How to keep your phone from intruding in your relationships

Embrace real life

This is actually the hint to end all hints. Because no matter how much your loved ones like your texts, voice messages and pictures, no doubt a real conversation with you makes them even happier. When you’re sitting face to face, you can roar with laughter, touch, have a good cry together. No emoji in the world can do that.

What’s the rush?

Do you tend to feel like you’re disappointing someone if you don’t immediately respond to a text? It’s likely that the other person doesn’t assume you’ll respond all at once. Think about it for a second: you probably don’t get annoyed every time you have to wait for a reply for a while. If you always act on every message coming in, you actually are likely to disappoint someone: the person who’s sitting in front of you, in the flesh.

Be in the here and now

Are you at a concert, in a museum or just going for a walk together? It’s tempting to take snapshots of everything you see, to relish the memory afterwards. But no matter how many pictures you take, you will never be able to live the moment again. So enjoy looking at that gorgeous panting or listening to that awesome band, right now.

Banish the phone from one room

During a nice dinner or a shopping spree with a good friend, leaving the phone in your bag isn’t all that hard. But when you share a house with someone, it’s more difficult to put the phone aside. After all, you share a lot more time with your loved one. Here’s a piece of advice: whatever you do, banish the phone from the bedroom – in order to make it a place where no device can come between you and your love. Isn’t that romantic?

Exile your phone altogether?

Moderation is key – just like when it comes to any other thing you might want to cut down on. If you’re looking for a change in your life that lasts, it’s wise to try and moderate. So don’t banish your phone from your life unscrupulously, but have a realistic look at your phone use. Sure, there are times when you need it – but there are also times when you would do fine without it.