it's the damn phone. it really is.

there are days where i want to chuck it out the window and forget it exists because of the amount of hours i have wasted doom scrolling, and looking for something to be entertained by.

two days ago, i made the choice to remove instagram and threads (for the thousandth time) off of my phone, with the exceptions of messenger, whatsapp, and youtube for both messaging and playlist purposes. it is uncanny the number of times i've deleted and downloaded these two stupid apps, but i would have to say it's purely because of FOMO. to myself, i always think:

did i miss anything?
who posted what?
what viral thing should i be watching, reading, investing in, playing, listening to, etc.?
what are my family, friends, and acquaintances up to?

everyone with access to tech is constantly on the move to post, repost, and essentially show off how good and glamorous their lives are at every minute of every day, one crucial thing is forgotten: what it's like to be in the moment anymore.

but, none of that world is real, and only what you see in front of you is. everything within the media is more or less exaggerated to persuade you to keep consuming, and scrolling. you become so hooked and invested into worldly topics, you often forget about the happenings in your life and your own life all together.

in light of trying to stay more present, i've taken action by doing these things:

the first thing i've done is to put my phone onto airplane mode when a certain hour of the day hits, and charge it out of sight in the evening. when the internet and wifi is completely disconnected from it, the temptation to reach for a scroll or watching videos here and there significantly decreases. removing social media platforms all together has lessened this urge even further. it's only been a short time, but it has helped out for the better already.

quality time with my fiance. we are currently traveling around vietnam, and something i've taken note of during our time here is what little pictures and videos i have of us here. it's been nice keeping the memories in my mind versus trying to think about what the next best pose is, and spots to snap some shots are at.

journaling and having my kindle within close reach is another thing to help me stay present in a productive way because it's a way of expressing my own mind. i get to digest and think about whatever it is i'm reading, and i get to write the occurrences of the day in a reflective state. these things keep me engaged in the present because it makes me bring focus to the current time of the day.

i think bringing focus to the presence of the day and yourself is important because you start to see that the things right in front of you matter the most. even sitting here and typing this out keeps me present in my mind, thinking of my contributions, and the community that's here on SN.

so instead, i have found my questions have shifted:

what did i do today to contribute to my own well being?
did i go outside to breathe some fresh air?
have i taken steps to care about myself?
is there anything i did new today?

so here is what i ask you: is there anything that you do that keeps you present? if so, what is it? if not, what is you think you can do now to live a better today than you did yesterday?