Practical Tips on Cutting Down Mobile Dependency

 The necessities you may need to buy…

  • A camera

  • An alarm clock (with a silent, sweep motion and no illuminated hands)

  • A diary

  • A watch

  • A landline (if you don't already have one)

  • An answer phone

  • A laptop

  • A Sat Nav and/or a map

What you’ll also need…

  • A good sense of self

  • A good sense of humour

  • Patience

  • Resilience

  • Focused attention

The Benefits:

SLEEP: Easier to get to sleep and better quality of sleep.

GREAT CONVERSATIONS: On the landline, it feels special and you don't take talking for granted.

TIP: Make yourself a favorite place to sit at home so you can fully enjoy your conversations with loved ones and friends. It wasn't that long ago when our grandparents and parents used to have a special seat unit in the hallway for all the family to sit on and access the telephone which was tethered by an extendable curly wire. Yes, it offered no privacy in a busy household but it did give you a sense of how special it was.

One-to-one, direct communication is so valuable to know you are being heard, to know that you have got someone to share with. It’s as the old adverts used to say, 'It's good to talk'. Although I'd update this slogan to, 'It's good to take the time to talk'.

TEXTS CAN BE TOO IMPERSONAL: Its more considerate to discuss things – sending a text can seem the cowards way out.

For me, receiving a text used to feel a bit like a back door ‘chat burglar’ had got me. For instance, I remember my confusion and devastation when I read, 'You didn't pass the exam, you hadn't handed in all the written case histories', signed off with glum-face emoji. Really?! Thanks a bunch, that really hurt. Seven months of work, time and investment and no cigar. I needed at least a conversation to understand where I had mucked up – where's the lesson to be learned going forward?

EVERY FIRST YEAR UNIVERSITY STUDENT SHOULD BE AWARE OF:

Sadly, at Bristol University last year a student, Ben Murray, tragically committed suicide – part of this sad tragedy was apparently down to a teacher communicating some devastating news via email without any form of face-to-face communication; a young person is already feeling isolated and under the stress of leaving home for the first time and the pressures of new learning so human contact is key . When I heard James Murray, Ben's father, bravely explaining things at the Festival of Higher Education at Buckingham University in June 2018, it struck me that it was emotionally criminal to be treated in this way. Didn't Ben count enough to warrant a phone call conversation? Another factor was that the University wasn’t able to contact his family regarding any mental health concerns due to confidentiality.

SPECIAL NOTE: I am heartened to inform you that James Murray and his family now have got all Universities to offer the ‘Opt In’ consent at registration to first year students and returning students who now can have the opportunity to give their consent for their parents or guardian to be contacted if the University is at all concerned for their mental wellbeing – I urge all students to consider this lifeline because, speaking as a parent, we want to be able to care and still be there for you whatever and whenever as everything can be resolved.

If not for me, please do it in Ben’s memory. Help and support can be at hand, you just need to allow the Universities to share your information with your family or a guardian.

Good has come from this unbearable sadness and I am so humbled and especially grateful to the Murray family who have tirelessly campaigned over the summer for a new this ‘Opt In’ Consent to be put into action in time for the start of the University year, a key transition time. My son Harry has already ‘opted in', meaning that his university will now be able to contact me if they feel there is any reason for concern regarding my son's mental health, which was not the case previously due to confidentiality. It remains the student's choice to ‘Opt In’ or out of this and for more people to share awareness about this new crucial option. SO PLEASE TELL A FRIEND AND SHARE THIS POTENTIALLY LIFE SAVING NEW CONSENT FOR ALL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS.