Why I’m breaking up with my phone

We need to break up, our relationship is toxic and I want out. I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently and the truth is that I can’t have you affecting my relationships with my children and my partner, they’re more important to me than you. 

I don’t want to cheat on them with you anymore! 

Over the last few years you’ve become like a drug, an addiction. I can’t go a day without using you, I know where you are constantly and think about you often. You make my interaction with the real World less real, everything at the touch of my fingertips I scroll through other peoples lives, ignoring my own. 

When I’m feeling down, I look at you for longer and you take advantage of that, you feed off my anxiety sucking me in to social media that only serves to make me feel worse. 

Somehow so controlling you make me feel like without you I will be missing what’s happening, I will be missing out, that I’m a better person with you and that I need you. The reality is that you are the one making me miss out on my life, the life right in front of me a life that would be perfectly great without you. 

When I take a picture, a video clip of my beautiful children you distract me. Those memories I want to cherish by taking a photo of I’m then missing right before my eyes, because instead of watching and playing with them, I’m looking at you. Distracted by an email or a message, things that can wait that you make seem urgent. 

I don’t want something to happen to me suddenly and my children to have memories of me with you instead of them. Images in their mind of me staring at your screen saying “In a minute” when they are asking me to look, to show them I love them. 

I don’t want to get to five years, ten years in the future and look back at their early days when they are so needy and you provided me with a break, to realise how much that break made me miss. 

I’ve fallen out of love with you. 

I’m not sorry. I’m just sorry it’s taken me this long to realise.

breaking up with my phone

I’m breaking up with my phone!

Dear Bear and Beany

25 responses to “Why I’m breaking up with my phone”

  1. Donna says:

    I think we all need to break up with our phone! This is so, so true x

  2. RachelSwirl says:

    I would love to be able to break up with my phone too but then I need it… lol

  3. Happy Mummy says:

    Very powerful and thought provoking post. I am always conscious of this, I try where possible to only go on my phone while Miss H is sleeping, at nursery or having a little bit of independent play time x

  4. Lisa Savage says:

    Hope it helps, but to be honest I don’t think I could do it. Mainly because I don’t want to enough. But you sound like you’ve made a big life decision here and thats brilliant. I hope it works out for you. #picknmix

  5. This is so true, phones are so addictive! I think its refreshing to put them own and leave them there!

    #picknmix

  6. Yes to all of this. I think its the same for a lot of people and we could all take a lesson from this. I know I am making a conscious effort to stop saying ‘in a minute’. x

  7. There are definitely some bonuses to having older children, I do all my phone fiddling when the boys are busy doing their own thing šŸ˜‰

    Stevie xx

  8. Yes to everything you’ve said, and I really do need to reevaluate my relationship with my phone! I used mine far less than usual on holiday and it was a nice break, and I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would xx

  9. wendy says:

    Yes! I feel exactly the same and I need to break up with my phone too! They can be so distracting and such time wasters. I hope the break up goes smoothly xx #picknmix

  10. Suz says:

    I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately too. I no longer carry it around constantly. I think we all need to break up with our phones.
    #PicknMix

  11. This really hit a note with me. I think me and my phone need to sit down and have a chat tonight. #picknmix

  12. I am quite addicted to my phone, so leave it at home if I go out. I remember being at concerts and seeing people spent the whole event viewing it from behind their phone screens, such a waste. #picknmix

  13. Oh I need to break up with my phone too – all the things you said describe my life…totally addicted with my phone and often feel like I’m using it in secret! Thanks for hosting #picknmix

  14. I have been feeling like this a lot recently. I have also decided that now I am back at university I am only going to use my phone if it rings. I feel like it’s stuck to me and I hate it! It really is like an addiction that I need to cut down on, I’m going to try to not use my phone until the boys have gone to sleep and only use it throughout the day if:

    1. it rings
    2. I need to phone someone
    3. I get a text (not a notification but an actual text!)
    4. To take a picture

    I feel like I will be a lot better off if I just put my phone down and forget about it but I do use my phone a lot to take photos of the boys.

    Good luck! #sharingthebloglove

  15. I know exactly how you feel and I’m planning a post around ‘screen time’ too. When I watch old films or TV shows I realise that everyone just enjoyed their days, they weren’t constantly checking their phones. The funny thing is, it’s very rare that something exciting happens anyway, but we’re still compelled to check them! Good luck with your relationship break-up x #PicknMix

  16. Just popping back to say thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove x

  17. I remember my Dad saying the same thing about using the video camera when we were kids, that he felt he missed the moment because he was behind the camera. I’ve definitely been guilty of spending too much time on my phone, and I’ve tried to put a stop to that lately by leaving it in my handbag for a few hours if we’re at home, and not constantly checking it if we’re out and about. But the fact that considering leaving it at home for the day while we go out makes me feel quite anxious probably says a lot. Thanks so much for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove with such a thought provoking post.

  18. Twin Pickle says:

    Total phone addict checking in . I’m not sure I’m ready to break up but I think we may need to step back and take it slower. Blogging does not help with the addiction! #SharingTheBlogLove

  19. Maria says:

    I am so guilty of this too and know I should stop but I find it so hard to! Maybe I need to withdraw from it in increments so I don’t go completely cold turkey! #PicknMix

  20. Kat says:

    Phones are very addictive but then they’re also very convenient! I think it’s good to take a break and switch of from time to time as there’s just so much drama online which to be honest gets more stressful than my actual life! #sharingthebloglove

  21. Emma says:

    I feel the exact same way about my phone. Unfortunately my addiction has caused my husband to start using his more so now he’s the one ignoring me. We’re organising at home date nights that are TV and phone free to help break the bad habit and increase communication. #sharingthebloglove

  22. ohmummymia says:

    That’s really good post I think most of us can relate to it. Although it’s quite hard to not checking phone if we are in blogosphere šŸ˜‰
    #SharingtheBlogLove

  23. Jaki says:

    We’re all guilty of this. It’s the modern age. I think it’s everything in moderation. It doesn’t hurt to put it down or put it away for a little while – it will make your time together all the more special (and with your phone when they’re in bed!) šŸ™‚ #sharingthebloglove

  24. I completely relate to what you said in your post but breaking up with our phone is tough for us bloggers… I wish I could find the right balance!

  25. Blogging really can take over can’t it, with the social media notifications beeping and flashing 24/7… For me, it’s about balance and most of the time I think I achieve that…

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