Immobile Without Your Mobile?
What’s the first reaction that comes to mind when you lose your cell phone? PANIC! This is something we can all relate to. (Yes, dropping a cell phone in the toilet isn’t fun either, but at least you know where it is!)
At first, you might be in denial. Oh it’s just buried in the bottom of my purse—right? It begins with the initial panic, then you panic some more, followed by more panicking. In all desperation you frantically call your phone hoping that someone, just someone will answer and save the day… no answer.
You freeze; it’s gone.
For some of us, this can be a pretty stressful situation. How did we get to the point of our phone’s being a crucial part to how we function? How attached ARE we!?
In my opinion, we’re not going to get any better in terms of how connected we are to our cellular devices, so let’s just mitigate the damage and create the best scenario we can. Here are my five tips for stress management:
- Practice withdrawal—have a ‘no tech day’ or afternoon.
- Back it up. Are your photos from the best holiday ever backed up? Is your phone synced to another device?
- Is your phone password protected? Sorry, ‘1234’ doesn’t count!
- Make a rule to turn off your phone at a certain time every night, say, 9 pm. We’ve become so comfortable with our cell phones as an accessory, but they’re not a wedding ring—they’re not attached to us.
- Do not, I repeat, DO NOT sleep with your phone. This is a terrible habit to get into. Your phone is not a teddy bear, so there’s no need to have it next to you in bed.
It’s crazy to think we are becoming hardwired to technology and beginning to think it’s necessary to function. Practice life without your phone. I promise your life WILL go on. By practicing stress management, we can best prepare ourselves for the ‘what if’ scenarios and reduce overall stressful situations.
I am Janice Otremba. I am a professional speaker, trainer and coach that specializes in stress management, health and wellness, personal growth and life balance. I invite you to share your thoughts and opinions, to determine how I can be of service to you. I can be contacted at info@janiceotremba.ca
I look forward to hearing your story.
Janice Otremba, Catalyst for Change