This past summer, I spent a month as a counselor-in-training at a sleepaway camp near Yosemite. Surrounded by pine trees and constantly covered in dust, I spent my days laughing with friends and campers under the tall trees. But there was one thing missing: my phone.
In the modern world, we use our phones and other forms of technology every single day. Our whole lives revolve around our devices; whether we’re texting friends or doom-scrolling on Instagram, we often don’t even get an hour break. Can you imagine not having your phone, or any technology for that matter, for a whole day? What about a week? Or a month?!
One of the most notable parts of my experience was that I didn’t have my phone or access to any other forms of technology for the whole month. Although it was a camp rule that I couldn’t have my phone, even if I tried, there was no internet access at all. Crazy, right? Well, it turned out to be one of the best and most transformative experiences of my life.
I’ve gone days without my phone in the past, but this was by far the longest period of time I’ve spent without my phone. For the first couple of days, I was constantly feeling my back pocket, hoping my phone would be there. It’s a weird feeling, not being able to contact your friends or family, not being able to listen to music whenever you want, and even just not being able to scroll whenever things get awkward. Fortunately, at camp, since no one else around me had their phones either, it was easy for me not to get caught up in the idea that I needed to know what was going on at home or that I needed to scroll on TikTok just once, making the phone detox a little easier.
After around four days, I no longer missed my phone. I stopped feeling around my back pocket and started realizing how refreshed I felt. I didn’t have to worry about responding to messages or checking to see how many likes my Instagram post got. None of it mattered. Instead, I got to fully immerse myself in nature and the people around me. At camp, I was able to truly live in the moment and take everything in. From little moments with my campers to deep conversations with friends, my phone barely ever crossed my mind. In fact, I realized how grateful I was to have this time without my phone.
But then, as my time in Yosemite came to a close and I sat on the four-hour bus ride home from camp, reality set in. I realized all the things I had missed out on. My mind raced with all of the events I couldn’t go to, all the music that was released that I never listened to, and all the TikTok trends I would have to catch up on. I dwelled in this for a little bit, but eventually remembered that I was only going to be with my camp friends for a couple more hours. I reminded myself of all the things I had learned while I was away and, more importantly, that I could handle not being on my phone for a couple more hours.
Fortunately, when my family picked me up, they didn’t have my phone. I think this was helpful in my acclimation to the real world. I was able to talk with my parents and connect with my family without distractions. But the second I got home, my perfect world without technology was disrupted. I opened my phone to hundreds of notifications across all different platforms. I was overwhelmed by Instagram post after Instagram post, TikTok trend after TikTok trend, text after text.
“When I came home, I felt very overwhelmed with my phone; it was not natural for me to go on my phone. I felt so overstimulated by everything, especially social media,” senior and one of my fellow counselors-in-training, Livia Segall, said.
After a couple of minutes of scrolling through TikToks with sounds I had never heard before, I had to put my phone down to recuperate. I reminded myself of what my month away had taught me. I didn’t need my phone to function, and I didn’t need to go through every single post and notification I had received.
Phones and social media have quietly become one of the most toxic aspects of my life, and being away from them has helped me realize that. After not having my phone for a month, and then coming back and feeling the negative effects of my phone on my mental well-being, I took a step back and realized that I don’t need to be on my phone all the time, and it’s okay to take a break every once in a while. Now, I am much more mindful of my screen time, and I make a more conscious effort to put my phone down so I can be present in the moment. I implore you to think about your own screen time and consider giving yourself a break; you might be surprised at what happens when you truly disconnect.
