Phone Addicts Unite

Too much of a good thing is bad for you or so they say. I agree wholeheartedly. Yet it is so hard to kick the habit of phone use. or anything you get addicted to. It is so easy to come back to it.

For example, you can make all the promises in the world to yourself to change. But when the time comes, habits take over. So you start all over again.

the main reason for me at least is that I get so bored very fast. call it part of my anxiety brain or what have you. I have noticed that most people do too.

So thankfully I am not the only one with the problem. although there are many addictions in the world today.

I am going to mainly focus on electronics. it is been proven that electronics help stimulates certain parts of the brain. which is probably why in today's world it is such a huge obstacle for most.

not only do electronics do this, but all stimuli. even something as simple as writing can become an addiction if you are not too careful. many mentally ill people do nothing but write. it may be crazy and illogical stuff, but still. hopefully, none of us writers will ever reach that point.

It is hard living on a farm so far away from town. there is not a single person around. well, except for your neighbors. and if you're lucky like us they happen to live close to you not 5 miles down the road. other than that, the internet and cellphones are the only way we communicate with our families and the outside world. It can make for a very isolating circumstance. but it is also a great thing because you don't have to deal with all the nonsense and idiotic of the city. But it still causes a FOMO situation. you know, fear of missing out.

anyway, there is a lot I miss about city living. the parks, the fun festivities, and the energy. there was so much to visit and do. not that the farm doesn't keep me busy enough. I have learned that there are many types of busy. I just am a city girl married into a country family. which has its good and bad times, just like everything else.

Addictions can be the worst thing in the world. Do you know why? because we as a society have evolved to do a lot less than what our ancestors did. you know like hunting and gathering all the time. So over time, we have lost those skills. Some people have revived such skills. By doing so, they have almost reversed addictions. which is good news for us all. but how do we do things like that in the city. where electronics and addictions abound. That my friend is the million-dollar question. I may not know the answer. I do have some helpful theories.

The first one is to leave all of your electronics in the same room, just not in the bedroom. the reason for this is because it's so easy to not fall asleep with them near. yes, eventually your body gets tired. but it usually isn't until the wee hours of the morning. which leaves you very exhausted for the rest of the day. I did this in my college years and first few years of my marriage I had a specific room in the second house my husband and I lived in. Man, I loved that room. it only had my desk, a closet, and a few boxes. the only problem was it was at the front of the house which was busy. but I made a rule that no electronics except for t.v.s should leave the room. it was that way for a while.

The second one is to set a specific time of day to be on them. I have set apart about an hour or two of time in the evening. that way I can focus on my work without worrying about the happenings. I wish I could say this is a fail-proof plan. but with enough practice, I have seen my motivation and focus soar.

the third is what I have recently done. and it was kind of used as a last-ditch effort to succeed. I went on a fast from anything electronic. it was hard at first. the entire month was difficult. near the end, I was able to leave my phone off for about 5 days. so I count that as a success. it may not be the most effective most of the time. the reason I say this is because it's a great time hog. especially, the thought process that goes with it. you have to mentally remind yourself that there is life beyond your screen world.

all in all, having phones and other electronics is not a bad thing. I could count the ways having one has saved my life.