“Gadgets are the new drugs and we are GUPPIES (Gadget Hippies).”

― Saurabh Sharma

Recently, I left home without my mobile phone. YIKES! The prospect of venturing out into the world that day was scary. Like any other digitally addicted human being, I panicked at the discovery halfway between the house and office. Damn! What was I to do? Option a) turn around and go back or b) behave like an adult and take on the day without connectivity in the palm of my hand?

It was a nerve-racking decision that spawned a full-blown anxiety attack (more about that later).

The question that loomed large—could I brave the world without the safety net of being reachable, or even more terrifying, being able to reach out to others?

Pulling  myself together, I dared to conduct an experiment with myself as the human lab rat. I continued the commute to my office—forsaking my smartphone.

In that moment, pledged to undergo a digital detox and wrestle the demon of phone addiction.

Terror and The Abandoned Mobile Device:

The first hour I was a mess. Sweaty palmed, heart palpitations, headache, poorly focused, and in general distress. But as the hours passed, I eased into having temporarily cut the cord with technology. 

My vitals calmed down, my mood improved, and I began to really get into being more fully present. This might sound a bit cliche. However, I noticed that I was more intently focused on my real live clients. My mind was more relaxed and instead of binging on emails, texts, and phone messages during my lunch break, I went for a hike.

This was definitely a healthier choice. My body and mind appreciated the fresh air, the sunshine, and the high-quality fitness break in nature during the middle of the day.

My irrational fear had been that I would return home to hundreds of unanswered emails, texts, and voicemail messages, and then be up all night taking care of them. I was wrong. When I got home there were about 150 various messages of which maybe 25 were real, valuable, and needed a reply. This took less than an hour.

I got to bed on time, happier and more relaxed than I had been in awhile. Note to self—disconnect, digitally detox, and discover some peace along the way. Lesson learned!

The addiction is real. We are addicted to technology and suffering diminished quality of life in pursuit of 24/7 digital accessibility and connectivity.

Consider your own habits for a minute. Do you have a phone addiction? Could you benefit from a digital detox? What would a technology withdrawal look like to you?

Are You a Phone Addict?

In doing a little research, I stumbled upon this self-assessment . Go ahead…check yourself out.

It is not meant to officially diagnose you with cell phone addiction. But, if you’re like me, you will recognize yourself in some of the questions below:

• Do you find yourself spending more time on your smartphone than you realize?
• Do you find yourself mindlessly passing time on a regular basis by staring at your smartphone even though there might be better or more productive things to do?
• Do you seem to lose track of time when on your cell phone?
• Do you find yourself spending more time texting, tweeting, or emailing as opposed to talking to real-time people?
• Has the amount of time you spend on your cell phone been increasing?
• Do you secretly wish you could be a little less wired or connected to your cell phone?
• Do you sleep with your smartphone on or under your pillow or next to your bed regularly?
• Do you find yourself viewing and answering texts, tweets, and emails at all hours of the day and night, even when it means interrupting other things you are doing?
• Do you text, email, tweet, or surf the internet while driving or doing other similar activities that require your focused attention and concentration?
• Do you feel your use of your cell phone actually decreases your productivity at times?
• Do you feel reluctant to be without your smartphone, even for a short time?
• When you leave the house, you ALWAYS have your smartphone with you and you feel ill-at-ease or uncomfortable when you accidentally leave your smartphone in the car or at home, or you have no service, or it is broken?
• When you eat meals, is your cell phone always part of the table place setting?
• When your phone rings, beeps, buzzes, do you feel an intense urge to check for texts, tweets, or emails, updates, etc.?
• Do you find yourself mindlessly checking your phone many times a day even when you know there is likely nothing new or important to see?

If you or a loved one is concerned about phone addiction use or other digital distractions affecting your life, performance, and happiness—don’t hesitate to reach out for professional help.

A supported digital detox might be a gift in service to your well-being.

Like most of us, I am a borderline digital addiction case and have been making a conscious effort to leave the phone behind during socializing and exercising. In our home, we have a phone basket for use at meal-times and movie nights. It’s worked out well.

Like this food for thought? Check out these short nutritious mental fitness bites.

Source: Greenfield, D. (2013). Smartphone Abuse Test. Retrieved July 16, 2018, from 

Smartphone Compulsion Test

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