I’m A Therapist And I Didn’t Use My Phone In Bed For 7 Days

This Was A Surprisingly Difficult Challenge

I have noticed that my phone has become a huge distraction. I can’t walk two feet without refreshing Instagram and I found myself constantly reaching for my phone in bed. I was living out this tweet in real time.

And when you use social media and your phone for work, it’s easy to convince yourself that you’re “working” and that’s why you need to be scrolling. I had to be honest with myself: this wasn’t work. It was absolutely mindless consumption and it was ruining my productivity and my sleep.

We Know Phone Time Before Bed Isn’t Great For Us

According to The Cleveland Clinic, using your phone before bed can negatively impact your health. It keeps us awake and psychologically activated, making it even harder to fall asleep. Recent research has found a correlation between suppressed levels of melatonin and exposure to blue light. Melatonin is one of the hormones responsible for controlling your sleep-wake cycle – so we don’t want to disrupt that.

I knew I needed to do something about this so I started my next mental health experiment: Therapist doesn’t bring her phone to bed for 7 days.

Here Is What Happened

• This was surprisingly very difficult. I moved into my house recently and we still have some boxes. In order to keep myself off my phone, I would place it on top of a moving box in the far corner of the room. I found myself literally lingering there, checking instagram one last time, before leaving it on the box.
• I still kept reaching for the phone. Late at night I would reach over to my nightstand even though there was nothing there. My body just kept reaching for it when the show I was watching (on my medium screen) would get boring or I felt the urge to refresh Instagram. I also made up reasons to go and check my phone. For example, I FAKED THAT I HAD TO PEE just so I could click on the screen on my way back from the bathroom. This was a low point.
• I started to experience a sensation that I was better than everyone else who brought their phone to bed. By day three I was watching my husband scroll on LinkedIn for the tenth time and thinking, “wow I am just so amazing. I don’t need my phone in bed!! Look at him scrolling!”
• I couldn’t break the habit fully. One of the main reasons I wanted to stop bringing my phone to bed was because it was the first thing I looked at in the morning. I would open my eyes, turn off the alarm, and immediately open my email. Sometimes I would do this before even saying good morning and I hated that. I really hated the power the phone had over me and how I was saying “this is the most important thing to me” every time I made that decision. But for those 7 days, I continued to get out of bed to shut off my alarm and then I would get back in bed for 20 minutes of phone scrolling. Ugh…but was this something I wanted to stop completely? More on that later.
• I brought my phone to bed on day 8 and I regretted it immediately. I saw an email I didn’t want to see right before bed and it totally interfered with my sleep schedule.

What I Learned From This Experiment

I do these little 7 day experiments because I like to see how they boost my mental health and then share them with you all. So, what did I learn when I didn’t bring my phone to bed for 7 days?

• It’s very hard to relax when you keep checking your phone. My ability to get into sleep mode improved and I found I was falling asleep easier.
• Time without my phone meant more time to read, do my skincare routine, etc. Suddenly I had time for the things I had zero time to do before.
• I liked feeling like I own my phone and that it doesn’t own me. That sensation of feeling empowered by not having my phone? I liked it. I want to continue it. I do like the challenge of knowing they want you on your phone scrolling!!! resist!! I found that empowering.
• This is a hard habit to break. I’m sure there will be times I’m not able to do this. Flexibility is super important to me and if I can go without my phone most of the time, that’s a win for me.
• I actually really like checking my email first thing in the morning. I want to make sure I say good morning to my family first, but then those quick 20 minutes on my email really helps me feel like I got ahead of the day.

As A Therapist, Do I Recommend Not Bringing Your Phone To Bed?

I recommend taking technology breaks whenever possible. I know that there are so many people who need their phones close to them at night for whatever reason (and there are many valid reasons). And, I think we can all evaluate our relationship with technology and what we really need to be doing on our phones.

Do you need your phone close by and on for emergencies? Maybe! But do you need to be scrolling on Instagram til 2AM because it’s next to you? I don’t think so…

What is important is that you evaluate how technology, social media, and phone use are impacting your life and make adjustments that fit you. Maybe you want to challenge yourself to not be on your phone with your kids. Maybe you want to put that phone away on date night. I also think going cold-turkey can be hard for a lot of people. Setting aside a window of time for scrolling before bed may be more effective. I know I had to put my phone literally across the room or I wouldn’t stop.

This was something I wanted to try and I think it’s something I’ll continue.

What Do you Think? Will Your Phone Be Joining You In Bed Tonight?

I love doing these 7 day mental health challenges and reporting back. Is there anything else you want me to try (think mental health apps or mental health practices)?? Lmk in the comments or DM me on Instagram (I’ll respond to you in the AM because my phone is so far away!!)

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