Always Reaching to Check Your Phone? Here's What to Do Instead

We’re all guilty of reaching for our phones constantly. It’s a natural response to regularly check for texts, emails, or social media notifications.

But checking your phone constantly can have negative consequences. It can decrease your focus and concentration, increase stress or anxiety levels and overwhelm you.

Seeing a million work emails or notifications that you need to check can raise your cortisol and may lead to long-term stress. Eventually, it may lead to burnout or other physical symptoms, such as poor sleep, fatigue, low energy, and frequent infection or illness.

Chronic stress can impact multiple organ systems, including the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, and reproductive systems.

So, what can you do instead of checking your phone? Firstly, move your phone to another room and put it in silent mode.

Here are some ideas for activities you can do instead of scrolling on your phone:

• Meditate
• Practice some deep breathing
• Read a book
• Take a walk outside
• Do a home workout
• Listen to an audiobook or podcast
• Call a friend