Feeling Phone-Overwhelmed1?

By Suzanne Gelb

也许现在的人们，特别是出生在数码时代的孩子，很难想象人们在没有智能手机的时代是如何生活的，因为现代人的生活都是建立在手机之上的—— 社交、娱乐、购物、获取信息、甚至相亲！“低头族”们，能不能放下手机，抬头看看那些我们用手机应用取代了的真实、鲜活，而且更加缤纷的生活场景呢？

Not long ago, I was chatting with a friend of mine who lives in Oregon and she told me a story that I could completely relate to2. Oregon: 俄勒冈州，美国西北部一州；relate to: 感同身受。—because I’ve seen it play out in Hawaii, where I live.

My friend was having brunch at a popular local restaurant—she had waited an hour just to get a table—and while waiting for their food to arrive, she and her boyfriend noticed something troubling.3. brunch: 早午餐；troubling: 令人不安的，令人烦恼的。

All around the restaurant—with very few exceptions—people were intensely4. intensely: 深深地，极度地。focused on their phones. Texting. Tweeting5. tweet: 发推特，推特（Twitter）是一家美国社交网络及微博客服务的网站，是全球互联网上访问量最大的十个网站之一。. Posting pics of delicious food on Instagram.6. post: 发帖子；Instagram: 一款十分流行的图片分享社交的手机应用。Scrolling through various feeds while glancing at their dining companions over the top of their screens.7. scroll through: 滚动；feed: 消息推送；glance at: 匆匆一瞥。Multiple8. multiple: 多个。phones at every table. If someone wasn’t actively using their phone, they had it sitting flat on the table or tucked right in their lap—ready to grab!9. sit flat on: 平放在……上；tuck in:把……塞进；lap: （人坐着时的）大腿部；grab: 抓起。

“It was crazy!” my friend exclaimed10. exclaim: 大叫，惊呼。. “Everyone waited so long to get inside, and once they sat down, instead of enjoying the food, the ambience11. ambience: 气氛。, or their friends, they were totally focused on their phones.When did our society become so... phone-obsessed12. phone-obsessed: 沉迷于手机的。?”

I laughed, nodding my head. I’ve seen the exact same “scene,”too, so many times. Whether it’s at a public restaurant, a coffee shop,waiting in line at the airport or bank, or around the family dinner table,millions and millions of people are—as my friend put it—extremely“phone-obsessed.”13. 无论是在公共的餐厅、咖啡馆，在机场或银行排队，或在家里的餐桌上，千百万的人，都像我朋友所说一样，彻底地沉迷在手机之中。

Sadly, this epidemic14. epidemic: （坏事的突然）盛行，泛滥。just seems to be getting worse.

“I can barely remember the last time I saw my teenager without a phone in her hand,” one mom said to me. “She texts so much, her phone is practically a part of her body.”

So many people—parents and kids alike—are feeling burnt out15. burnt out: 心力交瘁的。and “phone-overwhelmed.” Many of us yearn for a “simpler time”when smartphones didn’t exist—yet, at the same time, we’re grateful for the solutions and timesaving tools they provide. (GPS to help you navigate an unfamiliar neighborhood,anywhere in the world? Amazing!)16. 我们中的很多人向往那个智能手机还不存在的“更简单的年代”——然而，与此同时，我们又感激其带来的各种解决方案和省时的工具。（全球导航系统能为你在世界上任何一个不熟悉的街区导航，很神奇吧！）yearn for: 渴望；navigate: 导航。

Smartphones definitely aren’t“evil” or “bad,” but people of all ages are struggling to find a “balance” and it’s becoming problematic17. problematic: 成问题的。. What’s the solution?

You’ll be happy to know: you don’t necessarily need to flush your brand new iPhone down the toilet or vow to never, ever tweet again.18. flush: 用水冲；brand new: 崭新的；vow:发誓。Things don’t have to be that black or white. But you can take specific steps to create a healthier, more balanced relationship with your phone—and all forms of technology, for that matter19. for that matter: 关于这点，就此而言。.

