Smartphones are both a blessing and a curse. One little overpriced device is all it takes for everything to be at the palm of your hands. But that little device starts taking over your life. Notification after notification. Ding after ding. And with each one, the following thoughts come to mind:

You wake up to so many notifications, you just want to go back to sleep.

You try to listen to some music while getting ready, but it gets interrupted by morning emails.

You want to keep your phone on the table in class, but it vibrates a few times with the might of an earthquake.

You've almost run into people, buildings and the occasional squirrel while trying reply to everything in that 15 minutes between classes.

Your phone went off at least 3 times while reading this article.

You have a mini panic attack when you can't find it, thinking of all the people you're letting down.

You have the routine of marking half of your emails as read because you don't give two sh*ts.

When you see the X amount of notifications you missed a few hours/days/weeks/months/years/eons later, this is your reaction.

This is your face while trying to type as fast as you can.

This is you while trying to wrap up the end of the day with replies including, but not limited to, emails, texts, snaps and whatever group chat you were stupid enough to join.

You put your phone on "do not disturb" so you can finally catch some shut-eye.

Repeat.

Your phone has become your lifeline, but let's try to step away from that. Life becomes so much less stressful when we stay away from all the connections for less time than we need to. Now go befriend the squirrel you just tripped over.