Smart phone sanity

Many people are tethered to their mobile phones.  They cannot go for long stretches of time without checking it for notifications.  They rely on it to answer questions, communicate with friends and family, blog, email.  It can help them obtain driving directions, do their banking and it provides entertainment of all sorts. Text and tweet.  Calendars, calculators, voice notes and cameras   And those are just some of the things that mobile phones can do today.  Oh, and it can also be used to make phone calls. 

Anyway, I am one of those people. 

My phone is my lifeline.  It is rarely out of my sight.  I feel lost without it.  I cherish it and I take care of it. 

I use it for all those things I listed above and a lot more.  One of the things I use it for is to help me in dealing with my depression and anxiety.  When I'm feeling overwhelmed or a panic attack is building, I turn to my phone.  Usually I will listen to music or play games.  By doing this, I can accomplish many things.

1.  I look busy when using my phone so people will generally leave me alone.  This gives me the opportunity to calm down and just take a break from the world.  I can do this in a group of people and escape without having to flee from the room.  People are always looking at their phones, so I don't draw a lot of unwelcome attention.
2. It is a distraction.  If I can actively engage my brain in some sort of activity, I can somewhat subdue the cycling of thoughts.  This distraction also helps to decrease the volume on the hateful and negative words that tumble around in my brain. The random games on my phone provide the perfect distractions.
3. I can find the positive in my phone.  Between photos of loved ones, inspirational quotes and soothing music, I can usually find some shred of peace.  There is always something there that can combat the negativity with a positive.  Something in my phone is always guaranteed to evoke a smile.
4. I can blog or make notes about what I'm experiencing.  It is so therapeutic for me to express myself in writing.  It also engages my brain and offers a distraction.  I also tend to work out my issues by writing them out. 
5. It helps with the confusion and muddled thoughts.  I still have some issues remembering things at times.  It is like the word is just out of range and taunting me.  Or I cannot remember the name of the actress who played Piper on "Charmed."  A quick search of the Internet and I'm no longer driving myself crazy struggling to fish the correct answer out of the fog.  It provides me a release from the fixation that can possibly become an obsessed focus when I should really be more involved with the present moment.

So the next time you see someone on their phone in a social situation, don't automatically decide they are being rude or are bored.  They might be a person like me who simply needs a brief escape from her own brain.  Maybe it is the lifeline that they grasp with every last bit of strength and sanity they have left at that given moment.  Perhaps they are just trying to hold themselves together so they can chalk up this social experience up as a win instead of the typical loss.  Give them the benefit of the doubt.  I know I will appreciate it.