Sometimes, going analog sounds like pure f**king paradise. Being at the mercy of our phones all of the time leads to the detriment of our families AND relationships. It sucks and it's just getting worse. Don't believe me, take a look around next time you're out and observe most couples. It's really pretty sad. We aren't giving attention, we aren't talking and we definitely aren't relating. We're staring at screens and getting text neck and phone face. Just say no to text neck and phone face.
Think about how many people have access to your through your phone at any given time. OMG all the people. Texts, emails, DMs and some people even still call you. Weird. JKJK. What?? You know you give your phone the side eye when it rings. We've got some serious urgency problems these days and we're all addicted to these devices.
Ok, well that's a bigger problem but I want give a little checklist that will tell you if your phone is more important than your partner. Before you get too offended (because I know you are going to take this personally and think I am talking directly to you) most of us are guilty so let's just do better.
When you're having dinner with your partner do you:
- Have your phone on the table face up OR face down?
(Come on guys, both are rude.)
- Reply to texts, emails or calls?
- Ignore your partner to concentrate on texts and social media?
If you answered yes, don't worry there is help and it's SUPER easy. Ready? If you're having dinner with another human, leave your phone in the car or turn it off. That will show them that you are important to them and you want to give them your undivided attention.
The bed is NO place for phones, it's just not. How about snuggling up, talking, making out, connecting and getting down OR I guess you could aimlessly like pics on IG. Uggg. No doubt, sometimes we need a little time to go mindless and decompress but this IMO isn't the time or place. When's the last time you were in bed with your partner and felt super connected and loved while they scrolled through Instagram? I'm going to go out on a limb and say never.
Leave the phone in the other room if you can't control yourself because you're so addicted to your phone. Admitting you have a problem is the first step and I'm not even joking.
This applies to when you're being driven around by your partner. Try try try to resist the temptation to bury your face in your phone and check how many likes you have. The phone is great for directions or Yelp or whatever research you need to do about where you're headed, but it's pretty rude if you're social networking instead of engaging with the driver who's is likely the most important relationship in your life.
If it's after hours or the weekend, just turn off your phones. Baby steps here people, because I know we are all addicted. First turn it off just during dinner, then try for the whole evening, then try for an entire day. Could you do it? I bet we can come up with countless excuses why we can't do it, but for your relationship's sake - just TRY it.
Ok, what if there's an actual emergency? Well, if you're not right there - what can you do anyway? Nothing. How many actual emergencies do you put out with your phone in a day? You can't count during work hours emergencies either. And by the way, unless you're a doctor, your emergencies probably don't count. I know there are always exceptions, but you know they are rare.
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