![](https://images.ecency.com/DQmRJNEEUX7d7FGXXJrckL1dzHJtAgvbsy5ZhridXhZvJ71/phone_8594571_1920.jpg)

[image source](https://pixabay.com/photos/phone-iphone-mobile-green-8594571/)

The phone and the computer have become something we rely on so dearly, from using them as a device to listen to music, watching movies, to communicating with our friends and loved ones through text messages, calls, and chats. We also use our phones and devices for social interactions on social media platforms, and more importantly, we use the phone and computer devices for our studies and also as our office and means of making our daily bread.

It is difficult these days to stay for even an hour or less without having to use or glance at our phones. It has become a part of us and something we cannot do without. We could say we are getting addicted to using this device, but when one looks at it, it really depends on what you use these devices for. For someone who works remotely, spending as much as 8-9 hours daily is a must for him since he performs all his official responsibilities on his devices and cannot go a day without them unless he is on a holiday or on weekends.

Although I have learned to stay away from my phone for hours, this was a difficult decision as my phone has always been my closest companion and my everything. I can remember how I will go crazy for the fact that my phone battery was low and I didn’t have an idea when the electricity supply was going to be revived. From the time when I had my first phone, I have somewhat become addicted to my phone, when social media was not so popular as not everyone had access to a phone that has access to the internet. What I basically did with my phone then was to play those games that came with the phone. I can still clearly remember one time how I was so engrossed in my phone that I wasn’t looking at where I was going, that I hit my head so hard on our window.

Later that period was when I had my first girlfriend. Before we became lovers, we were friends. We will talk for hours during the day and also at night. We had the period of the midnight call and what they called the magic number on the MTN network. This allows you to talk to anyone at night and a special person all through the day for a small price. Having a phone was a way to escape depression at the time.

The introduction of social media also was another thing that increased my reliance on my phone. I will go on hours chatting with strangers and making new friends, some valuable relations and others not. While I was at the high institution, I will sometimes go to the school premises to read but will later end up chatting with friends online on the 2go app because the school had good internet network reception.

The question of if I could stay an hour or two without my phone has been answered already in one of the paragraphs just above, but I will say it again: Yes, I can stay away from my phone for a day even when I feel like it. Recently, I don’t find it okay to go out to see a friend or with a friend with my phone. This is so in order to avoid being distracted by my phone.

Thank you for reading. My name is @rishagamo, and this is my response to the Hive Learners Weekly Featured Content Week 169 Episode 02: "WITHOUT A PHONE".