On a dreary Tuesday afternoon, my mom and I were in the heat of an argument over four baskets of laundry I had shoved under my bed. In her anger and wrath, she snatched my most prized possession from my hands…my phone. Feeling lost and hopeless without my computer sidekick, I resorted to my bedroom where I sat on the edge of my bed in silence. The 24 hour countdown began.

Hour One

Separation anxiety set in. Beads of sweat made their way from my forehead down my face as I wondered how I could possibly survive without my touchscreen best friend. How would I keep my Snapchat streaks? How would I know if it’s anyone’s birthday without checking Instagram? How would I be able to see the latest kitten videos my Grammy posted on Facebook? These terrifying questions continued to swirl around my mind. The exhaustion of the stress led to a well-needed nap.

Hour Three

Boredom officially set in and I resorted to the only activity I was able to do: putting away the mountain of laundry squeezed under my bed. This is always a topic of debate in my house, as my mom often refers to my room as “The Pig Stye.” I folded and put away sweaters and jeans, straightened out my makeup counter, and carefully placed each pillow on my freshly made bed. Wow, all of my laundry was now neatly placed in my dresser drawers.

Hour Five 

Looking around my spotless room, I searched for another activity to occupy me. My eyes found a book I had started weeks prior, which has since gone unread due to Candy Crush. I picked up the book titled “Under the Dome” by Stephen King and page by page thrilling content soaked into my brain. By the last page of the novel, I was hooked on reading. My mind felt challenged and I had checked another task off my list. 

Hour Twelve 

My first morning getting ready for school without my phone. Normally, I am running at least fifteen minutes late because I just have to check my Twitter feed as soon as I wake up in the morning. Without this option, I gracefully jumped out of bed and went downstairs to prepare myself a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats with almond milk. All of this extra time I usually spend on my phone I now used to feed myself so I wasn’t groggy and tired in school. I felt fantastic and was already halfway done with my “punishment.”

Hour Sixteen

My regular classes were not too different from when I do have my phone, but eating my cheese-stuffed breadsticks in the cafeteria was a struggle. My best friend Jackie and I are usually giggling at old Vines on my phone, shopping for shoes, or listening to music. Today, we sat face to face (crazy, I know), and had an intelligent conversation. We were absolutely stunned when the bell rang; lunch had flown by. It’s incredible how time flies when you’re having fun and not just scrolling through memes on Instagram for 35 minutes.

Hour Twenty-Four

Settling in at home, my punishment was finally over. My mom and I reconciled and both agreed that I have a laundry hoarding issue. She handed my phone back to me, which I thought was going to be a gratifying reunion. In reality, I didn’t really miss my phone as much as I thought I would. My mom and I went out to dinner at Teresa’s Pizza, but instead of being on my phone the entire night, I set it aside and had an actual conversation.

For those millennials that are truly addicted to their phones, try leaving it at home one day. Not being attached to an inanimate object is freeing and you can accomplish so much more than you could ever imagine.