Refreshed... No! Just really Stressed

I have read countless blogs about people who have given up their phone for a few days, whether unexpectedly due to it being broken, stolen or loss or out of their own free will to see what life is like without portable technology there to be at there beck and call. Now maybe I’m just looking in the wrong places but 99% of these articles I read the writer realises they rely on technology way to much and vow to reduce there consumption or have more no phone days. Saying it is refreshing to not have this thing to constantly fiddle with, that they look up more and embrace life… 

Well I unexpectedly went without my phone for four days and I have to say it was such an unpleasant, nerve wracking experience. Maybe I rely on technology to much, but this opened my eyes to how much having my phone made life easier. 

• Having no actual alarm that became my phones job (it snoozes for just the right time and I can set and turn it off with ease.)
• It’s my main source of news (as I don’t buy a newspaper or really watch the news, idle time spent on busses ect is spent reading interesting articles and finding out whats happening in the world)
• Camera (though I do have a canon dslr, I do not always have it on hand), 
• Music player (sometimes, I forget to pick up my iPod when rushing out the door), 
• Calendar (the convenience of adding things from messages, putting in specific times, and changing the view at a moments notice is all too brilliant) , 
• Notepad (I am a lover of old fashioned pen and paper, but once again convenience takes place when in a hurry, plus it means I don't spend hours looking for a pen), 
• Weather checker (one simple click, no complicated winds coming in an easternly direction at a zillion miles her hours), 
• Travel router ( you have no idea how many times I have walked to a new place guided by google maps) 
• Clock (no I don't own a watch). 

But the hardest thing about being without my phone is that I became unreachable if I wasn’t in the house or near a computer. Which meant that really large portions of the day where I was at work or college, I was not entirely reachable and in return couldn’t contact others in return, which is extremely hard, I am starting a new career which means that I need to be contactable all off the time, I also was working on a lot of stuff that meant it would be helpful be able to be in constant contact with people. But no twitter, Facebook, email, text and calls where all gone. So many ways to stay in touch and I could access none. 

And truth be told I missed being able to be tweet at a moments notice, or check out instagram, or snapchat friends. All a sign of the times I guess but these things have become a part of my life that I like. Seeing what other people upload, how people use social media to make a difference, share an opinion or just make others smile. 

I don’t know what these other people must of done on their phones to have a few days without theres be eyeopeners to the lives they were living. I felt like nothing changed, I noticed what was happening in the world just as much, appreciated the little time I spent with friends and family just as much. Only I felt hugely disconnected a lot of the time. Totally out of sync. It wasn’t some refreshing experience I expected it to be instead I am relieved to have my lifeline back.