Here arefive simple steps that I suggest:

1. Make a plan. If you want to earn a college degree, you don’t just wander through a university waltzing into various lectures and jotting down notes at random.20. wander through: 虚度；waltz into: 大摇大摆地走进；jot down: 草草记下；at random: 胡乱地。You make a plan. You select specific classes happening at specific times and you attend them. This keeps you on track, moving steadily towards your goal.21. keep sb. on track: 让某人保持计划或进度；steadily: 稳步地。

You can apply that same logic to your smartphone usage. Choose specific times (say, 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 4 p.m.) when you intend to“check in” to read texts, social media updates, and so on, and then do your best to stick to the plan22. stick to the plan: 按计划进行。. Try not to just “wing it23. wing it: 原指即兴表演，这里指不按计划进行。.” Create phone-routines that help you to create the kind of day (and life) that you want.

2. Savor24. savor: 尽情享受。the sound of silence. If your phone is continually bleeping and pinging every time “something happens,” it’s going to be tough for you to stay focused on whatever you’re trying to do—you’ll be tempted to check in and see what’s up!25. 如果你的手机一直哔哔砰砰作响，无论你在做什么，保持集中注意力都会很困难——你会被诱惑去查看到底发生了什么！bleep: 发出哔哔声；ping: 发出砰（或咻）的声响；be tempted to do sth.: 受到诱惑去做某事。

This may seem obvious, but turn off those noisy notifications26. notification: 通知。.Better yet, turn the volume on your phone down to zero or powerdown your phone completely.27. better yet: 更好的是；volume: 音量；power-down: 关掉电源。

If you’re concerned that you might miss something important—like an emergency phone call from your spouse, parent, or your child’s school—you can create a “call filter” so that certain people’s calls come through even if your phone is on “silent.”28. 如果你担心你会错过某些重要的事情——比如你的配偶、父母或孩子所在学校打来的紧急电话——你可以设好电话过滤，这样即使你手机处于静音模式，你也能接到这些人的电话。spouse: 配偶； filter: 过滤。That way you can rest easy29. rest easy: 高枕无忧，大放宽心。, knowing that you will never miss something that is truly urgent.

3. Make dinnertime a phone-free zone. For many couples and families,dinnertime is the only time of the day when everyone is gathered together in one place. Make dinner a special, sacred30. sacred: 神圣的，庄严的。time. No phones at the table.

If people get restless or bored, strike up an interesting conversation by playing a question game (like asking, “What was the best part of your day?” or “What was the toughest part of your day?”) and take turns telling stories.31. restless: 坐立不安的；strike up: 开始；take turns: 轮流。Even if you’re dining alone, set your laptop or phone aside and savor your meal without techie distractions.32. set sth. aside: 把……放在一边；techie: 技术；distraction: 干扰。

4. Enjoy phone-free adventures. A few times a week, try leaving your phone safely at home. Go for a phone-free walk with your dog... a phonefree date with your sweetheart... or a phone-free trip to the grocery store.33. sweetheart: 爱人；grocery store: 杂货铺。When was the last time you did that?

See how it feels to move freely through the world without any kind of digital “companion” to keep you company. What kinds of feelings bubble up34. bubble up: 冒出。for you, positive or negative? Take note. No matter what kinds of feelings come up, taking some phone-free time is a valuable experience that can teach you a lot about yourself.

5. Ask yourself, “What am I craving35. crave: 需要，渴望。right now?” When you feel the urge to check your phone, and you don’t really “need” to, pause for moment. Check in with yourself and see what you are craving.

Do you crave company? Do you want some excitement or entertainment? Inspiration? Connection with a friend? Energy to get through the rest of your day? Are you craving attention or affection?Laughter? Love?

Whatever you crave, see if you can find a non-phone-related way to give it to yourself.

Take a walk or pop by36. pop by: 突然出现。a friend’s house just to say “hi.” Write a handwritten letter. Go for a jog37. jog: 慢跑。. Listen to music. Sit and gaze at the sky or the ocean. Read a book. Feed your spirit in some other way.

After satisfying your cravings out in the “real world,” you may discover that whatever is going on in the “phone-world” just isn’t that compelling38. compelling: 有强烈吸引力的，激发兴趣的。anymore.