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“One of the most tragic consequences of the smartphone is the fact that people have developed marked aversions to spending more than four seconds not…scrolling…”  ~ Billy Manas, Kickass Recovery

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We all do it: We find a moment where nothing is going on around us and pull up an app to scroll through.

Remember when we had nothing to do on the toilet but read bathroom books and shampoo bottles? We’re laying in bed waiting for sleep, or on our lunch breaks, scrolling. Sometimes, we’re even in the company of our loved ones and reaching for the phone, losing all eye contact while they speak to us.

This has created a disconnection, not only, to who and what is around us, but also that which is within us.

When was the last time you watched the birds? Or observed the fabric on your clothing? When was the last time you checked in with yourself? Or challenged your left brain to think outside of the autopilot box?

When we disconnect from our scrolling habits for a few minutes a day, we allow space to find ourselves connecting with something much greater and more beneficial for our minds, bodies, and spirits. We connect to mindfulness.

I’ve gathered a few quick, easy, and low-cost ways to replace your scrolling habit and improve your health—both cognitively and spiritually.

I promise: the benefits will be worth the initial discomfort of breaking your scrolling habit.

1. Read poetry.

2. Do a crossword puzzle.

3. Or a word search.

4. Observe the details of your surroundings.

5. Daydream.

6. Write a letter to your future self.

7. Imagine the process of how the things you own were created.

8. Think of five things that you love about yourself.

9. Think of five things that you’re grateful for.

10. Let yourself get carried away and think of more than five.

11. Check for tightness—in your muscles, your jaw, your eyes—and release.

12. Close your eyes and smile for a moment, or three.

13. Doodle.

14. Check in on an elder.

And last but not least, my personal favorite:

15. Write your thoughts in a journal, and then write back to yourself.

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