Throw Your Phone Off a Cliff, Down the Valley and Into the Sea

…Or just kiss it goodbye, hide it away and forget about it for some time. At least not when you’re in the city but definitely when in nature.

We’ve become so accustomed and dependent on our phones in our daily routines that if we lose or forget our phones somewhere (perish the thought!), it feels like our world has come to an end.

Yes, technology and mobile phones have transformed our lives to the better, or at least that’s what we believe, but do we need to hold tight on to them when we’re in the great outdoors?

We sometimes don’t pause to think how much our phones consume us. We’re used to checking our phones so regularly that we’ve become anxious about it without even knowing. Think of how much time we spend on them daily and how much effort our eye, hand, shoulder & back muscles put in just so that we can operate those small devices. Not forgetting how much time we spend in front of bigger screens…oh well.

It took me some time to realize that. Out on a Sunday hike, I decided to turn off my phone data and only use it to take some photos every now and then. It was at that time when I realized how much our mobile phones consume, distract and control us. It was a feeling of liberation mixed with relaxation. So, imagine how that feels for a longer duration.

Yes, technology and mobile phones have transformed our lives to the better, or at least that’s what we believe, but do we need to hold tight on to them when we’re in the great outdoors?

It feels great to gaze into nature’s beauty and soak up the warm sun instead of soaking in that harmful blue light from the screens we stare at all the time. It feels even greater to just sit by a river or camp under the stars, detached from all things tech, allowing our mind to rest and drift away. No notification to check or message to respond to. All what’s required of us is to just be.

I often do encourage not using phones when on the beach, the trail, or even when you’re out and about. You’ll eventually get to whatever or whoever is there on the other side but what’s so important is that you give your mind and body the time to unwind, enjoy and wander in the beauty that surrounds you.

Next time you’re on a special date with nature, try not to look at your phone.
Don’t worry too much about it, and anyways, is that how you behave when you’re on a date?