My cell phone broke last week. I had tried to fix it by removing the battery, recharging and then restarting it all together, but nothing worked. For the first three days the screen was blank, though I could still make and receive calls. Later, it completely died, and I’ve had an inoperable phone for the past six days. Needless to say, my broken phone has been the source of much stress and anxiety that, when I look back on it, was entirely unwarranted.

During the time of my blank screen, I was an absolute wreck. I called my parents in anger and fury, demanding a replacement. I drove my friends crazy because I would constantly ask them for rides to the Verizon store since I don’t have a car. Furthermore, I was always complaining to them about my lack of a phone. I felt absolutely secluded: first, no car; second, no phone. According to my own pessimistic outlook, the next logical progression would be no more Internet. I was focusing so much on the negative that it was beginning to control my outlook on life. What’s really sad though, is that a silly phone had such excessive control over my personality.

Sadly, Murphy’s Law applies to phones as well, and it finally died all together. If a blank screen could wreak so much havoc on my life, just imagine what a dead phone could do. I was poised for a complete cellular-driven breakdown. However, rather than causing me to sink deeper into my telephonic depression, the broken phone was unexpectedly liberating.

Instead of dwelling on the negatives, I reveled in my newfound freedom. As childish as this sounds, a lack of cell phone resulted in a pleasant lack of responsibility. So many people, including myself, rely on cell phones to accomplish everyday tasks. Without a phone, I would always have an excuse for not showing up on time or not returning important phone calls. Even if I knew I had to call someone and just didn’t feel like it, I could always use the excuse, “my phone was broken and I couldn’t borrow a friend’s.” I could always place blame on not having a functional cell phone, and the best part was, I’m wasn’t even lying!

As a result of not having a phone, I was able to re-evaluate my dependence on technology. I decided not to allow it to control the way I live. Technological advances are supposed to make your life better, not make your life. Therefore, going without a cell phone should not have affected me so negatively. Like I said before, I learned that life can be just as good without a cell phone.

I took opportunities to focus on myself and things that I wanted to work on accomplishing. I could spend more time on homework because I wouldn’t be distracted by friends who had called me. Instead of calling someone to join me for lunch, I would go alone and get some reading done. Miraculously, I was able re-prioritize between friends and work, and the results were fantastic!

Despite the pleasure that comes from a mobile disconnect, I can’t lie and say that I’m not looking forward to the arrival of my replacement phone. I guess the change in attitude was more of a vacation rather than a newfound lifestyle. While I have enjoyed a brief period of seclusion from the cellular world, it’s time to re-enter the telephonic community.

However, I don’t think I’m ready to completely immerse myself just yet. I hope to use my new phone with more discretion. I won’t check it as often between classes, and when I’m in class, I’ll attempt to not constantly glance at the screen to check the time.

As for those of you who don’t believe me and are as attached to your phones as I used to be, I encourage you to try cutting down your cell phone time for a week. I’m not asking you to eliminate it all together; that’s ridiculous. But look at it this way: instead of talking on the phone between classes, take time to walk down the boulevard in silence and admire the trees and fancy cars.

Or instead of calling a friend to meet you at Subway, go alone. You might run into somebody while you’re there, and if not, you could always bring some reading with you. I promise these changes, that at first glance would seem to cause more stress, actually help in taking the tension away.

Christina DiPinto is a sophomore Spanish and CCPA double major. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].