I just took Facebook and Instagram off my phone. This is the real beginning of the phone detox. Just in the last hour I've reached to check those apps and forgotten they weren't there. The impetus to finally do this was having been on break all week. My screentime was way up and I wasn't happy with that, especially coupled with the lack of cleaning I've done around the house. I'd like to think of deleting these apps as a big step, similar to a few years ago when I deleted Twitter and Snapchat. The next step in Catherine Price's plan is "come back to real life" followed by "get physical." Which is a great transition!
When I don't go to the gym, I wake up with some minor pain in my lower back and running down the side of my left leg. It's happened 2 or 3 times now, and always after I take a break from the gym. Now that I know that for sure, that will give me more motivation to go consistently. Starting in the middle of January, I went to the gym three times a week for six weeks -- the longest stretch in years. With school starting Monday, I plan on going 3 times per week until the end of the school year. Which is about 12 weeks. Also, I just bought a new pair of hiking shoes. So on the days when I don't go to the gym, and the weather cooperates, I'll be going to some of my favorite places: Birchfield Nature & Art Center, Tifft Farms, Reinstein Woods, etc.
So here starts the first of the withdrawal symptoms. I wonder how many times I'll spend unlocking my phone expecting social media to be there. I also wonder if I will just start reading Reddit as a substitute. Will have to keep an eye on it. Also, I think tonight is the night that I take my phone out of my room. Have it charge in the living room or something. Have it not be the last thing I see at night and the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning. The steps I took in the first couple of entries were important, but I think this is the first major one.
