Here at Dyal Rental, we believe in healthy.
Whether you’re in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, or any of the other major cities in the country, be it for work or pleasure, these days a cell phone is a must. You’ll need it to coordinate everything from dinner reservations to that early morning meeting—and if you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for a plan that allows you to make calls internationally, your best bet is to rent a cell – yes – even the latest model, the iPhone 7.
I mean, what a weight off your shoulders to be able to simply travel, no strings attach, and have Dyal Rental deliver your phone to your hotel and drop off at any USPS/FedEx/UPS local or have your hotel concierge take care of the return, much like you would a car. Right?
Making your travel plans less stressful has an immediate positive effect on your overall psychology—and health. But isn’t it ironic that making it easier to pick up a cell phone is a relief from stress when traveling, when the very thing—the cell phone—you’re picking up, can actually be a huge stressor in itself?
Now, we’re not advocating not using cell phones; we all rely on them too much to stay in contact, to remind ourselves of important dates and appointments, and of course, we’re much better off these days with cells in the case of an emergency. (Not to mention, without cell phones, Dyal Rental would pretty much be out of business.)
What we’re talking about here are some practical ways to limit your cell phone use once you’ve rented it, and thus limit your stress.
1. Stay present
- This is the most important step to successfully cell phone (yes, used as a verb.) When you’re solely looking at the little screen*, you’re not paying attention to what’s around you; to what’s present. You’re not paying attention to your family, or your spouse, your dog, your food, or even (hopefully not!) the road!
- So take some deep, calming breaths: in for four seconds, out for four seconds. Chances are, once you focus on the present and the world around you, you’ll no longer even want to stare into the depths of that little screen.*
- *FUN FACT! The extremely excellent and disturbing show, Black Mirror, is named as such because of the reflective, black screen of an iPhone. Creepy, yes?
2. Download some relaxing apps
- Further to step one, is a way that you can actually use your smart phone to stay more present and relax. There are tons of great meditation apps available to you. If you don’t have a meditation practice already—get one! Especially if you’re traveling a lot for work. This tool will change your life—and now, your phone can help you. Dyal Rental phones are unlocked and you allow you to download any app you need.
3. Don’t download apps that you know distract you
- If you know already Facebook is a back hole for your attention, don’t download it onto your phone! If you must have certain social media apps on your phone, use your phone to set a timer! Limit your time on social media to 20-minute (max) increments. But even better—try talking to someone face to face instead during that 20-minute window you’ve allotted. Your day will come to life, guaranteed.
4. Take a picture
- No, not a selfie—all of this selfie-taking and posting onto social media has been widely proven at this point to cause way more stress. (Comparing yourself to others, feeding off of people’s Likes or comments, not feeling good about yourself if you’re not getting the responses you wanted… It’s all very stressful and harmful to self esteem—ESPECIALLY IN TEENAGERS.)
- Ahem, anyway: your camera phone provides a great opportunity to limit stress when you do something like take a photo of where you parked in the parking lot, so you’ll save time finding it; taking a picture of the map when you’re hiking; taking a picture of that weird fungus on your toe so you can send it to your doctor to check out. The iPhone 7 Plus has the best camera.
5. Talk to Siri
- If you have a phone with Siri, use it! Siri can be annoying, sure, but ultimately, she’s less stressful than staring at your screen for minutes on end trying to figure out HOW IN THE WORLD TO SET A REMINDER!
- Siri can do that for ya. Just set her up (or, if you set it that way, him), and then say, “Hey Siri…” and then fill in the rest. You can even say things like, “Hey Siri, call Dave Johnson.” Or, “Hey Siri, remind me when the forecast is for rain to pack an umbrella.”
- Annoying: sure. But she can help you out.
6. No screens at night!
- One of the most important things you can do to limit your stress, is maximize your sleep! Studies have shown that if you’re staring at screens before bedtime (computer screens, cell phones, T.V.s), you’re actually suppressing your melatonin levels, keeping your brain active, and even wake you up in the middle of the night (not just because your phone could beep or ring, but because they mess with your circadian rhythms. And you don’t wanna mess with that!)
7. Just put it away.
- Here’s the thing: Cell phones and smart phones have the potential to be great tools—when they’re used as intended. Use your phone to make calls, to look the things up that you need to, to keep your life organized, and basically as a tool to help you. Then, simply put it away. There’s a whole world out there beyond the screen, and if you’re looking down the whole time, you’re going to miss it.
