How to Have a Healthy Relationship With Your Phone During Quarantine

Have your days been completely flipped upside down since this quarantine? Have your regular rhythms been interrupted, and has it been throwing you into a tailspin mentally and emotionally? 

On top of trying to blindly process what it’s like to live during a global pandemic, many of us are also now living in close quarters 24/7 with kids and a spouse, which only adds to our mental and emotional chaos. 

Whatever challenges you’re facing right now, you’re not alone. 

None of us have ever done this before. We’re all a little confused and scared. We’re all trying to get our footing. We’re all trying to survive while still caring for ourselves, our marriages, our families, and our jobs. 

We’re looking to each other for guidance. And since we can’t be physically with one another, we’re even more connected to our phones. How is everyone else handling this? What am I supposed to be doing? How do I entertain my kids without 8 hours of screen time in a day? How do I still get my work done with so many new distractions and responsibilities? 

I’m so thankful that we can stay connected virtually. I’m thankful that other moms and teachers are sharing creative activity ideas for kids. I’m thankful that working moms are sharing ideas for how to be productive while at home.

But the thing is, none of us really know what we’re doing. It’s uncharted territory that we’re navigating together. We don’t know how long this will last. We don’t know if we’re going to get sick. We don’t know the effects this will have on our economy long-term.

As great as it is to connect with one another by sharing our words and offering our advice, it can get overwhelming. I scroll on social media and experience a rollercoaster of emotions. I experience fear due to an article someone shared, insecurity that I’m not a good mom because I don’t have a color-coated schedule of stimulating activities for the day, and guilt that, because I’m considered low-risk health-wise, I’m not out grocery shopping every day for the elderly and vulnerable. 

But maybe my rollercoaster of emotions isn’t necessarily because of what others are sharing, but because I’m looking for more out of others’ words than I should be. 

Maybe I’m trying to put my hope in someone else having all the right answers on how to handle this whole thing when, in reality, God is the only One I can put all my hope in.

Maybe, before filling my mind with the thoughts and opinions of the world, I need to first tune my heart into the Truth of God’s Word.

I tried something the other day. Instead of reaching for my phone when I woke up, I fought the urge to start my day by scrolling. I put my phone in the other room, brewed a pot of coffee, and grabbed my Bible. I said to God, “I want Your words in my mind before anything else.”

Because He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35), He can fill us the way no one else can. “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103).

No matter what specific challenges you are facing right now, I can promise you this: you will not regret opening your Bible and asking God to meet you right where you are. Starting your day with Him will not fix every wrong situation, but it will give you an opportunity to receive His peace in a very uncertain time.

Let’s keep connecting with each other, sharing encouraging words and helpful thoughts. But let’s also make sure we’re filling ourselves with the powerful, living and active Word of God, trusting Him to refresh us and sustain us.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Wife Step: Before you reach for your phone today, commit to spending at least a few minutes in the Bible. If you don’t know where to begin, the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) are a great starting point. Allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you through His Word. And if you need a Bible, send us an email at info@awifelikeme.com and we will get you one.

Bailey Richardson is the wife of a Paul Bunyan look-a-like, the mama of a growing little family, and a woman on the wild adventure of pursuing Jesus. She lives in a small lake town in Minnesota where her family is highly involved in their local church and Young Life, a global non-profit youth ministry. A self-proclaimed “recovering perfectionist,” Bailey loves writing for and connecting with women who want to more deeply experience the grace, freedom, and abundance that comes from following Jesus. You can find her at baileymrichardson.com or on Instagram @baileymrichardson.