guilty! But hey, that’s okay! Although, here’s a way to avoid having your phone in your room at night and to reduce your screentime; try investing in a digital alarm clock. You can’t wake up in the middle of the night and look at funny memes on an alarm clock, can you? Well, you could if you had an Alexa, but let’s stay focused. Making this one environmental change will help you reduce your reliance on your phone and reduce your screentime late at night. Another helpful idea would be to delete any social media apps you have on your phone. If you have found that YouTube is your kryptonite and you are unable to pull yourself away from the app, then it might be time to delete it.
2. Try to stay off your phone while actively moving around. Ever walked into class and your friend asked you why you didn’t wave back to them in the hallway? Think back to what you were doing. Were you on your phone? Chances are you were! We are all guilty of walking and scrolling. Trying to reduce time spent scrolling while walking around or on the move is an effective way to create a healthy relationship with your phone. It makes you more conscious of your surroundings, and it will help others want to engage in conversations with you more. If you’re constantly looking down at your phone, it makes it seem as though you’re not interested in having a conversation.
3. Make your smartphone work for you.  If you know that you need to have scheduled emails sent out at 10 A.M. every Monday morning, then have your phone set up to do so! Having your device do your work for you decreases the need for you to be on it constantly inputting information.
4. Have a tech break every now and again. Ever heard of a phone detox? No, it doesn’t mean going cold turkey and chucking your phone out a window. But, set timers to go off throughout the day where you can set your phone down for 5-10 minutes at a time. You can slowly go up from here, or simply stay at this time limit. Setting time aside to have a tech break will help you break the feeling of needing to be on your phone. If you’re having lunch with a friend or out having a family picnic, you could silence your phone and set it to the side while engaging in this activity.
5. Ask yourself if picking up your phone is worth it at this moment. As I mentioned, sometimes we really need to know the answer to super important questions like who is the inventor of the toilet? Now that I’ve mentioned it a few times it might be cruel to not give you a respite. Sir John Harington was the inventor of the toilet in 1596! Now, back to our regularly scheduled phone wisdom. It is important to keep in mind that we do not always need to run to our phone for everything. Sitting back and reflecting on whether this is a ‘right now’ question will help you reduce your screentime and your reliance on your phone.
6. Lastly, you can set up different focuses on your phone. Did you know you can customize phone focuses? Set ’em to pop up at specific times, places, or on a schedule. For example, when you’re at the gym you could set a Gym Focus that will turn on right as you get to an assigned location – your gym. Within this focus you can allow specific people or apps to notify you while the focus is on. You can also have it set up, so you don’t get any notifications at all! Doing this will help you stay off your phone, giving you a tech break and not have any pings going off while you’re working out.

Creating a healthy relationship might seem daunting—we’re practically glued to our screens. But fear not! It’s not about severing ties; it’s about upgrading the connection. Scroll smart: your fave social apps and games? Keep them! Just sprinkle in some tech breaks every now and then. Break the dependence: no more mindlessly scrolling. Unplug, breathe, and soak in the moment. Remember, a healthy phone relationship isn’t about ghosting—it’s about living fully, both on and off-screen