Frantic and Phoneless.. Learning the Beauty in Boredom

The other day, I was sitting by the pool when my phone decided to take a swim. I’m talking a full-on, Olympic-level front dive into the deep end — perfect form, terrible outcome. Long story short… It’s dead.

So now, I’m officially phoneless. Offline. No TikTok. No Instagram. No handheld anything. And honestly? I feel so disconnected. I can’t text my friends unless I’m near my computer, and no part of me’s about to lug that thing around like it’s my emotional support animal.

Here’s the thing — the internet is amazing. Real-time communication, unlimited photos, instant entertainment, answers to every random “Wait, what is…?” question. But what I’ve realized in the last 24 hours — and it’s kind of a sad realization — is that our parents were right. Phone addiction is real. The constant check-ins, updates, scrolls, and the subtle little FOMO itch? Oh, it’s there. Loud and clear.

But here’s the thing — it’s also been… refreshing. Without my phone, I’ve been forced just to be. Sitting by the pool and actually looking at the water and clouds. Conversing with the people around me instead of listening to TikToks and sitting in silence without feeling the need to scroll. It’s weirdly like being in third grade again — left to my own imagination to stay entertained. And strangely, it’s been a blessing in disguise.

I’m starting to think maybe the universe was trying to tell me:

1. Be careful around a pool.

2. Lower your screen time.

Because here’s the truth — we don’t need 500 pictures of the same sunset. We don’t need to update people every five minutes. We don’t need to scroll through other people’s lives to feel entertained. There’s a big, bright world out there, full of life and little moments you can only really notice when you’re looking up instead of down at a glowing rectangle. So no, I’m not telling you to throw your phone in a pool (please don’t). But maybe — just maybe — turn it off for an hour a day. See how you feel. Do you get anxious? Do you feel like you’re missing something? I felt both… but spoiler alert: you might just realize 90% of what’s on there doesn’t matter that much.

We all need to disconnect to reconnect — to people, to nature, and to the moments that make life feel full.

XO,

Lynsey