I’ll hold my hands up and say it: I’m addicted to my phone. I regularly dismiss the time limits I’ve set on social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, and I’m so ashamed of my weekly screen time that I’ve had to disable the notifications. I find myself scrolling without even realising I’m doing it when I’m watching TV or cooking dinner. Even before bed, when I know I should be taking a break from my phone, I’ll usually spend 10 or 15 minutes scrolling aimlessly. It’s bad. Really bad.

So, when I find myself without a phone signal for three days during a recent hiking trip to the French Alps, it was a shock to the system. With minimal access to a charger and no social media updates to subconsciously peruse, I found myself staring down the barrel of an unplanned digital detox. 

As someone who regularly uses aimless scrolling to unwind and calm my brain – I know, it sounds counterintuitive – I was worried I’d struggle with the lack of scrollable content at my fingertips. But as nervous as I was to take the plunge, I’m happy to report that my digital detox was genuinely helpful.

Not only have I learned that I’m not as reliant on my phone as I think I am (to my surprise, I didn’t feel at a loss without my daily scroll), but it’s also made me reconsider my relationship with my phone and come up with some changes I’m going to implement going forward. 

It’s not going to be easy, but I know it’s going to give me so much more time to play with. Who knows, maybe I’ll finally get around to writing that novel, hey?

With only one plug on the other side of the room to use during my trip, I got used to getting into bed without my phone in reaching distance – something I’ve not really done since getting my first iPhone years ago.

It helped me to settle down quicker – probably because I fell asleep thinking of everything I’d got up to that day, as opposed to some wild conspiracy theory on social media. And now I’m back in the world of wifi access, I’ve found it helps me to ‘sign off’ from my phone and enjoy my bedtime routine without feeling like I’m on the clock. Instead of my sleep being delayed by feeling like I need to reply to messages from friends and family, I now have control over when I switch off.  

During my morning and evening commute, I tend to keep my phone in my hand or zipped in a small bag over my shoulder – always within reach. But when I didn’t have signal, I didn’t feel the need to have my phone close at hand, so I simply pulled it out when I really needed it.

It made me think about how available my phone always is to me – I have it next to me when I’m watching TV, cooking dinner or walking down the street – and whether this is necessary. Having this continuous access to my device makes it so much easier for me to pick it up and scroll, so putting it away for periods of the day (starting with my commute) feels like a good place to start. 

Living without access to social media – even for a day – made me realise just how stressed out it makes me feel. It’s hard to recognise this when you’re online day in, day out, but being physically unable to log on and see what was going on in the world made me feel more in touch with myself and what was going on around me than I have in a long time.

While I can’t give up social media forever (it’s fun in small doses and I need it for work), I want to incorporate this kind of ‘mini break’ into my routine on a regular basis. 

I try not to look at my phone when I’m with friends, but I know I’ve been guilty of phubbing (when you snub a friend to scroll on your phone) in the past. 

I’m particularly bad at this when I’m with people I don’t know well or have just met. My phone becomes a kind of social crutch, and I rely on it when I’m feeling awkward or anxious.

But on my recent trip, I didn’t even have my phone with me when I was chatting with others. It felt uncomfortable at times, sure, but for the most part, I enjoyed embracing the opportunity to chat with people; I had some truly interesting conversations that I know wouldn’t have taken place if I’d only been half-invested.

To keep this going in the future, I’m going to try and put my phone away when I’m socialising – not just facing down on the table or in my pocket, but completely away.  

In a similar vein, I’ve realised just how distracting my phone can be at dinnertime. I’m definitely guilty of eating too fast, and I don’t think having my phone on the table is helping that – when I find myself scrolling, it’s hard to pay attention to what and how I’m eating. 

It’s not going to be easy, but I’m going to try not to rely on my phone as a form of entertainment when I eat. That might mean trying to eat with my flatmate more often, watching TV or simply paying more attention to my food without any additional stimuli.

Images: Getty