I have an anxious attachment to my phone. Every night, I fall asleep to a podcast playing on my phone. My phone always has little battery left at the end of the day. So, when I am going to bed, there’s a high chance it is below 20%. Even though I know I should charge it overnight. Even though the charger is just on the other side of my nightstand, I choose not to because I need it with me.

I am completely focused during class, but I have my phone on my desk. I just like the option to be there. Sometimes I need that escape. I like the temptation, and I also like to give in to it. I have no problem staying off my phone in class as long as I have it with me. But the second it’s somewhere else, I start to wonder if someone needs me or if there’s something I’m forgetting that’s on my phone.

I am a very organized person, and so is my phone. It has every one of my lists, schedules and reminders. My phone helps me to stay organized and helps me remember the things I may forget. I check my phone often to make sure I’m not forgetting to do something. So, if I do not have my phone, I start to worry there’s something I’m missing.

My phone is my partner. It acts almost as a member of my family. I am anxiously attached to it.

But why? Why am I attached to a rectangle with a screen? Is it because it allows me to contact someone if I need help? Because it tells me what to do? For me, it’s the feeling it provides me: a feeling of safety and security. My phone is always there; it’s a constant in my world of chaos. It’s something I can always count on to stay the same.

I need my phone to be there for me. It replaces some fear I have. I turn to it when I feel alone. My phone never argues or disagrees with me. My phone never gives me an opinion I did not ask for, or advice I do not want, but simply information. A quick search on my phone provides me with all the information I need to fix the problem myself.

My phone is a distraction. It transports me to new places. It takes me out of this world and puts me in a new one, a better one. One that is without homework and rude people. One where I can simply exist and do not have to think.

I think every person with a phone is attached to it. When something becomes so prominent in our everyday routine, and we depend on it for so many things, how could we not form an attachment?